REDMOND, Wash. — A small number of people were able to download a prerelease version of Microsoft’s Windows XP, the new version of the popular operating system, after a tester accidentally made a login name and password available on the Internet, Microsoft said Monday.
The login and password spread quickly across the Internet Friday, and Microsoft said thousands of people may have tried to download a version of the system, which is supposed to be released Oct. 25.
However, because of built-in security features, only a few were able to download it successfully, said Greg Sullivan, a Microsoft lead product manager for Windows XP. He declined to say how many exactly, citing security concerns.
About 500,000 people have authorized access to beta, or test, versions of Windows XP like the ones downloaded Friday.
Anyone who downloads the software can use it for only 14 days before having to renew the program through Microsoft. Sullivan said the fact that thousands of people tried to download the system for free was good news, from a marketing standpoint.
“I think it shows how much anticipation there is around the product,” Sullivan said.
