As we already announced, Microsoft has released a new testing version of the Windows Vista operating system.

The company announces it will soon start an active launching program for new versions of the operating system, which will be tested by the Community Technology Preview (CTP) group.

For the first time ever, the Vista release includes the Network Center component, which will replace "My Network Places" and "Network Neighborhood". Digital signing of the documents in the new XML Paper Specification (XPS), dubbed Metro, will also be possible.

This new version of the operating system includes a sample of Windows Media Player 11 and a complete set of diagnosing tools for the computer and the network that includes it. The user will be announced when one of the hard disk drives has problems or is about to fail and it offers the possibility to backup the vital data. Now we understand what Mike Burk, Microsoft product manager for Windows Vista, meant when he said that "Microsoft's goal is to establish standards which will allow computers to fix themselves in a way that has never been attempted before".

It is unknown when Microsoft will publish Windows Vista's second Beta version, but the promise that the final edition will be available in the second half of 2006 are still valid.