MS pulls Web download

Microsoft has been forced to pull Office 97 service release 2 from its Website after customers experienced problems with the product.

In a statement posted on its site, the company said: 'Microsoft has recently confirmed certain situations in which the SR-2 patch will fail to install properly. In order to further investigate and address this issue, the SR-2 patch has been temporarily removed for download.'

The statement added that an updated version will be made available 'as soon as it has been thoroughly tested'.

Some users who had Office 97 applications from the first half of 1997 installed on their systems found problems when they tried to install SR2.

The pack requires SR1 to have been installed first but users found SR2 did not recognise this had been done.

According to Microsoft, customers who have already downloaded and installed the SR-2 patch successfully have no need to wait for the updated patch.

Meanwhile, Netscape has hit back at Microsoft by increasing its integration with Internet Explorer and says it will release Tune UP for Internet Explorer this month. The browser company is planning a strategy switch for its internet business as its share of the market continues to shrink.

Netscape is hoping it will be able to tempt Internet Explorer users onto its online service. Ever since Netscape started giving away its browser earlier this year, it has concentrated its energies on growing revenues from its Netcenter Web portal site, which offers news and content as well as links to information on Netscape products.