Microsoft senior vice president Bob Muglia opened up TechEd 2006 in Boston Sunday evening by proclaiming that Windows Vista was the most secure operating system in the industry. But a bold statement can only go so far, and much of this week's conference has been spent reinforcing that point.

From the network perimeter to deep inside the Windows client, the significance of security has permeated into every facet of technology. Norman Mailer said that 20th century man's default status was anxiety. We have barely dipped our toes into the 21st, and our default status has already been elevated to outright fear.

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With Microsoft struggling to keep up with the demand for Windows Vista Beta 2, tech personality Chris Pirillo has taken the initiative to publish the 3.2-gigabite download using BitTorent. But Microsoft recommends against using a third party to obtain Vista code.

Those eager to try out the first public release of Microsoft's next generation operating system have been met with slow download speeds and timeouts. The Redmond company has even recommended that users place an order for a DVD copy rather than deal with the download wait times.

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One of the most important features shipping in Windows Vista has also become the most contentious: User Account Control. While businesses and users alike have asked for improved security, the feature's barrage of pop-up windows has left those running beta builds simply annoyed.

In response, Microsoft says changes are on the way.

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In the seemingly never-ending list of features to be stripped from Windows Vista, yet another has fallen by the wayside. Microsoft made a decision to remove PC-to-PC synchronization from Windows Vista, Microsoft Watch reported on Wednesday.

The feature, which would have allowed a user to synchronize files between two Vista computers, was removed from Beta 2 in late May when it was first shipped to industry partners and developers.

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Taking a page from Linux, Microsoft on Wednesday took the lid off its Vista Customer Preview Program, which could provide the company with millions of eager testers. Users are able to download a copy of Beta 2, released to a limited number of technical beta testers last month.

Excitement over the program was evident late Wednesday, with readers reporting to BetaNews that connections were frequently timing out as customers rushed to get the code.

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Windows Vista will be one of the most accessible operating systems that Microsoft has ever released, the company said Monday. New features for those with disabilities take into account three years of research by Microsoft, and is being led by Rob Sinclair.

Sinclair is the new director of Microsoft's Accessible Technology Group. "Developing new ways to make technology easier for people to use has always been one of my passions," he says. "I've really been pursuing the same goals throughout my career."

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In order to differentiate between Internet Explorer 7 on Windows XP and Vista, Microsoft on Friday announced "IE7+." The special branding is designed to highlight the additional features IE7 will receive in Vista, including Protected Mode, parental controls, and improved network diagnostics.

"There are no feature differences between IE7 and IE7+ beta 2 other than the ones I mentioned above; we have, however, fixed a bunch of bugs between the two releases," explained IE team member Tony Schreiner. "As always, I’d love to hear your feedback on this naming as well as the product. We’ll have more information on how to sign up for Windows Vista beta 2 with IE7+ shortly."

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With Windows Vista Beta 2 slated to become public through a Customer Preview Program in the coming weeks, testers may find themselves facing a major problem: many antivirus suites don't yet work with the new operating system. Computer Associates is aiming to remedy this issue by offering free copies of eTrust EZ for Vista.

The trial subscription will last for one year, at which customers will need to pay to continue receiving virus definition updates. With Microsoft planning to ship its own antivirus capabilities with Windows OneCare and Windows Live Safety Center, companies such as CA have been looking at ways -- such as free promotions -- to ensure they still have a place on the desktop.

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Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates kicked off the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference in Seattle Tuesday, heralding the arrival of the Beta 2 releases of Windows VIsta, Office 2007 and Longhorn Server. Both Office and Vista betas will be available for public download in order to garner more feedback as the products near completion.

The announcement marked the first time Microsoft has simultaneously released test versions of its flagship products. The Redmond company says it has focused on four main areas with the new releases: simplifying how people work together, better content protection and management, improved search and more robust security.

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Symantec filed suit against Microsoft on Thursday, accusing the Redmond company of infringing on its patented technology in Windows Vista and Longhorn Server. The suit asks for damages, as well as an injunction that would halt the sale of both operating systems.

The complaint involves technology in Symantec's Volume Manager program, which allows an operating system to store a large amount of data. Microsoft had licensed a basic version of the software from Veritas in 1996, and used it in its Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 operating systems.

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With Windows Vista Beta 2 set to make its public debut at WinHEC next week, Microsoft on Thursday finally detailed the hardware specifications required to run the new operating system. The Redmond company also launched a "Get Ready" program to help consumers prepare for the upgrade.

Claiming that Windows Vista is the first operating system to scale based on the capabilities of the computer it's running on, Microsoft has broken down hardware requirements into two categories: Vista Capable PCs and Vista Premium Ready PCs.

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Microsoft's attempts to bolster security may hurt it in the enterprise sector, an analyst report said Monday. Behind the Boston analyst firm

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Research firm Gartner said Tuesday that it believed Microsoft would miss its targets and release Windows Vista another three or so months after its current November-January timeframe. The firm claims Vista's features are too complex to be finished that quickly.

Windows Vista was originally scheduled for a 2005 release, but has been repeatedly delayed as the Redmond company struggled to finish upgrades and ensure a quality release. Vista is the first major upgrade of the Windows platform in five years.

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The New York Times has joined up with Microsoft to build a new standalone application for reading the newspaper's content on a PC. The tool, called Times Reader, was unveiled Friday in prototype form and takes advantage of the Windows Presentation Foundation that will ship in Vista.

Specifically, Vista's WPF display technologies will enable Times content to be automatically adjusted for any screen size, with users able to customize font size and content relevance. The application will utilize the same font styles as the print edition of the New York Times.

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Microsoft has released build 5365 of Windows Vista, asking testers to focus on the 64-bit installations of the operating system. The pre-Beta 2 build has been released to members of its TAP, Beta, and Partner programs in x86 and x64 versions of the Ultimate Edition.

Microsoft is recommending a clean install, noting several issues when upgrading from Windows XP, and build-to-build upgrades are not supported. "This build is another snapshot of our progress on our way to the Beta 2 milestone and will allow you to verify fixed bugs as well as check for new regressions that may have been introduced," the company said in an e-mail to testers.

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