SAN FRANCISCO - Internet search leader Google Inc. is trying to convince federal and state authorities that Microsoft Corp.'s Vista operating system is stifling competition as the high-tech heavyweights wrestle for the allegiance of personal computer users.

RALEIGH, N.C. - Retailers across the country stayed open through the wee hours of Tuesday morning to sell the long-awaited Windows Vista operating system, even though most knew customers wouldn't be lining up out the door for the midnight launch of Microsoft Corp.'s latest product.

NEW YORK - For the first time in five years, Microsoft Corp. is finally unveiling a new system for operating personal computers. Now the company must persuade PC buyers that the launch really matters to them.

SEATTLE - Computer geeks who were hoping to find a PC featuring Microsoft Corp.'s brand-new operating system under the tree this December are going to be out of luck.

SEATTLE - Microsoft Corp. said Wednesday it will release a major package of updates and fixes for the Windows Vista operating system in the first half of 2008.

WASHINGTON - Microsoft Corp. has released a near-final version of its new Windows Vista operating system to a select group of technical experts who are testing the software. It marks a major milestone in Microsoft’s efforts to get the much-delayed system out the door.

LAS VEGAS - Microsoft Corp. might not be the unbeatable giant it once seemed to be, but Chairman Bill Gates made the case Sunday night that its technologies are becoming even more flexible and powerful as they seep into automobiles, Internet-based TV networks and living rooms.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Microsoft Corp. said Monday it would give U.S. security vendors Symantec Corp. and McAfee Inc. some of the information they want to make their products work with Microsoft's new operating system, Vista.

SEATTLE - Microsoft Corp. is pulling back from a system that disables programs on users' computers if it suspects the software is pirated, opting instead for a gentler approach based on nagging alerts.

SEATTLE - Bowing to pressure from Google Inc. and antitrust regulators, Microsoft Corp. will make it easier for Windows Vista users to pick a non-Microsoft program to search their hard drives.

SEATTLE - Microsoft Corp. released an emergency security patch Tuesday to plug a hole in several versions of Windows - including Vista, which the software maker has touted as its most secure operating system ever.

SEATTLE - Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday released a business version of software that aims to help people more quickly find documents, e-mail and other data stored on Windows-based computers.

NEW YORK - Junior Mints, Yoo-hoo, Drake's Coffee Cakes, puffy shirts: These are all things Jerry Seinfeld has endorsed - at least in his alter ego on his classic sitcom. Now, add Microsoft software.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - European Union regulators said Monday they were again investigating software giant Microsoft Corp. this time on suspicion of abusing its market position by squeezing out competing Internet browsers and software rivals dependent on Microsoft programs.

HANOVER, Germany - After months of cryptic Web marketing and word-of-mouth hype over Microsoft Corp.'s Project Origami, the company finally showed off the product: an ultracompact computer running Windows XP with a touchscreen and wireless connectivity.

REDMOND, Wash. - The most common consumer version of Microsoft Corp.'s new Windows operating system will include tools for things like recording and watching television, along with other functions aimed at using the PC for entertainment purposes.

SEATTLE - Google Inc. is pressing for an extension to the U.S. Justice Department's oversight of Microsoft Corp.'s business practices, most of which is set to expire in November, according to a court filing Monday.

The long-delayed launch of the Windows Vista operating system cut into fiscal second-quarter profits at Microsoft Corp., which reported a 28 percent drop in earnings Thursday despite decent revenue growth.

SEATTLE - Microsoft Corp. said it has canceled plans to include an automatic way to save documents in the popular PDF format in the next version of its Office software, amid an ongoing dispute with Adobe Systems Inc.

NEW YORK - Microsoft Corp. and its hardware partners are trying to bridge the divide between home computers and TV sets this holiday season with the release of several "media extenders."

REDMOND, Wash. - Microsoft Corp. is releasing a new test version of Internet Explorer, the market-leading Web browser that is facing competition from smaller players.

LOS ANGELES - Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates on Tuesday announced a cross-platform gaming service that integrates games played on cell phones, Xbox 360 consoles and the upcoming Windows Vista operating system.

REDMOND, Wash. - Microsoft Corp. will sell a version of its Xbox 360 with a 120-gigabyte hard drive and a souped up high-definition video connection, in a bid to broaden the appeal of its popular console beyond video games.

SEATTLE - Microsoft Corp. promises its software will make people better workers - more productive, more profitable, more able, as the company likes to say, to achieve their potential. Yet some wonder why the software behemoth isn't taking more of its own medicine.