i've been using security essentials for almost a year now every few days it reports that i have to validate the program... i've gone thru this twice but it keeps happening. i run firefox and this last time MSE took me thru some harrowing gobblygook where i had to install programs and they apparently added the necessary dll files to firefox and presumably explorer... anyway i could not fathom the last request (at least they said it would be the last nonsense i'd have to do). apparently i have to go into the control panel, network connections and something else and put in a PROXY SERVER address... they didn't give a CLUE as to what this address is or how to get it? absolutely worthless help from microsoft security essentials... can some one point me to the solution to this particular MSE geek stuff... thanks,

Hi, A computer running supposedly genuine and legitimate Microsoft Windows XP may start to fail the Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) validation process, or is simply reported as being non-genuine, or not genuine by the WGA ActiveX validator. This issue may occur if the WGA (Windows Genuine Advantage) engine does not have permission to access the data.dat file. Follow the steps below in order (for Windows XP as problem so far been limited to Windows XP system) to verify and confirm that it’s invalid data.dat permission that cause the problem, and resolve and fix the error. Log on to the computer using an Administrator user account. Click “Start”, and click “My Computer”. On the “Tools” menu, click “Folder Options”. Click the “View” tab. Under “Hidden files and folders”, check (tick) on “Show hidden files and folders”. Uncheck (untick) the “Hide extensions for known file types” check box. Click “OK”. Open Windows Explorer, and navigate to the following folder: %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\Windows Genuine Advantage\data i.e., C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Windows Genuine Advantage\data Right-click the “data.dat” file, and click “Properties”. Click the “Security” tab. Click on “Advanced”. In the “Name” tab, check if “Everyone” is listed. If “Everyone” is listed, click the “Exit” button, and check (tick) the “Full Control”. If “Everyone” is not listed, click the “Add” button, enter the name “Everyone” (without the quotation marks), and hit Enter. Choose “Full Control” in the pop-up window, and click “OK”. Click “OK” to accept the changes. Hope it helps. Regards,Please remember to click Mark as Answer on the post that helps you, and to click Unmark as Answer if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.

Magon Liu, I am on XP Pro Version 2002, Service Pack 3, and have the same problem with Microsoft Security Essentials (do not know where to find my proxy server address and port). I followed your instructions up to clicking "Properties" for the "data.dat" file. There was no "Security" tab, however - just "General" and "Summary." On the "General" tab, there was an "Advanced" button, but there were no further tabs there or anything that said "Name." On the "Summary" tab, there was also an "Advanced," button, but there was no "Name" tab there, either - just unalterable check boxes under "Description" and "Origin." Am I looking at the wrong file or is my system missing something that can be downloaded from Microsoft? I am at: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Windows Genuine Advantage\data (copied from my explorer.exe Address line) Thanks!