Microsoft tackles XP counterfeiting with new replacement programme

Microsoft is hoping to track down counterfeit gangs in the UK with an initiative to help victims replace dodgy copies with originals. The company says it has experienced a deluge of high quality counterfeit copies of its flagship XP product - counterfeits of such exactitude that even the holographic logos are present. Now, under the Windows XP Counterfeit Project, victims of such counterfeits can send in the dodgy discs and have them replaced with the genuine article for free (although the cost of posting it in is borne by the sender). ...more

Virus charts make for a Sober Christmas

Sophos' December chart plots Sober at the top, but with Mimail worms taking five of the remaining positions. With 23.3 per cent of reports, the bi-lingual (in German and English) Sober-C virus topped the December chart, confusing its victims with a variety of messages and subject lines and spreading not just via email, but also using peer-to-peer networks, such as KaZaA. ...more

Windows source code leaked onto the Internet

The tightly guarded source code for the Windows operating system has been leaked onto the internet, it has been revealed. The code is said to consist of parts of the Windows 2000 and Windows NT versions of the OS. Microsoft says that it doesn't know how the code appeared on the internet but that the company was made aware of it on Thursday. ...more

Critical hole in Microsoft's Windows

Microsoft has alerted Windows users of a critical flaw in the operating system that could result in an attacker gaining control over a system from a remote location. The flaw affects the NT line of Windows: from NT 4.0 through to Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, Microsoft's most recent big product launch. ...more

Broadband prices tumble in Europe

The cost of entry-level broadband products has fallen dramatically in the past two years. Whereas in 2001 only Sweden offered broadband at under €30. They have now been joined by six other countries, including the UK. ...more