An uninformed complaint about the End User License Agreement (EULA) for Windows 2000 SP3 is making the rounds this week, spreading some mistruths about information Microsoft is allegedly collecting after you install the patch. According to the complaint, the SP3 EULA gives Microsoft the right to collect your OS version number and Product Identification number, Internet Explorer version number, version numbers of other software, and the Plug and Play ID numbers of hardware devices. This, the complaint says, is sneaky, underhanded, and any number of other adjectives you'd care to add to the list. The truth, as ever, is far less fascinating. First, this information is passed to Windows Update so that the service can provide the correct product updates for your individual system. But the EULA clearly states that this information is not saved, or passed along to Microsoft. It's just collected for an obvious (and desirable) reason. "Windows Update does not collect your name, address, e-mail address, or any other form of personally identifiable information," the EULA reads. "The configuration information collected is used only for the period of time that you are visiting the site, and is not saved."