Free Windows Add-Ons & Updates : PCversusMac.com / PCnMac.com / XPvsX.com

Free Windows (XP & Vista) Add-Ons & Updates

updated 07-02-07

--sectioned by Vista, Vista & XP, and XP below. There is also a free CD/DVD and Books/Training section.

(this page is updated constantly as MS continues to release new stuff at no cost; "Disclaimer: nearly all of what is listed below is not available in a cardboard box. Instead you must use the modern marvel, the internet, to download the goods. Box nuts need to go to their local store to cop a feel.")

***Vista went RTM on 11-08-06 and hit mainstream availability January 30, 2007. I imagine the growth of the XP section will slow substantially now that Vista is the the primary OS from MS, but we can expect several more years of add-ons and enhancements. In fact, mainstream support for XP runs until 2009 and extended support goes until 2014, per MS.***

I read an article and commentary at http://osnews.com/story.php?news_id=10163 and http://www.freep.com/money/tech/mwendland31e_20050331.htm that got me to thinking yet again about the difference between how XP and X have been updated and upgraded over recent years. I then compare my thoughts to what I read at http://www.unsanity.org/archives/000377.php (brief commentary on this at http://pcnmac.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=293), and I realize once again what a good buy Windows is-- both at the outset and over time. As you can see below, Microsoft has added tons of value to XP since it's release in October, 2001. Some of it may be trivial (WMP skins or desktop images) for some users, but some of it has a real dollar figure attached to it: Windows Defender used to cost $30 when sold by Giant, Windows Desktop Search compares to X1 Search that cost over $75 or Spotlight for OS X that costs $129 with an OS upgrade to Tiger, Services for Unix used to cost $149 (v2), PhotoStory 3 was the main component of a package (Plus!) that cost $30, Lookout used to cost $30, Onfolio used to cost $100, Virtual Server Enterprise Edition used to cost $999, Visual Studio 2005 Standard is $299, Virtual PC 2004 (and now VPC 2007 too) was $129, Expression used to cost $149 when sold by Creature House....it all adds up to a lot of value being provided free...consistently, over a long period of time. Now that XP has passed its 5 year anniversary, I find it safe to say that XP is the best desktop OS ever released for consistency, reliability, value, vendor support, free add-ons...Vista will have a hard time topping XP's total package (message to MS, please leave Vista like XP for the next five years. Five years is better than two for a paid OS upgrade to stay current with the latest and greatest).

***From October 26th, 2006 until March 15th, 2007 one can buy a PC with XP (or a standalone copy of XP) and it will include a free upgrade coupon to the corresponding version of Vista (there is a $10 charge to ship the media, though some resellers like Circuit City are even covering the shipping charge). All coupons must be redeemed by March 31st, 2007.***

Vista Add-Ons and Updates

Ultimate Extras (only for owners of Vista Ultimate)

SilverLight DreamScene Dusk (Wide and Standard)

DreamScene Content Pack (4 Scenes) (March '07)

DreamScene (1 Scene) (February '07)

Language Packs (15 add-on languages) (February '07)

Bitlocker and EFS Enhancements (January '07)

Hold 'Em Poker Game (January '07)

Sidebar Gadgets

Traffic by Live Search Maps

Outlook Upcoming Appointments

Live Search Gadget

Microsoft Office 2007 Recently Used Documents

Miscellaneous Programs

SUA - Utilities and SDK for Subsystem for UNIX-based Applications in Microsoft Windows Vista

Windows NT Backup - Restore Utility

Experience Pack (Media Transfer, Ink Crossword, Equation Writer, and Ink Flash Cards)

Origami Experience Pack (Origami Experience, Sudoku, and Touch Settings)

Windows Help 1.0 (WinHlp32.exe - legacy help file viewer)

Ink Desktop

UniveRSS 0.8.0.0

Database Gear

Programming Gear

Development Kits

Windows Movie Maker and Windows DVD Maker SDK

Game Gear

Security Gear

Vista and XP Add-Ons and Updates

Miscellaneous Programs

Silverlight 1.0 Beta

Silverlight 1.1 Alpha

Live SharedView

XML Paper Specification Essentials Pack (follows beta 1 & 2 and RC 1) (XPS Document Viewer, iFilter, iPreview, & XPS Document Writer)

Office Accounting Express 2007 (also available via shipped CD [free])

Robocopy GUI Version 3.1.1

SyncToy v1.4

Network Monitor 3.0.372

Office Migration Planning Manager

Windows Easy Transfer (migrate from an XP PC to a Vista PC)

Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK) (can be run on XP but used for deploying Vista)

Business Desktop Deployment 2007 (follows v3.0, 2.5, & 2.0)

Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.0 (follows v. 4.1, 4.0, 3.0, 2.6, and 2.0)

User State Migration Tool 3.0 (follows v2.6.1, 2.6, & 2.5)

ZoomIt v1.21

Threat Analysis & Modeling v2.1.1

Snip IT Add-On for Internet Explorer

PowerShell

Report Viewer Redistributable 2005 SP1

Captions Language Interface Pack

Virtual Earth 3D (Beta v1.1)

Communications Gear

Live Meeting Add-in Pack

Font Gear

8 Redistributable Fonts (Kootenay, Lindsey, Miramonte Regular, Miramonte Bold, Pericles Light, Pericles Regular, Pescadero Roman, & Pescadero Bold)

3 Fonts (Segoe Light, Regular, & Bold)

Font Properties Extension, version 2.30 (follows v2.1)

4 Consolas Font Pack

Virtualization Gear

Virtual PC 2007 (follows VPC 2004 SP 1 and VPC 2004)

Windows XP Svc Pk 2 w/ IE 6 VHD

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 VHD
Exchange Server 2007 VHD
SQL Server 2005 VHD
Windows Server 2003 R2 VHD
ISA Server 2006 VHD
Visual Studio Code Name "Orcas" - January CTP VHD
Visual Studio 2005 Team System Basics Training VHD

Database Gear

SQL Server 2005 Express Edition Service Pack 2

SQL Server 2005 Express Edition with Advanced Services Service Pack 2

SQL Server 2005 Express Edition Toolkit Service Pack 2

SQL Server 2005 Management Studio Express Service Pack 2

SQL Server 2005 Best Practices Analyzer February 2007 CTP

Visual FoxPro "Sedna" February 2007 CTP

SQL Server Migration Assistant for Oracle V3.0

SQL Server Database Publishing Wizard 1.1

Programming Gear

XML NotePad 2007 [2.4] (follows v2.3, v2.1, v2006 [2.0], v1.5, and v1.0)

Visual Basic 2005 Express Edition (SP1 for Vista Only)

Visual C# 2005 Express Edition (SP1 for Vista Only)

Visual J# 2005 Express Edition (SP1 for Vista Only)

Visual C++ 2005 Express Edition (SP1 for Vista Only)

Visual Web Developer 2005 Express Edition (SP1 for Vista Only)

ASP.NET AJAX 1.0

Visual Studio Code Name "Orcas" - March 2007 CTP

Product Identification Tool

Debug Diagnostic Tool v1.1

Visual C# 2005 Keyboard Shortcut Reference Poster

Visual C++ 2005 Keyboard Shortcut Reference Poster

Visual Basic 2005 Keyboard Shortcut Reference Poster

.NET Compact Framework 2.0 Service Pack 2 Redistributable

Consolas Font Pack for Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 (including Express)

Shared Source Common Language Infrastructure 2.0 Release

Device Emulator 2.0 (run Windows Mobile on your PC) (follows Beta 2 v2 release)

Development Kits

Silverlight 1.0 Beta SDK

Silverlight 1.1 Alpha SDK

Windows SDK Update for Windows Vista

Windows Mobile 6 SDKs (Standard and Pro)

Visual Studio 2005 SDK version 4.0

.NET Micro Framework SDK

Windows Search 3.x SDK

Office Accounting 2007 SDK

WPF/E SDK CTP Feb 2007

MultiPoint SDK

DirectX SDK - Symbol Files

DirectX SDK Feb. 2007

MapPoint Web Service SDK version 4.1 (follows v4.0)

Visual Studio 2005 Tools for Applications (VSTA) SDK

Game Gear

Carioca Rummy

Match-Up (XP Compatibility mode required)

Security Gear

Baseline Security Analyzer v2.1 Beta

Data Encryption Toolkit for Mobile PCs

Wallpapers

Silverlight (2 versions and 16 total by size)

Start Button (3 sizes)

Strands (3 sizes)

NZ Bliss Queen's Birthday

Windows XP Media Center Edition (13)

Ireland (2)

Christmas Theme 2004 (1)

Winter Fun Pack 2004 (6)

Digital Photography Winter Fun Pack 2003 (6)

Sudeki (46)

Brute Force (7)

Voodoo Vince (3)

Halo (4) and here for 21 more

Zoo Tycoon 2 (4)

Dungeon Siege II (5)

Dungeon Siege Legends of Arrana (5)

Fable (15)

Fable: The Lost Chapters (6)

Rise of Nations (2)

Rise of Nations Thrones & Patriots (6)

Age of Mythology Titans (6)

Flight Simulator 2004 (8)

Freelancer (6)

Mechwarrior Mercenaries (8)

Age of Mythology (3)

Dungeon Siege (2)

Flight Simulator 2002 (8)

Mechwarrior 4 Vengeance (5)

Flight Simulator 2000 (8)

Project Gotham Racing 2 (10)

Perfect Dark Zero (3)

Catan (3)

Winter Bliss

Kameo (2)

Vanguard: Saga of Heroes (6)

Exchange Server 2007 (3)

Milford Sound Mitre Peak

National Park - George Moore

Ruahine Ranges from Apiti

Shadowrun (4 x 4 sizes)

Sysinternals Suite (60 Tools & Utilities)

Training and Books

Free Books

Introducing Visual Basic 2005 for Developers (e-book) ($30 in paper) (code used in book)

Introducing ASP.NET 2.0 (e-book) ($30 in paper)

Writing Secure Code, 2^nd Edition (e-book) ($40 in paper)

Upgrading Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 to Microsoft Visual Basic .NET (e-book) ($60 in paper)

Microsoft® ASP.NET Programming with Microsoft Visual Basic® .NET Version 2003 Step By Step (e-book) ($40 in paper)

Building Web Solutions with ASP.NET and ADO.NET (e-book) ($60 in paper)

Windows XP Professional Resource Kit (e-book) ($60 in paper)

Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 Deployment Kit: A Microsoft Resource Kit (e-book) ($160 in paper)

Migrating from Windows NT Server 4.0 to Windows Server 2003 (e-book) ($30 in paper)

Microsoft® Windows® 2000 Server Resource Kit (e-book) ($300 in paper)

Microsoft® Windows® 2000 Professional Resource Kit (e-book) ($70 in paper)

CodeNotes for J# (e-book) ($20 in paper)

Microsoft Windows 2000 Scripting Guide (e-book) ($50 in paper)

Microsoft Visual Basic 2005 Express Edition: Build a Program Now! (e-book) ($17 in paper)

Microsoft Visual C# 2005 Express Edition: Build a Program Now! (e-book) ($17 in paper)

Microsoft Visual Web Developer 2005 Express Edition: Build a Web Site Now! (e-book) ($17 in paper)

TCP/IP Fundamentals for Microsoft Windows

First Look 2007 Microsoft Office System

7 Development Projects for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0

Live Communications Server 2005 SP1: WROX Publishing Pro Guide ($40 in paper)

Total value above: $1040 in free e-books

All Patterns & Practices e-books (43 currently)

Free Training Courses, Clinics, Virtual Labs and Hands On Labs

Visio 2007 Solution Development Workshop

Clinic 2551: Introduction to Visual Studio Team System ($45 course free)
Course 2924: Building Data Components in Microsoft® Visual Studio® 2005 ($99 course free)
Course 2925: Building Managed Code for SQL Server 2005 and Creating SOA Apps ($99 course free)

Course 2926: Building Windows® Forms Applications with Microsoft® Visual Studio® 2005 ($99 course free)
Course 2927: Building Web Applications with ASP.NET 2.0 ($99 course free)
Course 2929: Implementing Wizards, Site Navigation, State Management, and Configuration in ASP.NET 2.0 ($99 course free)
Course 2930: Implementing Master Pages, Personalization, and Web Parts with ASP.NET 2.0 ($99 course free)
Course 2928: Implementing Data Access and Security in an ASP.NET 2.0 Web Application ($99 course free)

Course 2936: Installing and Securing Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2005 ($99 course free)
Course 2937: Administering and Monitoring Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2005 ($99 course free)
Course 2938: Data Availability Features in Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2005 ($99 course free)
Course 2939: Programming Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2005 ($99 course free)
Course 2940: Building Services and Notifications Using Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2005 ($99 course free)
Course 2941: Creating the Data Access Tier Using Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2005 ($99 course free)

Course 2942: New Features of Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2005 Analysis Services ($99 course free)
Course 2943: Updating Your Data ETL Skills to Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2005 Integration Services ($99 course free)
Course 2944: Updating Your Reporting Skills to Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2005 Reporting Services ($99 course free)

Course 2909: Getting Started with Microsoft® Office Live Meeting 2005
Course 2910: Microsoft® Office Live Meeting 2005: Next Steps for Organizers
Course 2911: Microsoft® Office Live Meeting 2005: Next Steps for Presenters
Course 2912: Microsoft® Office Live Meeting 2005: Getting Started for Administrators

Course 2913: Creating Your First Microsoft® ASP.NET 2.0 Web Application ($45 course free)

Course 4336: Upgrading from Microsoft® Visual Basic® 6.0: Introduction to the Microsoft .NET Framework ($45 course free)

Clinic 2801: Microsoft® Security Guidance Training I
Clinic 2802: Microsoft® Security Guidance Training II
Clinic 2803: Microsoft® Security Guidance Training III
Clinic 2804: Microsoft® Security Guidance Training IV
Clinic 2806: Microsoft® Security Guidance Training for Developers
Clinic 2807: Microsoft® Security Guidance Training for Developers II
Hands-On Lab 2811: Applying Microsoft® Security Guidance Training
Hands-On Lab 2812: Applying Microsoft® Security Guidance Training II

Clinic 2263: Exam Preparation for the MCDST Certification
Using the Solution Accelerator for Business Desktop Deployment Standard Edition

Clinic 2851: Deploying and Administering Microsoft® Windows® XP Service Pack 2
Clinic 2853: Developing and Maintaining Applications on Microsoft® Windows® XP Service Pack 2
Hands-On Lab 2852: Deploying and Administering Microsoft® Windows® XP Service Pack 2
Hands-On Lab 2854: Developing and Maintaining Applications on Microsoft® Windows® XP Service Pack 2

Clinic 2263: Exam Preparation for the MCDST Certification

Visual Studio Hosted Experience Virtual Labs (21 areas featured, dozens and dozens of labs total)

Absolute Beginner's Video Series to Visual Studio 2005 Express Editions (16 Lessons for both VB and C#)

Getting Started with Visual Web Developer 2005 Express Edition

C++ Express Webcast Series

Dozens of approx. 30-60 minute MS Office Training Courses (typically cover one specific function)

ISA 2004 Training

Developing Applications in Visual C# .NET Training CD (downloadable ISO)

Exploring ASP.NET 2.0 Using Visual C# 2005 Training CD (downloadable ISO)

Microsoft ASP.NET Using Visual C# .NET Training CD (downloadable ISO)

Course 2274: Managing a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment ($349 course free)

Simplified Data Access with ASP.NET 2.0

Developing Microsoft ASP.NET Web Applications with Visual Studio.NET ($349 course free)

13 XP Video Tutorials for Beginners

Scott Guthrie Looks at ASP.NET 2.0 and Visual Studio 2005

ASP.NET Learning for VB .NET Developers

What's New in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0

What's New in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 – Technical course

Clinic 2954: First Look: Microsoft® BizTalk® Server 2006 for Developers

Clinic 2955: First Look: Microsoft® BizTalk® Server 2006 for IT Professionals

Course 2952: Deploying and Managing Microsoft® System Center Data Protection Manager

Clinic 5135 AE: Introduction to Developing with Windows Presentation Foundation and Visual Studio 2005
Clinic 5136 AE: Introduction to Developing with Windows Workflow Foundation and Visual Studio 2005
Clinic 5137 AE: Introduction to Developing with Windows Communication Foundation and Visual Studio 2005

Course 3392: Working with Windows Vista

Course 3404 – What's New in Windows Vista

Course 3036: Getting Started with Microsoft® Small Business Accounting

Course 3037: Managing Customer and Vendor Data with Microsoft® Small Business Accounting

Course 3038: Managing Cash Flow with Microsoft® Small Business Accounting

Course 3039: Reporting and Administering with Microsoft® Small Business Accounting

Course 3040: Managing Business Contacts and Payroll Data with Microsoft® Small Business Accounting

Vista and Office 2007 Hands On Labs and Webcasts

Introduction to Microsoft .NET Language Integrated Query, Code-Named the LINQ Project
Windows Presentation Foundation Layout and Controls
An Introduction to Styles and Templates in Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF)
MSDN geekSpeak: Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) with Justin Smith
Using Styles, Content Templates, and Resources in Windows Presentation Foundation (Part 1 of 2)
Windows Error Reporting
Windows Presentation Foundation Properties, Events and Commands
Working with Operations and Calls in Windows Communication Foundation
An Introduction to Styles and Templates in Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF)
In-Depth Answers to Your Questions About Windows Communication Foundation
Designing Software Installations for Windows Vista Using Windows Installer 4.0
Using Styles, Content Templates, and Resources in Windows Presentation Foundation (Part 2 of 2)
An In-Depth Look at Mobility Features in Windows Vista
Introduction to Windows Workflow Foundation
Windows Workflow Foundation Exposed
An In-Depth Look at Collaboration Features in Windows Vista
Programmatic Manipulation of the Microsoft Office Open XML Formats
Programming the Outlook Object Model
Open XML Format for Architects
Understanding the 2007 Microsoft Office System User Experience and Interface Design
ARCast: Hey Architects! Meet the 2007 Office System
Design Reports from SQL Server Reporting Services Using Microsoft Office Programs
Designing Collaborative Business Processes with the 2007 Microsoft Office System
Developing Solutions and Extensions for Office OneNote 2007
Integrating Your Solutions with the 2007 Microsoft Office System User Interface
Introduction to Visual Studio Tools for the 2007 Microsoft Office System

Exchange 2007 Training

Exchange Server 2007: Installing Exchange Server 2007 Labcast (Level 200)

Exchange Server 2007: Administering Exchange Server 2007 Server Roles and Mailboxes Labcast (Level 200)

Virtual Lab Express: Introduction to Microsoft Exchange Server 2007

Exchange Server 2007: Using Management Console and Shell Labcast

Exchange Server 2007: Remote Client Access with Exchange Server 2007 Labcast

Exchange Server 2007: Compliance and Retention Labcast

Exchange Server 2007: Using Local Continuous Replication

Exchange Server 2007: Using Cluster Continuous Replication

Exchange Server 2007: Configuring an Exchange Server 2007 Edge Server

Forefront Security for Exchange Server

Office Communications Server 2007 Training

Clinic 5126: Introducing Enterprise Instant Messaging Using Microsoft® Office Communications Server 2007 (Beta)

Clinic 5127: Introducing On-Premise Conferencing Using Microsoft® Office Communications Server 2007

Clinic 5128: Introducing Enterprise Telephony Using Microsoft® Office Communications Server 2007

Clinic 5129: Customizing Real-Time Communication with Microsoft® Office Communications Server 2007

BizTalk Server 2006 Training

Clinic 2955: First Look: Microsoft® BizTalk® Server 2006 for IT Professionals

Windows Security Training

Clinic 2801: Microsoft® Security Guidance Training I

Clinic 2802: Microsoft® Security Guidance Training II

Clinic 2803: Microsoft® Security Guidance Training III

Clinic 2804: Microsoft® Security Guidance Training IV

Clinic 2808: Microsoft® Security Guidance Training V

Clinic 2855: Managing Security Enhancements in Windows Server™ 2003 Service Pack 1

Clinic 2806: Microsoft® Security Guidance Training for Developers

Clinic 2807: Microsoft® Security Guidance Training for Developers II

Windows Server 2003 Training

Clinic 4360: Getting Started with Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 R2

Clinic 2855: Managing Security Enhancements in Windows Server™ 2003 Service Pack 1

.NET 3.0 Training

Collection 5134 : Developing Rich Experiences with Microsoft® .NET Framework 3.0 and Visual Studio® 2005

Total value above: more than $5000 in free online training available in recent years.

***The main part of this page is contained below and was compiled over about two years showing free add-ons for Windows XP, some Office, some dev software, and some server tools. Some of the material will apply above and be compatible with both Vista and XP and as I have time, I will clean this up.***

XP Add-Ons and Updates (all at zero cost, and many have had numerous iterations; likewise, many items have been deleted from this page as newer versions or replacements were made available)

Miscellaneous Programs

Virtual Server Enterprise Edition R2

Virtual Server Migration Toolkit VSMT

Virtual Server 2005 R2 Management Pack

Windows Update is now up to version 6

Package Installer for Windows version 6.1.22.4

Microsoft Agent

Agent Character Editor

Agent Characters (Genie, Merlin, Peedy, and Robby)

Agent Linguistic Sound Editing Tool

Agent Speech Recognition Engine

Agent Speech Control Panel

SAPI 4.0 Runtime

Lernout & Hauspie TTS3000 Text to Speech Engines (11 languages: American English, British English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish; Documentation)

Microsoft Agent Core Components

Agent Language Components (29 languages)

MSN Search Toolbar with Windows Desktop Search 2.0 (includes Pop Up Blocker and tabs for IE 6)

Onfolio Windows Live Toolbar

Windows Desktop Search 2.6.5 (Enterprise version also available)

Windows Desktop Search 3.01

FolderShare (share and store up to 2 GB files; unlimited file transfers for quantity or size of files)

MSN Weather Add-in for MSN Search Toolbar

MSN Explorer 7.02.0011.2700

Internet Explorer 7 RTM

DirectX 9.0c

Calculator Plus

Windows Services for Unix 3.5

Microsoft USB Flash Drive Manager
Wireless Network Setup Wizard
Remote Desktop Web Connection

Microsoft Partner Pack (includes Play: Super Slyder, Serpentine; Share: PhotoSite AlbumBuilder, Microsoft Time Zone; Protect: Computer Associates eTrust Anti-Virus 2005; Explore: Google Deskbar, Desktop Media Gallery, Onfolio Express; Do More: Post-it Software Notes, PayPal Payment Wizard, and Microsoft USB Flash Drive Manager)

Lookout 1.2.8 (only adds value to XP search if Outlook is also owned)
Windows Journal Viewer 1.5 (provides access to Tablet PC Journal files)
MSN Spaces (free online storage [500 photos per month] and blog)

MSN Groups (free 3 MB online storage)

MSN Search (internet search readily available from numerous system points)

MSN Encarta (free use of Encarta when using MSN Search)
MSN Search Toolbar 1.2 (includes Pop Up Blocker)
Microsoft Plus! Dancer LE

MDAC 2.8 SP1

MDAC Utility: Component Checker 2.0

Microsoft Time Zone 2.1.30
MS Windows Memory Tester
Windows XP Service Pack 2 Support Tools (includes 80 tools)

Windows XP Service Pack 2 Deployment Tools
Microsoft Reader 2.1.1 plus Dictionaries (9) and text to speech

Read in Microsoft Reader (only has value for owners of Word)

Reader Dictionary Authoring Kit

Internet Explorer Web Controls
Keyboard Layout Creator (MSKLC) 1.4 (follows v1.3.4073)

Keyboard Convert Service 1.0
WEFT 3

Internal Font Tools

Font Properties Editor

OpenType Font Signing Tool

Font Validator

Visual TrueType

Visual OpenType Layout Tool

Port Reporter
Port Query 2.0

Port Query UI
Virtual CD-ROM Control Panel v2.0.1.1

Fotovision
ActiveSync 4.5 (follows v 4.2, 4.1, 4.0, 3.8, 3.7.1, 3.7, 3.6, and 3.5)
Windows 2000 Resource Kit Tools (nearly 300 tools)
Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools (126 tools)

Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 Administration Tools Pack

Office 2003 Word Viewer (view, print, and copy document contents to another program)

Office 2007 PowerPoint Viewer (view and print)

Office 2003 Excel Viewer (view, print, and copy document contents to another program)

Office 2007 Visio Viewer (view and print)

Office 2003 Access Snapshot Viewer

Windows Installer 3.1 (follows v3.0 and 2.0 [shipped with XP])

XML Parser (MSXML) 3.0 SP7

RegMaid

Advanced Networking Pack

CopyProfile

User Profile Hive Cleanup Service
Autoplay Repair Wizard

Qfecheck

IEAK 6 SP1

File Checksum Integrity Verifier

Uptime

Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) v2.0

Fiddler 0.9.9

SMS Sender for GSM Mobile Phones

AppLocale

STRGEN

E-Learning Offline Player

Microsoft Research (dozens of downloads)

WMI Administrative Tools

WMI SNMP Provider 1.5

Location Finder

Max

Color Control Panel Applet

GroupBar

Microsoft Management Console 3.0

Microsoft Software Inventory Analyzer

Transliteration Utility v1.0

Soccer Scoreboard

Personal Storage Manager

Network Diagnostic Tool

HTML Help WorkShop

Sandcastle - July 2006 CTP

Internet Explorer Administration Kit 7 Beta 3

Enterprise Update Scan Tool v3

Change Analysis Diagnostic

**Below are updates that have been placed in categories. Though many could fit in different areas, I placed them in the section I thought was the best fit.**

UI Related

Wallpaper Changer Powertoy

Winter Wallpaper Changer

Windowblinds 3.4 by Stardock

IconBuffet Studio Edition Icon Suite

Communications Related

Remote Desktop Connection (Terminal Services Client 6.0)

Outlook Express 6.00.2900.2180
Windows Messenger 5.1

MSN Messenger 7 (since replaced by Live Messenger)

3 Degrees (since replaced by MSN Messenger 7)

ConferenceXP 3.2

Hotmail (upgraded from 2MB to 250MB storage, 10 MB attachments, free anti-virus, and spam controls; 11-17-06 storage expands to 1 GB)

Microsoft Portrait for PC 2.3

Snarf

Live Messenger 8

Live Mail (free e-mail service with 2GB storage)

Live Mail Desktop Beta 8.0.0783 (free e-mail service with 2GB storage)

Web Serving Related

IIS Resource Kit Tools (14 tools)

IIS Diagnostics Toolkit

IIS Lockdown Tool 2.1

IIS Debug Toolkit

IIS 6.0 Migration Tool

Urlscan 2.5

SSL Diagnostics Version 1.0

Authentication and Access Control Diagnostics 1.0

DotNetNuke for ASP.NET

Community Server, Forums

Cassini Web Server

Fiddler

Fiddler Script Editor

Atlas

ComponentScience WebPlanner 2005

Asp.net Hosting Kit

WFetch 1.4

Database Related

SQL Server September 2005 CTP (Enterprise, Standard, Workgroup, or Developer)

SQL Server Web Data Administrator

SQLIO Disk Subsystem Benchmark Tool

Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine (MSDE 2000) Release A

SQL Server Health and History Tool (SQLH2)

MSDE Web Resource Kit Visual Basic .NET and Web Matrix Version
MSDE Web Resource Kit - C# and Web Matrix Version

SqlXml 3.0 Service Pack 3

Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio Express CTP Nov 2005

SQL Server Express Utility

SQL Server 2005 CTP DVD/CD Kit

SQL Server Centric .NET Code Generator (OlyMars)

SQL Server 2005 JDBC Driver Beta 1

Feature Pack for Microsoft SQL Server 2005 - November 2005

SQL Server 2005 Upgrade Advisor- CTP September 2005

KPIUtil

SQL Server 2005 Express Edition with Advanced Services

Security Related

Private Folder 1.0

Microsoft AntiSpyware (free until at least 07-31-06 [over 1.5 years of free use])

Windows Firewall (replaces Internet Connection Firewall, part of Service Pack 2)

Malicious Software Removal Tool (released monthly beginning January, 2005)

Password Minder

Internet Explorer Pop Up Blocker (part of Service Pack 2)

Security Center (part of Service Pack 2)

Microsoft Security Risk Self-Assessment Tool (MSRSAT)

Microsoft Security Assessment Tool (MSAT)

Microsoft Office Visio 2003 Connector for the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (only has value for Visio owners)

Microsoft Shared Computer Toolkit for Windows XP v 1.1

Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer v2

Phishing Filter Add-in for MSN Search Toolbar

Clear Cache for IE

Windows Defender v1593 (follows v1592, beta 2 v1347, & beta 1/Microsoft AntiSpyware) (Defender is in Vista and on by default)

Live Safety Center

Strider URL Tracer 1.0.1.0

Game Gear

Zoo Tycoon Card Flip Game

Allegiance multiplayer space-combat game

Super Slyder

Dragon Maze

MS Game Advisor and Benchmark Utility

MechCommander 2

Dead Man's Tale for Messenger

95 Free MSN Zones Games:

(A Series of Unfortunate Events
Alchemy
Ants
AstroPop
Backgammon
Bankshot Billiards 8-Ball
Bankshot Billiards 9-Ball
Bankshot Billiards Cutthroat
Bejeweled
Bejeweled 2
Bespelled
Betrapped!
Big Kahuna Reef
Bingo
Bricks of Egypt
Blackjack
Bridge
Caribbean Stud
Celebrity Trivia
Checkers
Chess
Chicken Invaders 2
Chicken Invaders 2: Holiday
Collapse!®
Combo Chaos
Craps
Cribbage
Cubis
Cubis 2
Dangerous Mines ®
Deuces Wild Poker
Dominoes
Dynomite
Euchre
Feeding Frenzy
Flip Words
Go
Hardwood Solitaire
Hearts
Hexic
Holiday Bejeweled
Holiday Crosswords
Holiday Express
Holiday Hexic
Holiday Jigsaw
Holiday Trivia
Infinite Crosswords
Insaniquarium
Inspector Parker
JEOPARDY!
Jewel Quest
Jigsaw
Jig Words
Keno
King Kong Trivia
Luxor
Mah Jong Quest
Mah Jong Tiles
March of the Penguins Jigsaw
Miller Beer Run
Mozaki™ Blocks
OutSmart Gallery
Panda Craze
Puzzle Express
Puzzle Inlay
Qwest Gold Fever
Qwest Turbo Racing
RC Offroad Frenzy
Reversi
Ricochet Lost Worlds
Rocket Mania!
Roulette
Saints & Sinners Bingo
Sci-Fi Movie Trivia
Scrabble® Blast
Scrabble® Rack Attack
Shape Shifter
Shape Solitaire
Shapo™
Slide Poker
Slingo
Slots
Solitaire
Spades
Spider-Man 2: Web of Words
Sudoku Quest
Texas Hold'em Poker
TextTwist
Trivia Machine
Wheel of Fortune
Word Mojo
You Know It! Pop Trivia
You Know It! Sports Trivia
You Know It! Trivia
Zuma)

Media Related

Digital Image Starter Edition 2006

Windows Media Player 11 RTM

Windows Movie Maker 2.1.4026.0 (part of Service Pack 2)

Windows Media 9 codecs (and all older codecs)

Windows Media Player 10.00.00.3646 (MP3 encoding support added)

Microsoft RAW Image Thumbnailer and Viewer for Windows XP

PhotoStory 3

Ink Art (part of Tablet PC Experience Pack but works on all versions of XP)

MS Creature House Expression 3.3 (free since 06-06 and being replaced by Expression Design [$])

Expression Design Beta 2 (follows Beta 1 and other Acrylic CTPs)

Expression Blend Release Candidate (follows Beta 2, Sparkle CTPs, & Interactive Designer)

Windows Media Bonus Pack for XP

Plus! MP3 Audio Converter LE

Windows Media Connect 2.0

Windows Media Professional Exhibitor Version 3
Windows Media Encoder 9

Producer 2003 (only adds value to PowerPoint owners)

DVR-MS Editor

Decades Auto Playlist Pack for WMP

Ratings Migration PowerToy for WMP

TweakMP Powertoy for WMP

Windows Media Audio 9 Professional Channel Mask Mapping Tool

Windows Media Mono to Multichannel Wave Combiner

Windows Media Audio 9 Lossless to PCM Converter

Windows Media Video 9 VCM

Windows Media Capture 9

Media Transfer Protocol Porting Kit

Plus! Portable Audio Devices Power Toy

Enterprise Deployment Pack (EDP) for Windows Media Player

Windows XP Video Decoder Checkup Utility

Windows Media Player for Windows XP Tray Control
Media Library Management Wizard
Playlist Import to Excel Wizard
Powertoys Skin
Windows Media Player Skin Importer

Media Center Karaoke Plug-in

Corbis Image Pack (250 images)

Windows Media ASF Viewer 9 Series

HD DVD Interactivity Jumpstart

Media Encoder Studio Edition Beta 1

Scripting

WMI Code Creator v1.0

Windows Script 5.6

Do-It-Yourself Script Center Kit
Script Debugger
Script Encoder
Scriptomatic 2.0

Portable Script Center
Windows Script Component Wizard

Thousands of Scripts in VBScript, Perl, Python, Kixtart, Object REXX, and JScript

Log Parser 2.2.10

Microsoft Developer Support OLE File Property Reader 2.0

Windows Script Control 1.0.8825

Programming and Related

User Mode Process Dumper Version 8.1

XNA Game Studio Express 1.0

XNA Framework Redistributable 1.0

Visual Studio 2005 Standard ($299 value)

Microsoft Developer Security DVD

.Net Framework 1.1 (the .Net Framework did not ship with XP at release, but has been included since Service Pack 1)

.Net Framework 2.0

.Net Framework 3.0

Visual J# .NET Version 1.1

DirectX 9.0 SDK

Visual Basic Resource Kit

Visual Basic Language Specification 8.0

Visual C++ Toolkit 2003

Windows Symbol Packages

Debugging Tools for Windows v6.5.38 (32 & 64 bit Versions)

Kernel Streaming Debugger Extension

Embedded Source Tools for Bluetooth Technology

ASP.NET
ASP.NET Resource Kit v1.1
ASP.NET Web Matrix

Web Application Stress Tool

.NET Terrarium 1.2 Game Client and Server

Visual Studio 2005 Beta 2 on CD/DVD

Visual Studio .NET Partner Product DVD

Personal Web Starter Kit & here

Card Game Starter Kit
Shareware Starter Kit
Amazon Enabled Movie Collection Starter Kit
Personal Website Starter Kit
Time Tracker Starter Kit
Club Website Starter Kit

ADOMD.NET 8.0

IronPython 1.0 Beta Release Candidate 2

ILMerge

Avalon and Indigo Beta1 RC

WinFX Runtime Components Beta1

WIX 2.0.2912.0

FxCop

XSD Object Generator

Web Services Enhancements (WSE) 3.0 for Microsoft .NET 2.0

Web Services Enhancements 2.0 Service Pack 3

Visual Basic Snippet Editor

Refactor! for Visual Basic 2005 Beta 2

PowerToys for the Visual Studio 2005 Class Designer and Distributed System Designers

Visual Studio Extensions for WinFX Beta 1

Control Spy 2.0

Via Virtual Earth

Internet Explorer Developer Toolbar Beta 3 (follows Beta, Beta 2)

Graphics Server .NET

/n software IP*Works! ADO.NET Data Provider ation Verifier 3.2.0038

Phoenix Framework

Product Feedback Mapping Tool 1.0

Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable Package

Internet Explorer 7 Readiness Toolkit

Consolas Font Pack for Microsoft Visual Studio 2006

LINQ CTP

Standalone Device Emuator 1.0 with Windows Mobile OS Images

Virtual Machine Network Driver for Microsoft Device Emulator

Template Library (WTL) 7.5

Robotics Studio CTP 1

MSDN Library (updated regularly: current is May 2006)

ADO.NET vNext CTP

Development Kits

SQL Server 2005 Mobile Edition Device SDK

MSXML (Microsoft XML Parser) 3.0 SDK

Windows Desktop Search SDK/API (beta)

.NET Framework SDK v1.1

Microsoft Speech SDK 5.1 (includes full voice recognition and text-to-speech capabilities for the end user)

Speech Application SDK 1.1

Microsoft Office Small Business Accounting 2006 SDK 1.2

Microsoft Component Installer SDK (Spring 2005)

Mobile Application Development Toolkit

POS for .NET SDK version 1.0

Windows XP SP2 SDK

Windows Server 2003 SP1 Platform SDK

WMI SDK

ADSI SDK

SharePoint Products and Technologies 2003 SDK

Windows SharePoint Services 2003 SDK

Windows Media Player 10 SDK
Windows Media Format 9.5 SDK

Windows Media Format 9.5 SDK x64 Edition
Windows Media Device Manager 10 SDK
Windows Media Rights Manager 10 SDK
Windows Media Player 9 Series SDK
Windows Media Format 9 Series SDK
Windows Media Device Manager 9 Series SDK
Windows Media Encoder 9 Series SDK
Windows Media Rights Manager 9 Series SDK
Windows Media Services 9 Series SDK

.NET Framework 2.0 SDK Beta 1 x86 or x64
WinFX SDK

Microsoft WinFX SDK for "Longhorn" Beta 1 (Windows Vista)

OpenType embedding SDK

Reader Content SDK

Media Center Edition 2005 SDK

Project 2003 SDK

Word 2003: XML SDK

Visio 2003 SDK

Office 2003 Research Services SDK

Office 2003 Smart Document SDK

Office 2003 Smart Tag SDK

InfoPath 2003 SDK

ISA Server 2004 SDK

Windows Mobile 2003-based Smartphones SDK

Utilities and SDK for UNIX-based Applications

MapPoint Location Server SDK, Version 1.0

MapPoint Web Service SDK, Version 4.0

Windows CE: Standard SDK

Web Services SDK 1.0

Rights Management Services Service Pack 1 SDK

Microsoft Office Information Bridge Framework 1.5 SDK

Windows Embedded Introductory Kit

Microsoft Cabinet SDK

Agent SDK

Agent Code Samples

Systems Management Server 2003 SDK v2.0

Software Rasterizer for the Microsoft DirectX 9.0 SDK

Volume Shadow Copy Service SDK 7.2

Display Compatibility Test 5.3

MSN Messenger Activity SDK

MSN Search SDK

MSN Messenger Activity SDK

CRM 3.0 SDK

MCI SDK 2.0

SQL Server 2005 Mobile Edition Device SDK

Component Installer SDK for Windows (x86) Version 2.0

Groove 2007 SDK

Visio 2007 SDK

SharePoint Services V3 SDK

SharePoint Server 2007 SDK

Project 2007 SDK

Windows Vista and .Net 3.0 SDK

Windows Mobile 5.0 Developer Resource Kit

Compute Cluster Pack SDK

Vista Media Center Edition SDK

Live Custom Domains SDK

Service Packs (generally not very catchy, but mostly underlying code overhaul and bug & security fixes)

1 (released September 9, 2002)
1a (released February 3, 2003)
2 x86 (released August 6, 2004)

2 x64 (released March 13, 2007)

New Themes (spruce up the look of XP)

Zune

Energy Blue (part of Tablet PC Experience Pack but works on all versions of XP)

Halo
Christmas 2004
Images of Ireland

Final Fantasy XI

Portuguese Discoveries

Age of Mythology (includes free Windowblinds)

Brazilian Football

Danish Spring

Danish Summer

Zoo Tycoon Endangered Species

Combat Flight Simulator 3 (includes free Windowblinds)

4 Patas (dogs)

Praias do Brasil (4 beaches)

Ontario

Screen Savers

MSN

Microsoft Video Screensaver

Windows XP 3d

3d American Flag

Bliss

Saint Valentine's Day

Images of Ireland
European Union Flags
Hector Protector Button

Winter Fun

Christmas Theme 2004

Windows XP Media Center Edition

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six 3 Black Arrow (2)

BlueScreen

XP Power Toys

RAW Image Thumbnailer and Viewer

ClearType Tuner

HTML Slide Show Wizard

Open Command Window Here

CD Slide Show Generator

Virtual Desktop Manager

Taskbar Magnifier

Webcam Timershot

Video Screen Saver Powertoy

Windows XP Fun Packs

Winter Fun Pack 2004

Digital Photography Fun Pack

Powertoys Fun Pack 1.0

Windows Media Player 9 Series Fun Pack

Windows Media Player 9 Series Winter Fun Pack 2003

Windows Media Player 9 Series Spring Fun Pack

Windows Media Player 9 Series Winter Fun Pack

Digital Photography Winter Fun Pack 2003

Windows Movie Maker 2 Creativity Fun Pack (53 sound fx, 8 songs, 14 title slides, 6 title transitions)

Windows Movie Maker Creativity Kit (136 sound fx, 18 sound loops, 26 title slides, 3 video transitions)

Windows Movie Maker 2 Creativity Kit (129 sound fx, 67 title slides)

Windows Movie Maker 2 Winter Fun Pack 2003 (92 sound fx, 7 songs, 10 title slides, 8 animations)

Digital Video with Windows Movie Maker 2 Winter Fun Pack (48 sound fx, 8 songs, 10 title transitions)

Windows XP Creativity Fun Pack for Windows Movie Maker 2: Audio (50 sound fx)

Windows XP Creativity Fun Pack for Digital Photography and Web Browsing

Windows Media Player Skins (Windows Media Player 10 SDK allows you to make your own)

Main Repository of Skins and here (186 skins as of 06-29-05)

24 - Season 3

Age of Mythology

Alien

Alienware Teleport

All That You Can't Leave Behind

Amped 2

Anemone
Anime
AOE
Back to the Future Trilogy

Batman Begins

BioMechanical

Black Me

Blinx
Blue Crush
BlueGrid

Blue Machine

BoA Kwon

Bowie Hits

Brute Force

Busted
Cablemusic

Cadmus Bubbles
Catwoman
Cerulean
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle

Chunky Kustard
Circle

Circulus

Classix Player - DSB
Claw
Color Chooser
Combat Flight Simulator 3v1
Combat Flight Simulator 3v2

Constantine

Craig David

Crimson Skies

Crystal Ball

Crystal WMP
Deep Blue Something

'Delic Skin
Digital DJ

Dimension Media Player
DreamCatcher
Ducky

Eclipse
Elvis
Erektorset

Fairy and Apple

Falstaff Expanded

Frostbite

Futurama

Gadget

GearMan

Geri Halliwell

Gingerbread Man

Gingerbread Woman

Glow
Gnome
Gold
Goo
Gorillaz
Half Life 2
Halloween

Halo 2
Harry Potter

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

HearItFirst.com

I, Robot

Ice
iMusica

iRiver
Israel

Izdata
Kenwood KDC-X959
Kids

Kung Fu Chaos
Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life
Last Samurai
Livin' It

Lollapalooza 2003

Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth

Machine Color Pack
Main Street

Man on Fire

McAlmont & Butler

MechAssault
Melvin

MicroPlayer
Military

Millennium

Miller Genuine Draft

MiniSkin
Modern Blue

Molecula
MSN

Music Mixer
Nautical

Need for Speed Underground

Neuxs

Nicole Saba

NV
Ocean

Penguin

PenKnife

Pharaoh

Pick Me

Pioneer AVIC-N1

Player One

Plus! The Bionic Dot LE

Pod
Polygon
Portals

Press the Green Button
Primitive

Project Gotham Racing 2

Project GSI

Project: Snowblind

Quantum Redshift

QuickSilver
RAD
Radio
Raptor

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Resident Evil

Robbie Williams

Roxette
Science
Scooby-Doo™ 2: Monsters Unleashed

Secura

Shex

Silver Player

Simmish

SleekMP

SleekMP v2

SleekMP v3

Slim LCD

Smart Display Blue

Smart Display Silver

Spider
Spider-Man

Splat

Splinter Cell
Sports
Spring Flower

Stars and Stripes

Starsailor
Stealth

Sugababes

TCM Camera

TCM City
TDK Digital MixMaster
Television
Terminator 3

The Girl Next Door

The Sentinel

The Stick

The Stick v2

The Thing

The Unit

The War of the Worlds

To End All Wars
Toothy
Tube Frame

United States Air Force
United States Army
United States Coast Guard
United States Marine Corps
United States Navy
Ursula

Valentine's Day

War Dog

Weeplayer

Wild Well Control

Windows XP Media Center Edition (3 skins)

World of Warcraft

World Wrestling Network
Xbox
Xbox Live
XSN Sports

X-Steel
xXx
Zen Garden

Zero Bar

WMP Skins for PocketPC - 20

Windows Media Player Visualizations

Main Repository for Visualizations

Animator

Barr

Blazing Colors
Color Cubes

Creativity Fun Pack for MP9S
Dungeon Siege
Energy Bliss

Flashes

G-Force
Grind

Home of the Brave
Ice Storm

Kris the Holiday Elf
Looney Tunes

MSN Photos

MuseOn: Music Detection

Null

Phthalo's Corona
Picture Viz I
Picture Viz II

Pulsing Colors
Softie the Snowman II

SonicSelector

Star Time
Terminator III
Trilogy I
Trilogy II
Trilogy III

Twisted Pixel

Whitecap
WhiteCap Holiday Edition

Windows Media 9 Series Viz for Windows XP

Windows Media Bonus Pack for Windows XP

WMPKaraoke Plug-in

Yule Log

Messenger Icons

Fable (6)

Fable: The Lost Chapters (5)

Crimson Skies High Road to Revenge (4)

Sudeki (5)

Vanguard: Saga of Heroes (4)

Messenger Theme Packs

Dead Man's Tale

Live Services and Programs (all free)

Live Custom Domains

MSN Internet Search

Encarta Premium Online Encyclopedia

95 Free MSN Zones Games

MSN Spaces (blogging/web hosting/photo sharing)

MSN Groups (web hosting)

MSN Hotmail (1 GB e-mail storage, address book, and calendar)

Office Live (free domain name, 25 two GB e-mail accounts, and 500 MB online web storage)

Live Mail (2 GB e-mail storage)

Live Toolbar

Games for Windows Live (Silver level is free, Gold is a pay service; launches 05-07)

What has apparently stayed the same since release (though much of XP was recompiled for Service Pack 2)

Windows Explorer

WordPad

Notepad

Backup (SyncToy has been added however)

Synchronize (though ActiveSync has been updated many times, now up to v4.2)

Paint (Acrylic/Expression has been added however)

Calculator (though MS now provides two new separate calculators listed above)

Address Book

Fax Services

Character Map

Disk Defragmenter

Disk Cleanup

System Info

System Restore

Scheduled Tasks

Sound Recorder

Netmeeting

HyperTerminal

Remote Desktop (updated w/ Svc Pk 1 and Remote Desktop Web Connection was added)

Remote Assistance

Magnifier

Narrator

On Screen Keyboard

Font Management

IIS 5.1 (XP Pro x64 now has IIS 6 however)

What came on default XP install in October 2001 (that has since been updated and the new versions are listed above)

MSN Explorer 6.10.16.1624
Internet Explorer 6.0.2600.0
Outlook Express 6.00.2600.0
Movie Maker 1.1.2427.0
Windows Media Player 8.00.00.4477
Windows Messenger 4.0
DirectX 8.1
Internet Connection Firewall (became Windows Firewall with Service Pack 2)

Released free on CD/DVD via no charge mailings

Vista Business ($299 value) (free by watching/participating in three training videos and/or hands on labs) (open to the public)

Office 2007 Pro ($499 value) (free by watching/participating in three training videos and/or hands on labs) (open to the public)

Office 2007 Pro ($499 value) and Groove 2007 ($229 value) free by attending MS Launch events held all over the world (open to the public)

Visual Studio 2005 Standard ($299 value) and Microsoft Developer Security DVD (free via watching some training videos) (and here)(open to the public)

October 2003 Security Update CD (I don't have one of these CDs at hand to view the contents but my understanding is it had everything the same as the February 2004 CD except for the Computer Associates one year free Anti-Virus and Firewall software) (open to the public)

February 2004 Security Update CD (included DirectX 9.0b, XP Service Pack 1a, Windows Media Player 9, MDAC 2.8, and Computer Associates EZ Armor Anti-Virus and Firewall Bundle [one free year of updates]. This CD was mailed free of charge from February, 2004 until the release of Service Pack 2 in August, 2004) (open to the public)

Do Amazing Things DVD (included DirectX 9.0b, XP Service Pack 1a, Windows Media Player 9 and its PowerToys, WMP 9 Codecs, Bliss Screen Saver, Windows 3d Logo Screen Saver, Windows Winter Fun Pack Screen Savers, XP Power Toys, Windows Movie Maker 2, and Windows Movie Maker 2 Creativity Kit) (this DVD is available at thousands of retailers like Circuit City) (open to the public)

Windows XP Service Pack 2 CD (includes .Net 1.1 Framework) (mailed at no cost from August 2004 until ...[still shipping as of July, 2005]) (open to the public)

Visual Basic .Net Standard Version 2003 (included Internet Explorer 6 Svc Pk 1, .Net 1.1 Framework, J# Framework 1.1, MDAC 2.7, Windows Installer 2.0, and the MSDN Library) (free via watching some training videos or here or here) (open to the public)

Visual Basic Resource Kit CD (what's included) (open to the public)

Visual Studio 2005 Beta 2 on CD/DVD (includes Visual Studio 2005 Tools for the Microsoft Office System, Visual SourceSafe 2005, and SQL Server 2005) (open to the public)

SQL Server 2005 CTP DVD/CD Kit (open to the public)

Visual Studio .NET Partner Product DVD (free DVD includes 67 tools, components, and languages from Visual Studio Industry Partners valued at over $2400 for the full versions that are on the DVD) (the complete list of included materials can be viewed here) (open to the public)

Office Accounting 2007 Express CD (also available via download) (open to the public)

Vista Beta 2 DVD ISO download (Vista has had numerous iterations available as free beta and release candidate downloads. For those that don't have the bandwidth, it was made available on a shipped DVD for $10) (open to the public)

If you own a 64 bit extended CPU from AMD or Intel, Microsoft also provided a $12 upgrade to Windows XP Pro x64 for current license owners of XP Pro (this also applied to Server 2003 owners). An all new OS, built on the Windows 2003 kernel, for a $12 shipping charge. Likewise, owners of Windows XP Tablet PC Edition and Windows XP Media Center Edition have also gotten all new versions since inception for free. I see a theme here; Microsoft keeps giving substantial updates and upgrades away at zero cost. Compare that to the norm on the Mac side, paid upgrades annually (9 in 8 years) (with some updates mixed in), and you see that owning Macs gets very expensive if you would like to have all of the latest bells and whistles.

It is night and day folks: MS, buy once and get five years of consistent updates at no cost. Apple, buy annually to get some nice enhancements but at a huge cost. Apple could learn from MS, and I hope MS continues this trend after Vista ships (take note of how infrequently users want to pay to update by looking back at the large numbers of people that have stayed on NT 4 and Windows 2000 even after substantially better products were released). Better is not always "better". Lower cost is of supreme importance to many people and is therefore better.