Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Service Pack 3 Privacy Statement

Activation is aimed at reducing software counterfeiting, thereby helping to ensure that Microsoft customers receive the software quality that they expect. Once your software is activated, a specific product key becomes associated with the computer (the hardware) on which your software is installed. This association prevents the product key from being used to activate the same copy of the software on multiple computers. Some changes to your computer components or the software may require you to reactivate the software.

During activation of this software, product key information is sent to Microsoft along with a hardware hash, which is a non-unique number generated from the computer's hardware configuration. The hardware hash does not represent any personal information or information about the software. The hardware hash cannot be used to determine the make or model of the computer and it cannot be backward calculated to determine any additional information about your computer. Along with standard computer information that is sent to every website you visit, such as your IP address, some additional language settings are collected.

Microsoft uses the information to confirm that you have a licensed copy of the software, and then it is aggregated for statistical analysis. Microsoft does not use the information to identify you or contact you.

Activation is mandatory and must be completed within a predefined grace period. If you choose not to activate the software, you cannot use it after the grace period expires. If the software is not correctly licensed, you will not be able to activate it.

Application Help is one of the application compatibility technologies that support the installation and operation of applications on this software. Because some applications that work on earlier versions of Windows might not function properly on this version, the application compatibility technologies were developed to solve these potential problems and enable a better user experience. Application Help is most commonly used to warn you about potentially incompatible applications—such as antivirus and disk-access utilities—that were not written for or intended for use on this version. By allowing you to block the installation of these applications, this feature serves to avert serious problems that could compromise system integrity.

In the Application Help dialog box, you can click the Details button, in which case additional information is displayed in the Help and Support Center for Windows XP. The Help content comes from a local HTML Help file. No information is sent to the Internet and you are not uniquely identified. The information that is displayed may provide a link to a non-Microsoft Web site, depending on the application. The URL provided for non-Microsoft Web sites is unique to each application.

Application Help is on by default. It can be disabled by Group Policy; in cases where it is disabled, the incompatible application will be blocked automatically.

Any time you are online and a high priority product update becomes available, the Automatic Updates service notifies you through the Microsoft Windows system tray. Automatic Updates can be configured to guide you step-by-step through downloading and installing product updates. If you prefer a more automated experience, Automatic Updates can be configured to silently download and install product updates. Depending on how you configure Automatic Updates, product updates and other select software will be downloaded to your computer.

Automatic Updates collects general system information from your computer with each visit so that you receive the updates that work best with your computer. This information may also include a Global Unique Identifier (GUID). The GUID does not contain information that can be used to identify you.

This information is used to provide you with a selection of product updates customized for your computer’s software and hardware. The information is also used to generate aggregate statistics about how Microsoft software update web sites are used and which systems need support, so that we can improve our service.

Automatic Updates is not enabled by default; however, enabling this feature is strongly recommended to keep your computer current on the latest high priority updates. If you choose not to turn on Automatic Updates, you may obtain Microsoft product updates on the Internet at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=33239.

For more details on what information is collected and how it is used, see the Windows Update Privacy Statement at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=31488.

Device Manager works in tandem with Windows Update to deliver updated drivers for installed hardware devices. With Device Manager, users can update device drivers for hardware installed on their computers, modify hardware settings, troubleshoot problems, and print a summary of the devices that are installed on the computer.

To provide you with the appropriate list of updates, standard computer information is sent to Windows Update, as well as version numbers of other software for which Windows Update provides updates and Plug and Play ID numbers of hardware devices. Drivers and replacement files (critical updates, Help files, and Internet products) may be downloaded to your computer.

The computer information collected is used only to determine the appropriate updates and to generate aggregate statistics.

Device Manager is enabled by default, and cannot be disabled. However, Device Manager will only download updated drivers when you open Device Manager, click on the Hardware tab, and then click on Update Driver. This starts the Hardware Update Wizard.

For more details on what information is collected and how it is used, see the Windows Update Privacy Statement at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=31488.

Driver Protection prevents the operating system from loading drivers that are known to cause stability problems. These drivers are listed in a Driver Protection List database included in the software. Driver Protection checks this database during Windows operating system upgrades and at run time after the operating system is installed. These checks are performed to determine whether to load a driver under this software.

No information is sent to Microsoft via the Internet about your computer. Driver Protection updates the Driver Protection list files on your computer.

If a driver on the Driver Protection List is matched when the operating system starts, the operating system displays a pop-up Help balloon titled "Devices or Applications disabled" in the taskbar notification area when you log on. If you click that Help balloon, additional driver information and links to solutions for that problem are displayed in Help and Support Center.

If a driver on the Driver Protection List is matched during Windows Setup, a message will appear in the Report System Compatibility window before the operating system upgrade is completed. You can either cancel Setup and find an alternate driver solution before installing the new operating system, or you can continue the setup process without first installing a driver that solves the problem. In this case, Setup may disable the driver in order to be completed. When you later log on, the operating system displays the pop-up Help balloon described above.

You cannot disable Driver Protection directly. Disabling Windows Update or avoiding the use of Dynamic Update will, however, block Driver Protection from updating the database files for the Driver Protection List on your system.

With Dynamic Update, Windows XP Setup will check the Windows Update Web site for new Setup files, including drivers and other files, while Windows XP is being installed. Known bad drivers are blocked or replaced depending on the driver. Any updated setup mode software is also brought down and replaced.

When Dynamic Update contacts the Windows Update Web site, it sends standard computer information, as well as the information necessary for appropriate drivers to be selected for your hardware devices, such as your hardware configuration. The Setup files and drivers downloaded by Dynamic Update consist of files that are important in ensuring that Setup runs successfully. Some of the updated files will be replacements (for example, an updated Setup file) and some will be additions (for example, a driver not available at the time that the Setup CD was created).

Dynamic Update examines your computer configuration in order to download updates that are appropriate for your hardware.

The method by which you avoid using Dynamic Update depends on how you are performing the installation. During interactive installation (not unattended installation), you can select No when offered the option to use Dynamic Update. During unattended installation, the simplest way to disable Dynamic Update is to use the /DUdisable option in the command line. This ensures that Dynamic Update will not occur during the installation.

The Windows Error Reporting feature provides a service which allows you to report problems you may be having with the operating system, Windows components, and applications to Microsoft and to receive information that may help you get around or solve such problems.

The Error Reporting feature does not intentionally collect anyone's name, address, email address, computer name, or any information that will be used to identify you or contact you. It is possible that such information may be captured in memory or in the data collected from open files, but Microsoft does not use it to identify you. The Error Reporting service is used to report a wide variety of errors, and collects information about recent actions taken by you or the software application, such as: data related to your network connections, data about your physical machine, names, versions and copies of actual files, data contained in specific segments of memory, and data about the configuration and settings of software on your machine. The type of data and amount of data we request is dependent on the severity of the error and relevance of the data to troubleshooting the problem. You have the opportunity to review the specific data being sent with each report before you choose to send.

In certain cases, you may be asked to answer an optional survey after sending an error report. If you send an error report without sending survey information, your error report remains anonymous. If you choose to provide a phone number or email address then we may contact you to ask for additional data that will help us solve a problem. In some cases you may also be presented with an opportunity to track your error report. If you choose to track an error your report is no longer anonymous and will be associated with your email address.

The data that Microsoft collects is used to track down and solve problems that users are experiencing. Microsoft employees, contractors and vendors who have a business need to use the error report data are provided access. If the error report indicates that a third-party product is involved, Microsoft may send the data to the vendor of that product, who may in turn send the data to sub-vendors and partners.

Each time an error occurs, a report is generated and you are asked if you want to send this report to Microsoft. You will have an opportunity to view the information contained in the error report before choosing whether or not to send the report.

Enterprise customers can use Group Policy to configure how Error Reporting behaves on their computers. Configuration options include the ability to completely turn off Error Reporting, or to redirect error reports to a server of their choosing. If you are an administrator and wish to configure Group Policy for Error Reporting, technical details are available at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=31494.

For more details on what information is collected and how it is used, see the Error Report Privacy Information at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=31490.

Administrators can use Event Viewer to view and manage event logs. Event logs contain information about hardware and software problems and about security events on your computer. While Event Viewer is primarily a tool for administrators to manage event logs, users can also view application and system logs on their computer.

A computer running any version of Windows XP records events in several types of logs, including application logs that contain events logged by applications or programs, security logs that record security related events, such as logon attempts, and system logs that contain events logged by Windows XP components. Event viewer will display these logs to system administrators and users, depending on the type of log.

Log information is not automatically sent to Microsoft. Some information about events will be sent to Microsoft if you choose to send it to Microsoft’s Product Support Services to receive additional help. Logs are stored locally or in enterprises on the network. While Event Viewer is primarily a tool for administrators to manage event logs, users can also view application and system logs on their computer.

The Event Log service starts automatically when you start Windows. All users can view application and system logs. Only users with administrative privileges can gain access to security logs. By default, security logging is turned off. You can use Group Policy to enable security logging. The administrator can also set auditing policies in the registry that cause the system to halt when the security log is full.

You can access event logs for your computer through Control Panel \ Administrative Tools \ Event Viewer. You can obtain detailed information about a particular event by either double-clicking the event, or selecting the event and clicking Properties on the Action menu.

The ability to send information over the Internet or to be linked to a Web site can be prevented by editing the registry.

Additional technical details for disabling this feature through the use of Group Policy are under Local Computer Policy \ Computer Configuration \ Administrative Templates \ System \ Internet Communication Management \ Internet Communication Settings.

The file association Web service extends the scope of information stored locally by the operating system about file name extensions, file types, and the applications or components to use when opening a particular file type. Both the locally stored information and the file association Web service are intended to provide you with the ability to open (double-click) a file without having to specify which application or component to open it with.

If the operating system does not find local information about a file name extension, it offers you the option of sending a query to look for more information on a Microsoft Web site. The site is language-specific; standard computer information, your locale ID and the file name extension that you double-click is appended to the query.

The operating system associates the file name extension (for example, .txt or .jpg) with a file type, and it opens each file type with the application or component specified for that file type.

To limit the flow of information from the file association Web service to the Internet, you have several options. You can use firewall settings, you can disable the file association Web service by setting a registry key, you can configure automatic server-based software installation through Group Policy, and you can train users so that they understand how to specify an association between a file type and the application or component that is used to open that file type.

Additional technical details for disabling this feature through the use of Group Policy are under Local Computer Policy \ Computer Configuration \ Administrative Templates \ System \ Internet Communication Management \ Internet Communication Settings.

Six standard games for Windows and five Internet games are included as part of the installation package. The six standard games do not interact with the Internet in any way; you play against the computer. The Internet games, however, communicate across the Internet so the user can play against human opponents (not the computer). To allow moves to be passed between players, the Internet games open a connection to servers hosted by Microsoft.

When you play an Internet game, standard computer information is sent to the game server. The following additional information is also sent: a randomly generated, globally unique identifier (GUID) to uniquely but anonymously identify you each time you connect; your game play data, which is retained only to track the current status of the game, and predefined chat messages to send to other players in the game through the game server. You can turn the chat capability on or off.

The information collected is used to perform functions related to game play.

When the user navigates to Start \ All Programs \ Games or to Start \ Programs \ Games, and then clicks one of the five Internet games listed, a dialog box opens announcing the intended connection to the free game server. The dialog box displays a warning message concerning information being passed and gives the user the option to cancel the interaction. If the user chooses to connect, a limited interactive session with the server is established. No information is sent to Microsoft if the user does not proceed past the splash screen.

The Headlines feature provides a dynamic source of content that you can visit frequently to find help and support on current issues as well as those that were known at the time the operating system was released. For example, it may display links to topics that inform you about new security bulletins, software updates, or new Help content.

If your computer is connected to the Internet when you start Help and Support Center, the Help and Support service compares the current date to the date that your computer reflects that the Headlines feature was last updated. If the Headlines feature has not been updated recently, the Help and Support service connects to a Microsoft Web site and downloads an updated version of the Headlines page. You are not personally identified.

The information sent to Microsoft is used to determine whether an update to the Headlines section is needed.

The feature is enabled by default. Technical details for disabling this feature through the use of Group Policy are located under Local Computer Policy \ Computer Configuration \ Administrative Templates \ System \ Internet Communication Management \ Internet Communication Settings.

Online Search enables you to query online Web sites automatically when performing a search, including the Microsoft Knowledge Base and other Web sites designated by your computer’s manufacturer for results to their search query.

In order to return relevant results, Online Search transmits standard computer information, as well as the search text string you entered, the product Knowledge Base to be searched (for example Windows XP or Outlook), and the number of results to be returned to the Microsoft Knowledge Base and any other third-party designated Web sites included in the Search option.

The information is used to respond to the search query. In addition, Microsoft aggregates the query data, without any identifying information, and uses it in developing new content or in revising existing content.

Online search is enabled by default. To turn it off, go to the Help and Support Center. Below the Search box, select Set search options and clear the Microsoft Knowledge Base check box and any other check boxes below it.

This disclosure only covers interactions with the Microsoft Knowledge Base; how other designated Web sites collect and use search information depends on the particular site selected.

Additional technical details for disabling this feature through the use of Group Policy are under Local Computer Policy \ Computer Configuration \ Administrative Templates \ System \ Internet Communication Management \ Internet Communication Settings.

Ink allows you to include handwritten text and drawings in documents and communications. This feature is found in the Tablet PC edition of Windows XP.

The date and time that each ink stroke was made on the screen is recorded and stored in the document.

The Ink engine uses this information to determine the order of handwritten strokes when converting ink to text. No information is sent back to Microsoft.

Recording of a date and time cannot be turned off when using the Ink functionality.

Internet Explorer is an Internet browser that is designed to make it easy for you to browse and interact with sites on an intranet or on the Internet.

For details on what information is collected and how it is used by Internet Explorer, please see the Internet Explorer Privacy Statement at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=28456.

Information is used in accordance with the Internet Explorer Privacy Statement, located at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=28456.

Internet printing makes it possible for client computers running Microsoft Windows to use printers located anywhere in the world by sending print jobs using Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

To print a document using Internet Printing, you must connect to a print server over the Internet by typing the URL for the print device. An HTTP request is sent over the Internet to the print server, and the print server will require your authentication information (your logon id and password, usually). After you have authorized access to the print server, the server presents status information to you using Active Server Pages (ASP), which contains information about currently available printers. When you connect to any of the printers on the Internet Printing Web page, Windows first tries to find a driver for the printer locally. If an appropriate driver cannot be found, the print server generates a cabinet file (.cab file, also known as a setup file) that contains the appropriate printer driver files. The print server will prompt you for your permission to download the .cab file to your computer. Note that the print driver download won’t work unless you have load/unload driver privileges or are a local administrator on your machine. After you connect to an Internet printer, you can send documents to the print server by using Internet Printing Protocol (IPP).

To prevent the use of Internet printing from a client computer running Windows, you can delete the registry key that the Print Spooler service uses to load the Internet print provider. Deleting the Internet print provider registry key on a client computer will prevent users of that computer from using Internet printing through the Run dialog box, the Add Printer Wizard, and the browser. Deleting this key, however, may affect other print operations.

Additional technical details for disabling Internet Printing through the use of Group Policy are available at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=31491.

MSN Explorer is a feature that connects you to the free non-subscriber section of the MSN.com Web site. From this default site you have access to MSN services. The MSN.com Web site is an Internet connectivity service that provides access to a variety of personal-interest information and services, as well as providing a portal to the Internet.

If you choose to use MSN Explorer (including signing up for MSN Internet Access with an MSN dial-up account, an existing Internet account, or an access method such as a local area network) MSN may collect certain personal information, such as your e-mail address, name, home or work address, and telephone number. MSN may also collect demographic information, such as ZIP Code, age, gender, preferences, interests, and favorites. Information about your computer hardware and software is also collected, and may include: standard computer information, domain names, access times, and referring Web site addresses. MSN uses .NET Passport to provide registration and sign-in services. All of the registration information provided is stored by MSN, and some or all of that information will also be stored by .NET Passport.

MSN and its operational service partners collect and use the personal information collected to operate MSN effectively and to deliver the services that its users have requested. Some information is also sent to MSN servers for service quality monitoring and the AutoUpdate service. For more information about how the information that is collected is used, see the MSN privacy policy at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=31493.

If you do not wish to send the information described above to MSN, do not use MSN Explorer.

If you are an administrator and wish to disable use of MSN Explorer on your network, technical details are available at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=31494.

Windows Plug and Play makes it easier to install devices on computers in your network. Working in tandem with Windows Update, you can simply plug in a Plug and Play device and Windows does the rest by installing any necessary drivers, updating the system, and allocating resources. After you install a Plug and Play device, the driver is configured and loaded dynamically, typically without requiring user input.

To provide you with the appropriate list of updates, standard computer information is sent to the Windows Update Web site, along with version numbers of software for which Windows Update provides updates and Plug and Play ID numbers of hardware devices. Drivers and replacement files (critical updates, Help files, and Internet products) may be downloaded to your computer.

Plug and Play uses information to detect a Plug and Play device and determines its hardware resource requirements and device identification number (Plug and Play ID), locate an appropriate device driver for newly installed devices, allocate hardware resources, dynamically load, initialize, and unload drivers, notify other drivers and applications when a new device is available, and in conjunction with power management, handle stop and start processes for devices during hibernation, standby, and startup and shutdown operations.

Plug and Play is enabled by default. Plug and Play cannot be disabled as system instability would result. Enterprises can manage distribution of updates using Windows Update Services to deploy selected updates within their network.

For more details on what information is collected and how it is used, see the Windows Update Privacy Statement at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=31488.

When you are experiencing problems with a particular application, you can run the Program Compatibility Wizard. You can use the wizard to apply compatibility setting adjustments that might help make your older applications run successfully.

When you run the Program Compatibility Wizard, it will prompt you for the information needed to assist you, which will vary depending upon what application you are running. Standard computer information is also sent. The results of the Program Compatibility Wizard data, including compatibility settings and problems that were encountered with the application being installed, are sent to Microsoft.

Information sent by the Program Compatibility Wizard to Microsoft is used to make compatibility setting adjustments when you encounter application compatibility problems.

You cannot disable the Program Compatibility Wizard. Using Group Policy, you can prevent data from being sent to the Internet and/or configure the Report Errors policy setting to prevent data from the Program Compatibility Wizard from being sent to Microsoft.

Additional technical details for the Program Compatibility Wizard are available at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=31497.

Product registration involves the provision of personally identifiable information, such as an e-mail address, to Microsoft for the purpose of receiving information about product updates and special offers.

If you choose to register the software, you will be asked to provide personal information such as your name, address, telephone number and email address.

Microsoft will use your registration information to send you additional information about product updates and special offers. All registration information is protected using a variety of security technologies. Your information is not loaned or sold to other parties, and it will not be shared with partners without your consent.

Registration is optional.

Additional technical details for disabling the Registration URL are available through the use of Group Policy are under Local Computer Policy \ Computer Configuration \ Administrative Templates \ System \ Internet Communication Management \ Internet Communication Settings.

The Microsoft Search Companion Web service enables you to search for files and folders on your desktop computer, to search for files, people, and other computers on your internal network, and to search for information on the Internet. Search Companion uses Indexing Service to maintain an index of all the files on your computers, making searches faster.

When you search the Internet using Search Companion, the following information is collected: standard computer information, the text of the Internet search query, grammatical information about the query, the list of tasks (suggestions) that the Search Companion Web service recommends to refine the search, any tasks you selected from the recommendation list.

Microsoft uses the results to process your query and to improve the search function. Microsoft does not use the information it collects to identify you or contact you, and does not use such information in conjunction with other data sources that may contain personal data. Microsoft does not collect information when you search on the local system, your local area network, or intranet, only when you search over the Internet.

The Search Companion Web service is on by default. If you want to disable the Search Companion Web service, you can do so by changing to Classic Search for the Internet. Microsoft Windows does not collect any query information when Classic Search is used.

Additional information about what Search Companion collects is available at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=31498. Additional technical details for disabling the Search Companion Web service through the use of Group Policy are under Local Computer Policy \ Computer Configuration \ Administrative Templates \ System \ Internet Communication Management \ Internet Communication Settings.

You can click the Shop for Music Online link in the music tasks section of the My Music folder to reach a Web site that will allow you to purchase music CDs and/or download music files.

When you click the Shop for Music Online link, your default Internet browser will open and a web page request will be sent to Microsoft to retrieve a web page for purchasing or downloading music. The web page request may include a shopping URL that can be set on your computer by an application, such as a media player, or by your computer manufacturer. If this shopping URL is present, the Microsoft web server will redirect your web page request to the designated Internet address.

This web request and the optional shopping URL are used to obtain information from a web site that will simplify your purchasing. Microsoft may use this information to compile aggregated statistics and to help improve Microsoft software and services. Such statistics do not identify you or contain personal information.

This feature will not send information to Microsoft or to the shopping URL if you do not click on the Shop for Music Online link or you are working offline.

When an application is presented with a certificate issued by a certification authority that is not already part of the trusted root certificate store on your computer, the Update Root Certificates feature will contact the Microsoft Windows Update Web site to see if Microsoft has added the certification authority to its list of trusted authorities. If the certification authority has been added to the Microsoft list of trusted authorities, its certificate will automatically be added to the trusted certificate store on your computer.

Update Root Certificates sends a request to the Windows Update Web site, asking for the current list of root certification authorities in the Microsoft Root Certificate Program. If the untrusted certificate is named in the list, Update Root Certificates obtains that certificate from Windows Update and places it in the trusted certificate store on your computer. No user authentication or unique user identification is used in this exchange.

The information is used to update the trusted certificate store on your computer.

Update Root Certificates is enabled by default, and cannot be turned off if the component is installed. To remove the Update Root Certificates component from an individual computer:

1. Click Start, and then either click Control Panel, or point to Settings and then click Control Panel.

2. Double-click Add or Remove Programs.

3. Click Add/Remove Windows Components (on the left).

4. Scroll down the list of components to Update Root Certificates, and make sure the check box for that component is cleared.

5. Follow the instructions to complete the Windows Components Wizard.

If you are presented with a certificate issued by a root authority that is part of the trusted certificate store, and the Update Root Certificates component is not installed on your computer, you will be prevented from completing the action that required authentication. For example, you might be prevented from installing software, viewing an encrypted or digitally signed e-mail message, or using a browser to engage in an SSL session.

Additional technical details for disabling Update Automatic Root Certificates are available through the use of Group Policy are under Local Computer Policy \ Computer Configuration \ Administrative Templates \ System \ Internet Communication Management \ Internet Communication Settings.

UPnP is an architecture supported in Windows XP that provides peer-to-peer device control functionality for network devices. UPnP performs device and service discovery and control through driverless, standards-based protocol mechanisms.

The information exchanged between a UPnP device and a UPnP control point includes discovery messages that provide basic information about the devices and their services, and a description URL that can be used to gather further information such as device make, model, and serial number. Additionally, the description process can provide a list of embedded devices and services, and URLs used for accessing device features.

Using the URL that is provided in the discovery process, a control point can receive device information. When a control point subscribes to a device service, the service sends event messages to the control point to announce changes in device status. If a UPnP device provides a presentation URL, a browser can be used to access interface control features, device or service information, or device-specific capabilities that the manufacturer implements.

To allow or prevent discovery of UPnP devices on your network, you can enable or disable the SSDP Discovery Service in Windows XP. Optional user interface components can be installed (and removed) to allow icons for discovered UPnP devices to be displayed in the My Network Places folder.

The Windows XP Media Center Edition operating system, which is only available pre-installed on Media Center PCs, is a version of Windows XP that has been enhanced for home entertainment. Media Center PCs represent the evolution of home PCs into digital media hubs that bring together your entertainment choices (live and recorded TV, movies, music, photos, and radio) and allow you to access this entertainment on either a PC monitor or TV display with a single remote control.

If you are using Windows XP Media Center Edition, you can obtain details about what information is collected and how it is used by reviewing this statement and the Windows Media Center Privacy Statement. The statement can be accessed from the Media Center Start menu under Settings \ General \ Privacy.

If you are using Windows XP Media Center Edition, information is used in accordance with this privacy statement and the Windows Media Center Edition Privacy Statement which can accessed from the Media Center Start menu under Settings \ General \ Privacy.

Windows Media Player enables you to play digital media files on your computer and the Internet. You can play CDs and DVDs (if you have DVD hardware), create custom CDs, listen to radio stations, search for and organize digital media files, on your computer and copy files to a portable device.

For details on what information is collected and how it is used by Windows Media Player, you can read the Windows Media Player Privacy Statement by launching Windows Media Player, clicking on Help and then Privacy Statement.

Information is used in accordance with the Windows Media Player Privacy Statement, which can be accessed through the help files in Windows Media Player.

Windows Messenger enables users to communicate instantly and to collaborate with their selected contacts. Windows Messenger is the real-time communication feature for Windows and offers instant messaging, voice and video communications, application sharing, whiteboard, file transfer, and remote assistance.

In order to use Windows Messenger, you must have or sign up for a Microsoft .NET Passport. For details on what information is collected and how it is used by Windows Messenger, please see the Microsoft .NET Passport Privacy Statement at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=33237.

Information is used in accordance with the Microsoft .NET Passport Privacy Statement, located at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=33237.

Use of Windows Messenger is optional, and can be accessed by signing up for a Microsoft .NET Passport.

Windows Security Center provides users the ability to automatically check the status of essential security functionality such as firewall, automatic update and anti-virus. The Windows Security Center feature will tell you whether key security capabilities are turned on and up to date. When a problem is detected, you will receive notification and recommended action steps to help you secure your computer.

Windows Security Center attempts to determine whether Automatic Updates is turned on or off, whether you have a firewall installed and whether it is turned on, and whether you have anti-virus software on your computer, whether the signatures are up to date, and whether real-time (or on-access) scanning for viruses is turned on. No information is sent back to Microsoft.

The information is displayed to you to inform you of the status of security technologies.

Windows Security Center is on by default, unless your computer is part of a managed environment. You can turn off security notifications using the Windows Security Center.

Note: Windows Security Center does not detect all firewalls and anti-virus software.