This whole paranoia about "Microsoft taking over the world" stuff has been going on for well over a decade. When Microsoft announced years ago that they were going to release a CD-ROM of phone numbers of people all over the country, everybody screamed that this was "invasion of privacy" and that it was part of Microsoft's "sinister plot" to "take over the world." They backed down and didn't release the phonebook CD-ROMs, but others did, and those discs turned into "shovelware" sold out for cheap prices in bargain bins. Last time I checked, none of the companies that released these discs took over the world. Microsoft has enough trouble trying to stay relevant in this increasingly Linux-filled world. I doubt that they care what you have on your computer. I think the stuff you're referring to was meant to address the "Windows Update" feature of Windows, which has been extremely useful, in my experience. Lighten up, Charlie Tuna. Microsoft only wants tunas that taste good, not tunas with good taste. -jjsemp