Just got this in my email box!

This is what will change video gaming forever - worldwide, low cost online gameplay on the most advanced video game system. Come find out all the details about Xbox Live.

Alert: Sign up today for a chance to participate in the Xbox Live Beta test program!

This white paper describes the features of Microsoft Windows Update Corporate Edition, a new tool for managing and distributing critical Windows patches that resolve known security vulnerabilities and other stability issues in Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows .NET Server operating systems. This paper also presents solutions for some customer scenarios which Windows Update Corporate Edition addresses.

This product will be available in Q2 / 2002 as a web download from www.microsoft.com. More details will be posted to www.microsoft.com soon.

In order for IE to parse a local file as a html document the filename extension must be associated with html documents (normally .htm and .html). Also html code must be found somewhere in the beginning of the file (IE will only scan a certain amount of bytes in the file). This is good security because several types of userdata is stored in local files (cookies, favorites/bookmarks, application userdata etc). The problem is that IE can be tricked into thinking that a local file is a html document regardless of file extension. Press READ MORE for further info.

Neowin are reporting that MSN 8 is just around the corner folks! Just received this from Mr. X on the suport desk MSN 8, and in the email it reveals that an internal beta was released two days ago - 20/5/02. Although we only have speculation on whats new in the program, there are various new features that will make the program quite desirable, one hopes.

Microsoft Releases Your Personal Hotmail Info! If you have a Hotmail account - or if you've used Microsoft Passport - for more than a month, there's something you need to check.

Tool 1: This command-line tool allows you to manage the Service Principal Names (SPN) directory property for an Active Directory? directory service account. SPNs are used to locate a target principal name for running a service. SetSpn allows you to view the current SPNs, reset the host SPNs, and add or delete supplemental SPNs.

Tool 2: This command-line tool allows you to set all file system security options that are accessible in Windows Explorer. XcAcls does this by displaying and modifying the access control lists (ACLs) of files. XcAcls is especially useful in unattended installations of Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional or Server. By using this tool, you can set the initial access rights for folders in which the operating system resides

Title: May 15th, 2002 Cumulative Patch for Internet Explorer (Q321232)
Software: Internet Explorer
Impact: Six new vulnerabilities, the most serious of which could allow code of attacker's choice to run.
Max Risk: Critical
This is a cumulative patch that includes the functionality of all previously released patches for IE 5.01, 5.5 and 6.0. In addition, it eliminates the following six newly discovered vulnerabilities: Read more...

The MS utility that helps you completely remove Microsoft Office 2000 is available from Microsoft. The Office 2000 CD1 and CD2 File and Registry Eraser Utility removes most of the files and Windows registry settings that remain on the computer after you remove Office. This utility is designed to be used on stand-alone computers or workstations. You should not use this utility to completely clean a working copy of Office from a computer. You should only run this utility after you run the Setup program for Office 2000 and click Remove Office.

Well it does stop not at Windows 2000 SP4, but you can also view other hot fix folders too. You can view hot fixes for the following operating systems: Windows NT SP7 Windows 2000 SP3 Windows XP SP1 Press Read more for further details and direct links.

Even thought Windows 2000 SP3 is not even out yet, Microsoft have now begun work on Service Pack 4. Work started on these hotfixs as early as the 8th of April 2002. Want to know more and view the SP4 folder? Sure you do. Press read more for futher info.

This document is a cumulative list of the articles that have been written to discuss hotfixes that have been released since the release of Windows XP. Click the Q# of the Knowledge Base article below to view the article. Rancho*: Very informative, but where is the bus? You can't download any patches for about 65% of the whole preSP1 list...

OK peeps this is my last post for a few days cos am off to party. It's my B Day! HeHe...

Did you know Microsoft was convicted of software piracy on September 27th, 2001 by a french court? Well nor did we...

Commercial Court of Nanterre fined Microsoft 3 million francs (EUR 457,347 or US$ 408,141) because it illegally included another company's proprietary source code in SoftImage 3D, a top-of-the-line animation package.

The strange thing is that anti-microsoft news sites such as Slashdot, InfoWorld, NewsForge... and many tech news sites including us didn't notice this important piece of news. The only person who did was Peruvian congressman Edgar David Villanueva Nuñez.

On our german site Planet-XP they got new screenshots, but now they have pictures of system, server-admin tools and more... Click on Read More... for direct link to the pictures.

Just got word that our sister site Planet-XP.de have got hold of some exclusive screenshots of Windows.NET Server Build 3621!

Who should read this bulletin: All customers using the Microsoft® MSN Chat control, which is available for direct download and ships with MSN Messenger and Exchange Instant Messenger.

Impact of vulnerability: Run Code of Attacker's Choice

Maximum Severity Rating: Critical

A computer can be configured to let you choose between two or more operating systems each time you restart the computer. For example, you could set up a server to run Windows® 2000 Server most of the time but allow it to sometimes run Windows NT® Server 4.0 in order to support an older application. With multibooting, you can choose which operating system to run or specify a default OS if no selection is made during the restart process.

I saw this @ Neowin.net. And this is what they said:
I have another longhorn Video, it is a 15 sec shot of logon and desktop and some clicks on the new taskbar. Later on friday I hope to receive some screen shots which are more clear then the video's This is obvously an alpha build, number 277 to be exact. Click on Read More... for direct download link of the video.

Heavy_K's Polygamy Patch will change your Messenger to allow you to use multiple instances. That means that you can log in with 2 different accounts at the same time.

Version 4.6.0078 of MSN Messenger is required.

The mates at Neowin.net have some info that DX9 Beta 1 will be released soon to testers: Dear DirectX 9.0 Beta Tester:

The DirectX team would like to thank you for your patience as we prepare to release DirectX 9.0 Beta 1. We are currently working on the final stages of Beta 1 for DirectX 9.0 and plan to release it to you for testing very soon. When the beta has released, you will be sent email with further instructions. We appreciate your willingness to test DirectX and look forward to working with you.

Team DirectX

Just saw this @ Gamers.com

Following last month's rather shocking revelation that Microsoft had originally tapped Sega to develop the Xbox, it's now been revealed that at one point Microsoft was dealing with Nintendo too. In fact, Microsoft was all but set to outright buy the company.

According to a new book called Opening the Xbox: Inside Microsoft's Plan to Unleash an Entertainment Revolution, Microsoft was at one point all set to plunk down 25 billion for the Japanese game giant. As the book describes, Nintendo's U.S. president Minoru Arakawa wasn't sure what to think when Microsoft made the offer. "I was surprised," Arakawa admitted. "We didn't need the money. I thought it was a joke.