Firm says Microsoft guilty of `hidden costs'

Microsoft's new corporate operating system could cost businesses thousands of dollars in additional licensing fees, according to the research firm GartnerGroup.

At issue are client access licenses, which are required to allow a Windows 2000 computer to access a server.

Many companies run Web sites using hundreds of servers, with each requiring a separate copy of the new software. The licensing fees - which aren't advertised - cost between $5 to nearly $190 per computer, allowing Microsoft to "raise prices without raising prices," one analyst said.

However, a Microsoft's spokesperson said the access license isn't new and the price remains the same as with Windows NT 4.0.

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