Microsoft will end support for Windows XP Service Pack 1 and SP1a on Tuesday, leaving people no option but to upgrade to Service Pack 2 if they wish to continue to receive crucial components, including security software. The move to drop support for SP1 is in line with Microsoft’s stated strategy for support. According to its guidelines, Microsoft guarantees to provide "mainstream support" for a full product for five years, but will only guarantee to support a service pack for 12 months after the launch of the next version of that pack. SP1 shipped in September 2002. SP2 was released in September 2004.

A laptop computer loaded with personal information on 2,400 residents of the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base has been lost, authorities said Friday. The computer was reported missing Tuesday by Lincoln B.P. Management Inc., which helps manage base housing. The company and Camp Pendleton are investigating. As of Friday, investigators had not found evidence that the data had been accessed, the base said in a statement.

Despite the recent recalls of millions of notebook battery packs, lithium-ion battery technology appears to be here to stay when it comes to powering portable PCs, experts say. Given that many tens of millions of battery packs shipped during the two-year time period covered by the recalls, most PC makers such as Dell and Hewlett-Packard insist that the technology is safe.

Microsoft contends that its partners should embrace the security features being added to its Vista operating system instead of complaining about them, but software makers including Symantec and McAfee said that the company’s mandate for new product innovation only benefits its own interests. At the crux of the dispute is Microsoft’s contention that controversial security features included in Vista, its next-generation Windows OS, have been added merely to provide an adequate "baseline" of protection for users.

OutlookPower reader John Dunigan has an interesting complaint. Microsoft has disabled certain sound functionality in Outlook 2003 SP2. That’s because the sound capability was written as an ActiveX control and ActiveX control is great, big, open security nightmare. But John wants sound back. We have some ideas.

Read this OutlookPower article.

Microsoft has implemented a significant change in its licensing for Windows Server System products that are used in virtual machine environments. New servers licensed with Windows Server 2003 R2 Datacenter Edition now have the license rights to run an unlimited number of virtualized Windows Server instances and can buy the product directly from Microsoft and reseller partners through Volume Licensing.

Microsoft reported on Oct. 5 that it will release a total of 10 updates for its Windows operating system and Office productivity suite as part of its monthly security bulletin for October. Due out on Oct. 10 are six security updates meant to patch issues identified in Windows, with an additional four updates aimed at fixing vulnerabilities in Office. Both sets of updates will include patches for product flaws rated by Microsoft as critical, the firm’s most severe class of security problem.

Microsoft’s upcoming Windows Vista computer operating system will include technology that is designed to prevent pirated copies from fully functioning, the software giant said. Reduced functionality is already a part of the Windows XP activation process, but Windows Vista will have a reduced functionality mode that is enhanced.

Wal-Mart Stores has shut down "The Hub," its attempt to cash in on the craze for social networking with a MySpace-like clone. Visitors to The Hub Web site on Wednesday morning were greeted with the message: "Sorry, but the School Your Way promotion has ended. You will be redirected to Walmart.com where you can always find the hottest fashions, music, and more all year long."

AOL plans to launch a new version of its software that lets users access their email, instant messaging, search and media on the same screen. The new software, dubbed AOL OpenRide, comes after it announced plans this summer to offer most of its services for free in an effort to boost online advertising sales.