On Monday, June 30, Microsoft will stop selling Windows XP software. Say hello to the still dreadful Windows Vista, the software that is reportedly to blame for the death of many relationships between computers and peripherals. More and more consumers will get the joy of spending hours trying to get their computers to recognize printers and PDAs, and the result is often ugly.

One bright spot: Buyers of certain low-end home computers will still be able to get Windows XP pre-installed on their machines through January 31, 2009. Seven more months to put off the inevitable for those lucky consumers. Unfortunately, most new PCs will not offer that option. Something tells me the sellers of those few home computers with XP will make a killing!

Vista is much maligned because users are basically forced to buy new computers, as the system hogs so much memory and is worthless on an older computer. Many drivers were not compatible with Vista, and plenty still aren't, even after more than a year on the market.

My rebate check plans were simple: buy a new computer to replace my old one that was dying a slow, painful (for me) death. I spent weeks pouring over ads, reviews and tedious discussions of which feature was important to me. Sure, I'd heard Vista had some problems. Yes, I have a TV and have seen the John Hodgman commercials for Mac. But I didn't think it would be THAT bad. XP was no dreamboat, either.

Wrong. Within hours we saw the blue screen of death. I say we because my husband David gallantly volunteered to spare me the grueling hardship that everyone knows is migrating to a new computer. But soon I was seeing the blue screen of death every morning. Vista seemed to be allergic to both my newish printer and Macromedia Dreamweaver, an expensive web-editing program. Replacing them would cost $600. The whole new computer was $800. Did I want to blow half my rebate check just to accommodate Vista?

First I tried to negotiate with Vista. I compromised. I removed the printer and Dreamweaver. Vista was appeased. I figured I'd run the limping XP computer as my ambassador to the XP world of my printer and Dreamweaver. What seemed like a simple task, took days and much grief. Meanwhile, Vista grew angry and started flashing me the blue screen of death for reasons not clear to me. I removed a few more programs, but had to return it.

Microsoft is beginning to build buzz in long term preparation for yet another version of Windows, at the moment known as Windows 7. Speculation has the company putting this on the market late next year or early 2010.

I began using computers in the 1960's, and would have laughed in your face if you had told me that forty years later they would still be so complex and unharmonized that even a relatively savvy user would have to spend hours each week just nudging commands to get it to work. Therefore, excuse me if I seethe a bit about having yet another OS shoved down my throat.

I've been using Vista lately because I have to; XP won't be supported forever. I have a license for MS Office 2003, which does everything I need these programs to do, just fine. Under Vista, though, these formerly dependable programs crap out regularly. Do I suspect Microsoft is OK with this, as it provides incentive for me to buy newer versions of the programs? Of course I do.

I don't want a new Windows. I want a computer that runs the software I use without reverting to the blue screen of death every day. I want a computer in which I don't need to know how to access the msconfig file or configure my wireless network or reboot in safe mode and check my error log.

If Microsoft sold cars, do you suppose I'd need to stop and reboot my ignition system daily? Would I have to know how to set a timing sequence? Would I need to know which controls to press, in which order, to get the windows to roll down?

I think Microsoft has made enough money that it should spend some to make computers work better, rather than worse. They seem to be the software equivalent to the windshield replacement company owner who goes out at night with his BB gun to shoot out windows. Anything to keep suckers coming back, over and over again.

Live.com is a search engine owned by Microsoft and they just rolled out a new program which provides great shopping comparisons and a discount in the form of cashback for using it to find products. The search engine calculates a "bottom line" price which includes shipping and tax minus the cashback amount. The amount of cashback varies from store to store, in a recent search I found cash back rates between 2 and 10% for technology items.

The inclusion of all fees in the pricing comparison including the discount empowers you to make the best decision without bothering to visit 15 different online venues and signing up for 10 different locations just to get the final price. Additionally since the cashback is handled by Live.com rather than the merchant you should be able to double up your discounts and use any current coupon codes to save even more. The one catch to the program is that you need to accrue $5 before you can cash out, but for anyone making technology purchases this shouldn't be an issue.

This cash back program is pretty nifty and while I don't plan on switching over to Live.com for my general search needs just yet, this offer combined with the "bottomline" shopping guide has already earned Live.com a bookmark. In my test search for a new monitor I was able to net 10% back and save $20 without any hassle and in just a few minutes. Any service which saves me cash this easily is well worth the addition to my set of shopping tools.

We're coming up on the deadline to order Microsoft's Office Ultimate for $60. The software includes all the usual Office programs -- Word, Excel, Outlook--plus PowerPoint, Groove, OneNote, and InfoPath. The deal is supposed to be only for students, but as the New York Times pointed out what Microsoft really requires is an email address that ends in .edu.

The Times called the deal a 91% off sale, counting a list price of $679. But who pays list anymore? Ultimate is on sale on Amazon for $400. Still, that's a pretty big sale -- 85% off. And it's certainly cheaper than just the regular version of Home office you may be buying with a new computer.

The question is: Are you a student or can you pass as one? The Times noted that anybody can probably get an .edu address from their college as an alumni. Now Microsoft has this condition that they can check up on you and if they catch you not being a student you have to pay full price, $679. Is this whole thing a ploy to get somebody to actually pay full price? Or is Microsoft not going to check? All they want is for you to be taking half a credit.

If Microsoft comes hounding you for $610, I'd have to wonder if you could just sign up for a community college gym class. Might be the smartest option.

It's easy for consumers to bash Microsoft. Even though the company has probably done more for the advancement of computer technology than any other company, it's also done plenty to hamper development. Microsoft is seen as the big bully on the playground. The company dominates the markets and therefore, in may ways, makes the rules.

For years, software developers who favor open-source have strongly criticized Microsoft. The premise of open-source software is simple: You build a cool piece of software, and you let others look at your programming code if they want to. That gives them an opportunity to develop their own software which works in conjunction with yours. Essentially, by leaving your programming code open for the world to see, development is encouraged and we all benefit more.

Microsoft has had a longstanding practice of not having open source code. This means that it hides its code so no one else can look at it or modify it. Use its products as-is or not at all, and wait for Microsoft to develop something new if you want it. This policy hampers the development of technology and frustrates users who want to customize software for their personal needs.

At long last, Microsoft has announced that it will be making some of its source code for key software available. This will help Microsoft's products interact better with other software, and will also allow developers outside the company to create software that works well with certain Microsoft titles. I applaud this action by Microsoft, although it's long overdue and probably should be wider-reaching than currently planned.

Tracy L. Coenen, CPA, MBA, CFE performs fraud examinations and financial investigations for her company Sequence Inc. Forensic Accounting, and is the author of Essentials of Corporate Fraud.

Now there's a compelling reason to buy! If you're not using the Vista operating system from Microsoft, friends and family who got conned or forced into using it are telling you how lucky you truly are. I've been told there are nothing but troubles when trying to get your new operating system to communicate with your peripherals and run your much-needed software.

Microsoft really wants you to buy Vista, though, so they're offering some new information to help you make your buying decision. On the Windows Vista Security Blog, the company is saying that Vista's security is less bad than XP's security. Microsoft is boasting that in its first year, Vista only required you to do nine patches for security issues. In the first year, XP had 26 patches. Also in the first year, Vista had only 36 fixed and 30 unfixed vulnerabilities, while XP had 68 fixed and 54 unfixed vulnerabilities.

Does all this make you feel good? Microsoft is saying that Vista is not secure and has multiple vulnerabilities that haven't been fixed. But buy it anyway, because it's not as bad as XP was one year into distribution. Not exactly a good marketing tool....

Tracy L. Coenen, CPA, MBA, CFE performs fraud examinations and financial investigations for her company Sequence Inc. Forensic Accounting, and is the author of Essentials of Corporate Fraud.

Microsoft's has filed 52 lawsuits and made 22 referrals to law enforcement agencies related to counterfeit software. All of these cases involved pirated copies of Microsoft Office and Microsoft Windows.

Microsoft has gotten very serious about protecting its software from theft. The company started a "Windows Genuine Advantage" program which allows consumers to check software for authenticity. This has made it easier for Microsoft to identify pirated software, especially that produced by counterfeiting rings.

Have you thought about pirating some computer software? Think again.

It's amazing to me that some consumers don't see pirating software as stealing. But it is most definitely stealing. Companies develop computer software and then distribute it with a license. That license dictates how the software must be used.