In an effort to respond to feedback the company is hearing from its customers and partners, Microsoft is extending availability of Windows XP editions among original equipment manufacturers (OEM) and retail channels for an additional five months to June 30, 2008 instead of the previously planned date of Jan. 30, 2008. In addition, the company will continue to offer Windows XP Starter Edition in emerging markets where it is currently available for the rapidly growing class of hardware-constrained ultra-low cost PCs until June 30, 2010. Click here to read the full interview with Mike Nash, corporate vice president, Windows Product Management and learn more about this decision.

Microsoft is getting official with the beta release of Internet TV for its Windows Media Center customers, featuring news from MSNBC, Fox Sport clips, and a variety of other ad-supported content. Expected to go live tomorrow morning, all U.S. users of Windows Vista Home Premium edition and Windows Vista Ultimate edition will find the new beta release of Internet TV with over 100 hours of programming. The service will allow users to enjoy a range of television and video content on their PCs and TV sets without a TV tuner in their PC. The streaming video content will be supported by an advertising platform provided by YuMe and will be available to viewers for free. The content available in Internet TV comes from MSN Video and will include full episodes of TV shows such as the critically acclaimed "Arrested Development;" full-length music concerts by artists such as Chris Cornell, Snoop Dogg, Elton John, Pink, John Mayer and the Pussycat Dolls; high-quality movie trailers from major movie studios; the latest news segments from MSNBC; and sports clips from FOX Sports.

In America, Halo 3 was met with great anticipation, and stores hosting midnight launch events soon found themselves without Halo 3 copies to sell. While Halo 3 did land Microsoft $170 million USD to very first day of launch, most of that money only came from America. In the UK, there were no such lines or hordes of excited gamers. For the first part, in fear of crowds rioting for Halo 3, the UK forbade stores to sell Halo 3 until 8AM local time. And when the stores could sell Halo 3, there wasn't much to see. While Microsoft was popping champagne bottles in celebration of the anticipated "movie-like" sales, the largest line waiting for Halo 3 in the UK topped out at around "a hand-full" of people.

Microsoft Corp.'s third game in the Halo Trilogy - Halo 3, has broken the U.S. sales record for a new video game by garnering an estimated US$170 million in its first 24-hours on sale, the company said late Wednesday. The performance beat the previous record setter, predecessor Halo 2, which earned $125 million within 24-hours after its launch. That's not all. Halo 3 has beaten other records as well. More than 1.7 million copies of Halo 3 were pre-ordered in the U.S., making it the fastest pre-selling game in U.S. history, Microsoft said. The game also drew over a million Xbox Live members to play online in the first 20-hours on offer, making it the biggest day for Xbox Live gaming in history. Halo 3 launched in 37 countries at midnight on Sept. 25 and is available in 17 languages. It retails in three versions: Standard Edition ($59.99), Limited Edition ($69.99) and Legendary Edition ($129.99).

Microsoft on Thursday began phasing in a slick new version of its Live Search service in a bid to gain ground on leading Internet search rivals Google and Yahoo. The revamped search engine includes new software that figures out what people are seeking despite vague or misspelled queries. Microsoft's improved Live Search will be available throughout the United States in a week and globally by the end of October, according to vice president of search and advertising platform group Satya Nadella. "The core thing for us is to show user we made a quantum jump in search results," Nadella said while demonstrating Search at an invitation-only gathering at Microsoft's campus in Mountain View, California.

This time, we feel we can claim we are as good as Google.

Consumers report that Xbox Live is being pushed to the limits, presumably due to the high number of gamers playing Halo 3 online. Various Xbox Live users have experienced inaccurate game stats, performance slowdown, inability to access friend lists, and an inability to perform system updates. After experiencing trouble on Tuesday night, one gamer reputedly called Microsoft's help line in which a representative responded by saying that Xbox Live was experiencing network difficulties. The issue appears to be intermittent, however, as several gamers reported no problems outside of inaccurate stat data such as number of players online. Hundreds of thousands of Halo 3 owners have flocked to Xbox Live in an effort to play online since the game launched on Tuesday.

Following widespread reports of scratched Halo 3 Limited Edition discs, Microsoft will be replacing any and all discs damaged as a result of the tin's faulty disc nub. The replacing program covers the Halo 3 Limited Edition Game Disc and Essentials Disc at no charge through 12/31/07. For more details, please check out Microsoft's official disc replacement site.

Microsoft has reached another milestone with the initial Release Candidate (RC0) of the highly anticipated Windows Server 2008 operating system, now available for download. Now customers and partners can download and test-drive the latest development version of Windows Server 2008 for themselves.

Download Windows Server 2008 RC0

Ahead of the highly-anticipated launch of Halo 3, Microsoft has released updated statistics related to its Xbox 360 console. More than 11.6 million Xbox 360 consoles have been sold across the 37 countries where it is currently available. According to NPD data, US gamers have purchased more software for the Xbox 360 (24.3 million units) than for the PS3 and Wii combined (19.8 million units). There are more than 250 games available on the Xbox 360, and the console has the largest games attach rate of the current generation at 6.3 games sold per Xbox 360 owner. Xbox LIVE is currently available in 25 countries across the globe. The most popular games played over Xbox LIVE worldwide include Halo 2, Gears of War, Hexic HD, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas, Call of Duty 3, Call of Duty 2, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 3 - Advanced Warfighter, Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, Crackdown, and PGR3. The Xbox 360 console was launched worldwide in November 2005.

While Microsoft is still pushing Vista hard, the company is quietly allowing PC makers to offer a "downgrade" option to buyers that get machines with the new operating system but want to switch to Windows XP. The program applies only to Windows Vista Business and Ultimate versions, and it is up to PC makers to decide how, if at all, they want to make XP available. Fujitsu has been among the most aggressive, starting last month to include an XP disc in the box with its laptops and tablets. Under Microsoft's licensing terms for Vista, buyers of Vista Business and Vista Ultimate Edition have always had the right to downgrade to XP, but in practice this could be challenging. Try the full story here.

Intel has announced the formation of the USB 3.0 promoters group, a consortium that aims to create a "super speed personal USB interconnect."

The first members of the promoter group (HP, Intel, Microsoft, NEC Corporation, NXP Semiconductors and Texas Instruments) said that USB 3.0 will deliver more than ten times the data transfer bandwidth of USB 2.0, which tops out at 480 Mb/s. The new interface will be designed to be used in consumer electronics and mobile applications and able to deal with digital media file sizes that are likely to exceed 25 GB.

Intel stated that USB 3.0 will be based on current USB technology and ports and cabling will be backwards compatible; however version 3.0 will offer enhancements for better protocol efficiency and lower power consumption. The development group will also integrate an upgrade path to optical capabilities for USB. A completed USB 3.0 specification is expected to be released in the first half of 2008.

Any techPowerUp! readers running Microsoft Office 2003 may be interested to know that Microsoft has just released the third service pack for the software. The main changes are as follows:

• Office 2003 can no longer open or save certain file formats. For more information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 938810.
• MAPI forms do not run in public folders and user folders. For more information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 938816.
• Office 2003 can now be configured to allow or deny specific COM components. For more information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 938815.
• Some COM components with unusual characteristics may not function as expected. For more information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 938814.
• Changes have been made to the behavior of Microsoft Office Document Imaging. For more information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 938813.
• Attachments with the .gadget extension can no longer be opened in Outlook. For more information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 938811.
• Access add-ins can no longer be configured for use by all users. For more information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 938809.
• The Fast Save setting in Microsoft Office Word has been removed. For more information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 938808.
• Documents saved in certain formats no longer contain the version number of Office. For more information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 938807.
• Certain macros in older Excel file formats have increased security. For more information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 938806.

You can download the service pack here.

The rejection of Microsoft's appeal to the European antitrust ruling against it means that there remains, at least in theory, a significant threat to Microsoft's way of doing business: bundling new features and products into its dominant Windows operating system.

In the United States, the Bush administration chose to settle the Microsoft antitrust case without challenging the company's freedom to put whatever it wants in its operating system. But in Europe, Microsoft's bundling practice became a key element in the European Commission's antitrust suit.

Most people would think that Microsoft has had enough trouble with WGA in the past. It seems to not even phase pirating, and recently locked legitimate users out of Windows temporarily. However, a student at Beijing University in China wants to add "spies on legitimate users" to that list. He installed WGA on his XP SP2 computer, and according to some, he did this without knowing what exactly what WGA did. The student's lawsuit focuses on the idea that Microsoft's anti-piracy measure is a violation of privacy. Microsoft stands firm in their claim that WGA is non-invasive, and only checks on core parts of the operating system.

As we have seen in the past, one of the major franchises keeping Sony in the console race is Square Enix's Final Fantasy. In the past, Microsoft has repeatedly tried to buy out Final Fantasy. Fortunately for Sony fans everywhere, Square Enix has not yet yielded to the Microsoft. However, Square Enix recently promised Microsoft it's own RPG. Codenamed "Infinite Undiscovery", the game is "action-oriented, 'dynamic, compelling next-generation RPG' with a focus on real-time events."

The average Windows XP or Vista user has Windows Update turned on, so that they will ideally be more secure. However, quite a few businesses elect not to have automatic updates, as the version that they are running is stable, and moving to a new version might cause instability in a mission critical environment. Lately, however, Microsoft has been thinking that they know better than their users. Regardless of whether or not a user has automatic updates turned off, Windows XP and Vista automatically update roughly nine files in Windows Update. While it is not a big deal for people that don't mind having the most up-to-date version of Windows, this is a very large breach of security, privacy, and possible stability for anyone who elected to turn Windows Update off.

As part of Microsoft Corp.'s commitment to education, the company is introducing a promotion inviting students who are actively enrolled at educational institutions and have a valid e-mail address from the institution to purchase Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 at a student price of $59.95 (U.S.). "The Ultimate Steal" promotion will run in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States starting today and in France, Italy and Spain starting Sept. 20, 2007. The promotion will end April 30, 2008.

The Mobile Memory Mouse 8000 from Microsoft is the industry's first rechargeable notebook mouse with 1GB of flash memory built right into the transceiver. Designed to prevent USB port shortage, the single transceiver is a three-in-one supertool that lets users simultaneously work wirelessly, save important files with 1GB of storage and recharge the mouse while working - all through one USB port. It also provides two kind of connectivity options - 2.4GHz wireless or Bluetooth. A switch at the bottom of the mouse lets you change the mode. The Mobile Memory Mouse 8000 supports Vista's Flip 3D function and features proprietary high definition laser technology, a tilt wheel and two side buttons (Magnifier and Back). Microsoft Mobile Memory Mouse 8000 will be widely available in October 2007 for an estimated retail price of $99.95. More information about the Microsoft Mobile Memory Mouse 8000 can be found here.

Microsoft released yesterday the September Security Bulletin for Windows operating system, as part of its monthly security cycle. This bulletin summary lists one critical and three important updates. For more information, see Microsoft Security Bulletin Summary for September 2007.

This week, Microsoft plans to make available free software that more seamlessly connects Windows to services on the internet. This a major change in strategy for Microsoft, which normally sells packaged software. This new strategy is meant to shield Microsoft's hundreds of millions of customers from competitors like Google.

The Windows Live service - which will be found at www.live.com - includes new versions of the company's Hotmail and Messenger communications services as well as Internet storage components. Microsoft executives said there were roughly 300 million active users each on the Hotmail and Messenger services, with some overlap.

The software release will offer PC users the option of downloading a set of the services with a single Unified Installer program, or as separate components. The individual services are Windows Live Photo Gallery, Windows Live Mail, Windows Live Messenger 8.5 and Windows Live OneCare Family Safety, a computer security program.

Microsoft has officially delivered their first release of the Silverlight browser plugin designed to help companies produce rich, web-based applications and user experiences. When first announced, criticism arose around the lack of support for operating systems other than Windows and OS X. However, now Microsoft states they will be working with Novell to bring Silverlight to Linux and that more than 35 companies have joined to help the "Silverlight Partnership Initiative" launch.

More information on Silverlight can be found here.

In response to Apple's new iPods waiting to be unleashed tomorrow, Microsoft announced a price drop for its Zune music player. The price of the Zune will drop from $249 to $199. The player, which was introduced in November, features a 30GB HDD, 3" display, limited WiFi connectivity and an FM tuner. The Zune was originally launched in White, Brown and Black, but eventually expanded to include Baby Pink and Watermelon Red. Microsoft also released two special Halo and Pink edition Zunes.

It seems as though you are not allowed to put the word 'Linux' in your Xbox Live Motto. There is no obvious reason behind this, but this almost certainly will put the Linux community up in arms. Most Linux users/enthusiasts probably do not like the idea of Linux being associated with a countless assortment of other profanities and obscenities.

A few days ago, we reported that Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage validation and anti-piracy program glitched, and flagged legitimate users as pirates. Microsoft fixed the problem as quickly as possible, and now has a full explanation of exactly what happened. When employees tried upgrading the servers, they all started declining validation requests, hence, locking legitimate users out of Windows. Fortunately, once Microsoft caught the problem, they were able to roll the servers back to the previous version of the server software within 30 minutes. To prevent such a disaster from happening again, Microsoft will be adding checkpoints to the validation servers, and will ensure customers are auto-validated if the servers are ever down.

Microsoft today officially announced that Bungie's Xbox 360 sci-fi shooter sequel has gone gold and is on track for its September 25 worldwide release. After 3 years in development Halo 3 is now officially finished and 27 days away from all players.

This is a huge milestone for us and a big cause for celebration at Bungie and Microsoft Game Studios

This is the game we've always wanted to make and certainly the best game our studio has developed. We can't wait for gamers to get their hands on it on Sept. 25.

said Harold Ryan, Studio Head at Bungie Studios.