When you want to download a file from Microsoft a WGA (windows genuine advantage) check is performed. Microsoft installs a small piece of software on your computer that contacts the Microsoft server and checks for validity. If the test fails you will not be able to download the file(s). The following method gives you the ability to download every file from Microsoft without a WGA check.

All you need is the tool mgadiag.exe and the download url of the file that you want to download. Mgadiag.exe is the Microsoft Genuine Advantage Diagnostic Tool. Start this tool and check the value of the “Download Center Code”, this should be seven chars consisting of upper case letters and numbers. Remember that code and open the website of the file that you want to download.

A download page looks similar to this one for Internet Explorer 7. All you need to do is append the following value to the url and you will be able to download the file without a WGA check.

&Hash=”download center code”

Replace the “download center code” with the code that you looked up in the mgadiag.exe tool. This code changes frequently, make sure you have the correct code before starting the downloads.

To sum it up for the lazy ones:

1. download mgadiag.exe
2. start mgadiag.exe and look at the download center code
3. visit a download page at microsoft.com
4. append &Hash=”download center code” to the url (example &Hash=6VJPCR9), no quotation marks needed
5. Hit enter

Microsoft is probably going to fix this soon, it is working nevertheless at the moment.

Update: I created two images to show you the difference that the &hash= entry makes: