Jim;
The web based interface you are using IS the problem.
To solve your problems and get better functionality, use a newsreader
and quit using the web interface.
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=171164
There are also other options.
They all give you access to the newsgroup you are accessing on the web
interface, they just do it better.

If you read back to your original post, you will see you did not ask a
question.
That may be the cause of the confusion.
You may be thinking one thing while another person interprets it
differently.
Directly asking the question usually gets a more direct answer.
Otherwise your post is nothing more than a few facts many are already
aware of.

"=?Utf-8?B?SmltIFQ=?=" <JimT@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
news:94C084DA-0376-4165-9160-E57AAF7B8936@microsoft.com:

<SNIP>

Yes Jim it is a newsreader site, apparently dedicated to the microsoft.*
hierarchy only.

The confusion stems from the fact that I think you don't understand fully
what the site you are using is actually doing.

This newsgroup is not part of Microsoft. This newsgroup is part of
Usenet, ANOTHER part of the internet, like the web, e-mail, ftp sites,
irc, etc. The web site you are using seems to be HOSTED by Microsoft
maybe, allowing web access to the Microsoft.* newsgroups.

Think of it this way, your ISP most likely offers a Web interface for
your E-Mail. Do you use it ? Most likely you use an e-mail client, like
Outlook, Eudora, Pegasus, Incredimail, etc. This is what the website is
doing for newsgroups. You can use it through a website, but can also
access using a Usenet client (a newsreader).

The site is taking your question/reply/comment, formatting it NNTP
format, then POSTING it to a Usenet server. That message then propagates
across all(?) of the Usenet server's across the world that carry that
newsgroup.

This header shows it's path:
authen.yellow.readfreenews.net
!green.octanews.net
!news-out.octanews.net
!teal.octanews.net
!border2.nntp.dca.giganews.com
!nntp.giganews.com!wn14feed
!worldnet.att.net
!204.71.34.3
!newsfeed.cwix.com
!TK2MSFTNGP08.phx.gbl
!TK2MSFTNGXA03.phx.gbl

I got it off of the first one, and you posted it to the last one.
I'm not sure of the actual total, but there's got to be upwards of
200,000 newsgroups now.

I'm pretty certain that none of the replies to your posts are being
entered in a web page, they are all being sent with a newsreader.

By using a newsreader software, you would be able to participate in the
non-microsoft groups as well. Whatever your interests are there's a
Usenet hierarchy for it, I'm sure. For computer related stuff, there's a
giant COMP.* hierarchy, that deals with ALL computer issues, from
harware, to software, to embedded, to DOS, just about everything. There's
the ALT.BINARIES.* hierarchy which is loaded with
software/movies/music/porn, the list goes on and on.

Regards,

DanS