Microsoft has completed a near-final version of its 64-bit edition of Windows 2000 that will be sent to all software developers with Itanium prototype computers.

Microsoft has completed a near-final version of its 64-bit edition of Windows 2000 that will be sent to all software developers with Itanium prototype computers, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates said Wednesday. The new "preview" version of 64-bit Windows 2000 is a necessary step along the road to bringing a Windows operating system to computers based on Intel's next-generation Itanium chips. Intel and Microsoft see the new computers as a way to divert revenue--and fat profits--from Sun Microsystems and other manufacturers of high-end Unix servers. Although the preview release represents a milestone, the company's server strategy is far from seamless. The Datacenter version of Windows 2000, a beefed-up version of 32-bit Windows 2000 for servers, remains noticeably absent. This version, about a month late, was due four months after the Windows 2000 debut. Two final versions of 64-bit Windows, one for servers and one for workstations, will be released when computer manufacturers begin selling their systems, said Michael Stephenson, lead product manager for the Windows enterprise server division. The first Itanium processors, which will run at 800 MHz, are expected in the next few months. Computers incorporating the chip may appear toward the end of the year, according to several sources.