Microsoft to nag users less often and allowed them to uninstall it. But it was kept as a high-priority update.

According to David Lazar, director of Genuine Windows for Microsoft, the revamped WGA Notifications still remains a "high-priority" update, though users will be able to deselect it from being downloaded and installed. Users running copies of XP that Microsoft has already determined to rely on one of four pirated Windows license keys are now being asked to download the revamped tool. That will be gradually expanded to include other users over the "next several weeks and months," according to Lazar.

The new version of WGA Notifications will also not incorporate a "kill switch" that cripples PCs that fail to prove that they are running genuine copies of Windows XP. That more aggressive feature, called Reduced Functionality Mode (RFM), is being in the upcoming Windows Vista OS.

The release also features a new installation wizard and will display validation results as soon as the tool has been installed. The software doesn't need to be rebooted after its installation, Microsoft said.

Microsoft plans to update the tool every 90 to 120 days, as a way to react to re-evaluation of the software and any changes in software piracy.