AV sez, "This week, Microsoft started requiring users to verifiy their serial number before using Windows Update. This effort to force users to either buy XP or tell them where you got the illegal copy is called 'Genuine Advantage.' It was cracked within 24 hours."

Hey everybody,

REDMOND, Wash.--Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told analysts Thursday that Microsoft is planning new, higher-priced versions of both Windows and Office in the coming years as part of its effort to grow sales.

Microsoft (Quote, Chart) confirmed to internetnews.com that it will deliver the beta 1 version of Longhorn Server on August 3, along with the beta 1 release Internet Explorer 7. They'll be available along with the beta 1 version of Windows Vista, the next-generation Windows client formerly known as Longhorn, which Microsoft announced Friday morning.

Who says nationalism is out of style? This week MEXT (the ministry of education, culture, sports, science and technology-their acronym) in Japan unveiled plans to build a supercomputer by 2010 that will operate at a maximum speed of 10 petaflops, or 10 quadrillion floating point operations per second, according to the Japan Times.

The Federal Trade Commission announced on Wednesday that it had charged seven companies with violating various laws related to the labeling of sexual content. Three of the suits seek civil penalties and to stop the organizations from sending out further spam. Four have already been settled, amounting to $1.2 million in penalties.

Registered users at the promotional Mozilla community site SpreadFirefox were greeted this morning by an e-mail informing them that a July 10 security breach could potentially have enabled attackers to acquire a massive amount of private user data.

Number of systems infected with malicious software has jumped more than 300 percent, McAfee says.

Despite earlier plans not to do a browser update until Longhorn's release in 2006, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates confirmed that code for IE 7 will be available this summer in beta and in full by Christmas.

Microsoft's MSN business unit is trying to hook customers onto "Kahuna." Kahuna is code name for an upcoming version of Hotmail that will sport a new style of interface, automatic inbox refreshing and a preview pane that will enable Hotmail users to read and respond to e-mail without ever leaving their inbox.

You know you're in trouble when your adware fires you. Kazaa parent Sharman Networks issued a grumpy press release today noting that reports of its dissociation from adware maker Claria (formerly Gator) have been misunderstood.

LONDON -- Nokia is planning to offer free "push" e-mail on all its handsets, according to software vendor Seven, in a bid to boost the use of mobile e-mail.

Microsoft Money's upgrades (like Intuit Quicken's, for that matter) tend to run hot or cold. Either they're stuffed to the gills with new tools that will truly simplify money management and provide insight into your financial past, present, and future; or they include a couple of marquee features and some rather insignificant ones.

The speed with which PCs can become infected has now shortened. If your Windows computer is not properly protected, it will take 12 minutes before it becomes infected, according to London-based security company,Sophos. Sophos has detected 7,944 new viruses in the first half of 2005, a 59-percent increase over the same time span last year.

Raid makes dent in what Feds call an organized online piracy underground.

Marc Sachs, director of the SANS Institute's Internet Storm Center, chats with Ziff Davis Internet News about network worms, browser vulnerabilities and the general state of Internet security.

In an extension of its strategy to build an audience on the open Web, America Online has rolled out a stealth release of its new Video Search product and an accompanying inline video player, BetaNews has learned.

Yahoo said on Monday that a new beta version of its Web e-mail service would be launched in the next two months. The site revision adds technologies that the company gained from its purchase of Outpost, such as drag and drop organization of mail, an instant preview pane, and upgraded search capabilities.