Earlier this week, one Hotmail user logged into their account to find that all of their emails had been removed by hackers, with the only email remaining demanding money in return for the deleted emails. According to Websense, this is a variant of "ransomware" which holds your files using methods such as encryption and demands money in return for the password. The cause of this is believed to be a computer in a Spanish Internet Cafe which was infected with spyware, therefore Hotmail users needn't worry too much at present. Hopefully MSN should be able to restore the missing emails and this should be an isolated incident, although it could be a sign of the future.

Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq "MSFT") and HP (NYSE "HPQ," Nasdaq "HPQ") today announced a three-year agreement to deliver an expanded portfolio of solutions for enterprise customers around the world. HP is the first premier global partner to deliver comprehensive solutions for the People-Ready Business, Microsoft's vision for how people, armed with the right software, are the key to driving business success.

Yesterday, Microsoft patched seven problems with Windows XP SP2. The three updates that were marked "critical"-

• An update to Windows Internet Explorer 7
• Windows Media Player patch
• Visual Studio 2005 fix

The last four updates marked "important" fix flaws in Outlook Express, the SNMP network management protocol, fix privelage problems, and patch a problem with remote installation services. You can read a full rundown of December's Patch Tuesday here.A recent flaw discovered in Microsoft Word remains unpatched.

Microsoft is looking to dominate the future of technology when it unveils its first commercially available operating system for robots. Yes, you did read that correctly. Named "Microsoft Robotics Studio", this Windows-based platform intends to let people program their robots in a simple way. If you're thinking "will this work with my robot?" then you may be glad to hear it works with such hardware as iRobot's Roomba or Lego Mindstorm's NXT Tribot. It will be free for non-commercial use, but if businesses want to take advantage of it they will have to pay $399 for a license. So when someone learns how to hack your robot you could soon see it running out of the house with your wallet.

Back in August, we reported that Microsoft would let amateur game programmers have a go at making games for the Xbox360. Based on Visual C# 2005 Express Edition and Microsoft .NET framework, XNA Game Studio Express allows anyone running a computer with Windows XP to make Xbox360 games. Of course, for the games to actually run, the author has to be a member of the XNA Creators Club, which costs $99 a year through Xbox Live. Members of the XNA Creators Club get the ability to publish games on Xbox Live, forum support, and various assets. You can download Game Studio Express and the framework required from MSDN.

Microsoft has had a goal since the beginning of 2006 to sell 10 million consoles. A spokesperson for Microsoft said in a press release "This holiday, we expect to have sold in excess of 10 million units worldwide." By "sold", Microsoft refers to the amount of Xbox360s that it has shipped to retailers and OEMs. It should not be very difficult for Microsoft to achieve it's goal. They are already reporting that sales for Xbox360 are way higher then the Xbox's sales, and can sell about one million consoles a month.

Microsoft sued Belkin in August for illegitimately using "U2 technology", which allows keyboard and mice to detect what type of connection is needed. Today, Microsoft is "pleased to announce" that they have reached a settlement. As part of the settlement, Belkin will take a license for U2 technology. Microsoft has been trying to get Belkin as a licensee for over 2 years.