Windows Resources Microsoft has salted away treasure troves of valuable information and must-have upgrades on the Internet, but you'll need a global positioning system to find your way. Our advice? Don't bother drilling down from www.microsoft.com--instead, use these direct links to zip in and out with no more than two clicks.
 
Microsoft Knowledge Base The Support Online opening page includes this fill-in form that searches Microsoft's massive database of bug fixes, notes, and updates.

Windows Update Can Microsoft really deliver all Windows 98 fixes from a single interactive Web page? We'll see. NT and Win95 users will see a polite error message when they hit this site.

Newsgroup Servers There are public newsgroups for every imaginable Microsoft product and technology. To see the full list, connect your news reader (not your browser) to msnews.microsoft.com.
 

Windows 95 Downloads and Patches Every imaginable bug fix and add-on for every version of Windows (including Windows CE) is at this site.

NT Service Packs and Hotfixes Service Packs are on the Windows download page, But you'll have to prowl through Microsoft's FTP server to find hotfixes--NT updates that haven't yet been incorporated into a service pack.

PowerToys This link lets you download the complete set of Windows Power Toys without having to read lengthy descriptions and disclaimers.

Beta Tester Request Line You say you always wanted to be a beta tester? Send mail to betareq@microsoft.com; be sure to tell them how your skill set and working environment will make you a perfect bug-hunter.
 

NT Hardware Compatibility List Products that pass the test in Microsoft's Windows Hardware Quality Labs land on one or more compatibility lists. This form lets you search by product category