Microsoft will start beta testing its all-in-one Microsoft Update in mid-March, according to an e-mail to potential beta testers. Microsoft is looking for a cross-section of users familiar with not only Windows, but also Office, SQL Server, and Exchange.

Tuesday, Microsoft's chairman and chief technologist announced Microsoft Update, a consolidated update service that would blend now-separate sites and services for the company's operating systems and applications.

Microsoft Update, said the e-mail, will offer security updates for "Windows, Office, and other Microsoft applications" from one locale, and work with Automatic Update to take the patching chore off users' shoulders.

While the specific non-Windows products that will be included in Microsoft Update won't be identified until early next month, both Gates and the e-mail to beta testers referenced Microsoft Office, Exchange Server, and SQL Server.

Microsoft is using the pool of testers who previewed Windows Update 5 last year, but is requesting that testers fill out surveys indicating their expertise with Office, Exchange, and SQL Server.