More concern over privacy

Last month Intel came under fire from privacy advocates, concerned about the processor serial numbers included in the Pentium II. Now it has been revealed that Windows 98 and Microsoft Office report your identity direct to Microsoft.

Word and Excel generate a unique 32-digit number, based in part on your network adaptor if one is installed, and encode it in every document you produce. A further hardware identifier is also stored in your PC's Registry and, most worryingly for privacy campaigners, is passed to Microsoft when Windows 98 is registered.

Microsoft claims not to store these IDs in its marketing databases but has promised to stop collecting them immediately and release software patches.

Meanwhile another patch has been urgently needed for some Windows users.

Windows 98 may crash without explanation after 49.7 days of continuous operation, but then again it may not. The cause is apparently a timing algorithm: a patch is available but isn't recommended unless you leave your PC on for a month-and-a-half at a time.

As we went to press, we learnt that it's not just the PIII which includes the CPU ID feature. Intel's latest mobile Pentium IIs - previously codenamed Dixon - and the Pentium II Xeon server processor also include serial numbers.

Intel has promised a BIOS fix allowing users to turn off the Dixon IDs.

Microsoft: 0345 002000

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q216/6/41.asp.

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