**Please read this entire e-mail carefully, as it contains special instructions about your participation in the Microsoft� Office "12" Technical Beta program.

Welcome to the Microsoft� Office "12" Technical Beta program. We're looking forward to working with you to make this the best version of Microsoft Office ever, and this Technical Beta represents an important milestone on the road to shipping a great product.

During the program, we need you to exercise Microsoft Office in the ways you and your organization would expect to use the product. You can also expect that we'll be asking you to look at particular areas of functionality at different points in the project to get feedback on specific features or functionality.

FIRST STEPS WITH OFFICE "12"

Before you install the software, please be sure to do the following:

*1. Read the Known Issues, which you will find on the website's left navigation bar. We will continue to update this page, so check it often.

*2. Click Product from the left navigation bar to install the software.

OFFICE "12" DOWNLOADS AND BETA SOFTWARE STABILITY

Note that we're engaging you, our key customers, as early as possible so we have time to respond to your feedback. That means this is true Beta-1 software - you should be able to use all the new functionality of the product, but there are still some rough edges and we haven't completed performance tuning. This is a normal part of the product cycle, and an expected consequence of getting timely comments from you. Your willingness to work through these rough edges means your feedback can have great impact since final adjustments are still being made.

PRODUCT INSTALLATION KEYS

In order to install the software, you will first need a product installation key. We will e-mail you your personal product installation keys in a separate e-mail within the next 24 hours. Please remember that these product keys are intended solely for your use during the installation of the Microsoft Office "12" Beta release and should not be shared with anyone else, under any circumstances. If you lose your product keys, please contact and we will resend them to you.

BUG REPORTS

When you encounter bugs, please file them by clicking Submit a Bug from the website's left navigation bar. For information on how to file a good bug and how to check on the status of bugs you have filed, see the Frequently Asked Questions along the website's left navigation bar. Please submit only those bugs that you find in Office "12" products.

SUPPORT

We are using newsgroups as the primary source of support for the Office "12" Technical Beta. Private newsgroups are accessed from a dedicated news server using your Beta ID and a Password. If you do not already have a password, you can create a newsgroup password on , under the "Modify Your Info/Modify Newsgroup Login Info" tab along the top of the screen.

More detailed information about accessing the newsgroups is available on from "Participation Info/Newsgroups," also found along the top of the website's screen.

To access the NNTP private newsgroups you will need a news reader program. The newsgroups can also be accessed via your Internet browser by connecting to . You will need to use the account information listed below to configure either newsgroup viewing option. More detailed information about accessing the newsgroups is available on .

Microsoft will never request you send your password information to us via email or any other method. Any attempt to obtain your password could indicate fraudulent activity and should be reported to us immediately at . Please do not share this account information beyond the scope of what is allowed under the End-User License Agreement (EULA). In addition, please do not discuss the Office "12" Technical Beta in newsgroups outside of this program, including other Microsoft newsgroups.

*** NON-DISCLOSURE REMINDER ***

By participating in the Office "12" Technical Beta, you agree to abide by the non-disclosure terms as contained in the End-User License Agreement (EULA), which you must accept at the beginning of product installation. This Technical Beta employs a pre-release version of the Office "12" software that is for your testing use only and is not publicly accessible. We appreciate your keeping all information about Office "12" strictly confidential, per the terms of the EULA. Failure to comply with the terms outlined in the EULA is a violation of the EULA and grounds for your termination from the Microsoft� Office "12" program, at a minimum.

Thank you for participating in the Office "12" Technical Beta.

We look forward to your valuable feedback.

Sincerely,

The Microsoft Office Customer Programs Team