Many major European PC makers and retailers say they have no plans to carry Microsoft's Media Player-free version of Windows, a product released as part of the European Union's antitrust plan.

The European Commission last year imposed a record fine on Microsoft Corp. for abusing its Windows dominance to shut out competition.

This year the Commission proceeded to put its antitrust remedies into place after an EU court gave the go-ahead. Microsoft is still appealing the case, which won't be decided for months or years.

One of the remedies required Microsoft to give European consumers a choice between Windows with Media Player included, and a version with no built-in player.

The Commission argued that this would help provide a level playing field for competitors such as RealNetworks and Apple Computer Inc..

Windows XP N was released to PC makers last week in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish, with 10 more language versions coming in July. It will be available to the public next month. But none of the PC makers contacted by eWEEK said they had any plans to offer the software on PCs by default.

"We are continuing to monitor the market to see if it is in demand," said a Dell spokesperson. "We will consider things from there." Dell said most customers expect new PCs to include a media player.

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Source : eWeek