Seldom will Microsoft embark on an initiative designed to take its desperation to the apex of ridiculous. And if you think that the $500 million Wow campaign was the "best" that the Redmond company could manage in this aspect, you are sadly mistaken. And you should really "get the FACTS on Windows Vista." Especially if you are an Australian Microsoft Local OEM Channel Partner, because this is one of the requirements for accessing the Windows Vista OEM FACT or FICTION channel promotion, nothing more than a quiz designed to test your knowledge of the latest Microsoft operating system, for the chance of winning the Ultimate Home Entertainment Package worth no less than $15,000.

The prize features a Samsung 52 inch Premium Full HD 2CD TV, a Toshiba Qosmio 17 inch laptop, a Sony Home Theater, a Sony DVD Recorder Digital Tuner 160 GB HDD, a Sony 60 GB 6.1 Hard Drive Handycam and an Xbox 360 Elite. For This you will have to suffer no less than 10 questions about Windows Vista, to which you will be able to provide FACT or Fiction answers.

"Windows Vista sold more copies than any other Microsoft Operating System (including Windows XP) in the first month following launch," reads the first question. Answering FACT you'll get this response: "Correct. Well done, you've got that one right! Windows Vista actually set a new record (in terms of sales volume for a new Microsoft operating system) in the first month after it was launched. Throughout the development of Windows Vista, both customers and Partners were actively involved - ensuring the end product fulfilled genuine customer needs."

And this line of questions goes on and on for no less than 10 items. According to Microsoft, Vista does not face "significant issues with hardware devices, or in terms of integrating with other software applications, Vista is not expensive to deploy and run, and is popular with businesses, but is not unreliable and requiring more technical support than XP, etc."

But you have to wait all the way until the last question in order to get the proverbial cherry on the cake. "Windows Vista won't truly be ready until the first complete service pack is released," is the myth that Microsoft wants you to understand it's fictive.