The European Commission said on Thursday it has expanded its investigation of Microsoft Corp to look into whether the U.S. software giant is illegally tying its Media Player to its Windows operating system. "This statement of objections supplements one sent to the company a year ago and adds a new dimension to the Commission's concerns that Microsoft's actions may harm innovation and restrict choice for consumers," the European Union's competition watchdog said in a statement. The Commission said Microsoft may also be trying to extend its dominant position in personal computer operating systems into inexpensive computer servers usually used for printing, accessing the Internet, and storing files.

The Commission said Microsoft may have "withheld from vendors of alternative server software, key inter-operability information that they need to enable their product to talk with Microsoft's dominant PC and server software products." Commission spokeswoman Amelia Torres said Microsoft had two months to respond to the charges and the company could also request a hearing, which she expected to take place before the end of the year. She said the Commission was not considering imposing any restrictions on Microsoft while its investigation was under way. The Commission was not investigating Microsoft's new Windows XP operating system as part of the probe, Torres said.