Bill Gates will describe new built-in security features on Monday, May 1, in Microsoft's upcoming "Longhorn" Windows release. Combining hardware and software, the security is designed to protect data from unwanted eyes when systems are booted with a portable hard drive or floppy disk.

The security system's keys will be silicon-based rather than data on a hard drive, thus theoretically making the code very difficult to crack. This idea has been around for a few years and criticized by many as an attempt by Microsoft, rather than owners, to control systems that employ this scheme.

"I don't think this idea addresses the biggest security problems, which are network security threats and not physical security threats," commented one longtime Windows user who makes his living in the IT business in Silicon Valley. "However, there have been cases where lifted hardware carries a risk of disclosed sensitive information, so this is certainly not a complete ruse."

High-profile laptop thievery in the San Francisco Bay Area, from organizations ranging from banks to labs holding nuclear secrets, have caused waves of consternation among regulators, politicians, and presumably, the population at large. Microsoft's method, should it be deployed in Longhorn, should Longhorn be released in this decade, should address this issue., although it is duly noted that PCs with security chips have been offered by major vendors for some time.

The main security issues, however, remain the plague of viruses, spyware, and related "malware" that impede performance, compromise systems, and potentially enable criminals to steal personal data for fraudulent use. There's no advance word as to whether Gates will address any of these issues on Monday.