Microsoft Genuine Advantage Servers Fail to Validate Anything For Hours

When the common user sees a patch for Windows that should have come with Windows Update and didn't, it's no big deal. The user simply goes to the Microsoft website, downloads the patch, runs the Windows Genuine Validation tool, and goes on their merry way. However, for at least four hours this morning, nobody could do that. The servers glitched, and from 12AM EDT to at least 4AM EDT, nobody could validate anything, from Windows Media Player 11 to Windows Vista Ultimate. There is no official word from Microsoft as to what caused this temporary bug or how they are planning to make sure this doesn't happen again.