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They have agreed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) under which Microsoft will supply technology that combines previous versions of Windows and Office, in order to help preserve documents stored in legacy Microsoft file formats and ensure they remain readable for archivists and historians.

The National Archives estimates that it currently has 580TB stored in file formats that are no longer commercially available.

In return The National Archives will share its expertise in digital preservation for Microsoft to use in software development. The Kew-based agency notes that Microsoft's introduction of the Open XML format in its Office software suite has already addressed key format sustainability issues.

"The ephemeral nature of digital information, resulting from the rapid evolution of technology, is a major challenge facing government and our society today," says Natalie Ceeney, The National Archives' chief executive, "Unless we take action, we face the certainty of losing years of critical knowledge. That's why it is essential that The National Archives, together with the IT industry, address the challenge now. Our relationship with Microsoft supports

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our work in digital preservation and gives us many key tools to access the legacy of government for years to come."

Microsoft will provide The National Archives with access to previous versions of Windows and Office applications through Virtual PC 2007, which enables a single computer to simultaneously run multiple operating systems.

This will let the The National Archives configure any combination of Windows and Office on one PC, allowing access to practically any document based on legacy Microsoft file formats. The agency will also be able to improve access to these documents by converting the mass of data to open file formats.

Gordon Frazer, managing director UK and vice president Microsoft International believes that this agreement will ensure that future generations do not live in a digital dark age.

"Microsoft took the step to implement XML-based file formats that unlock data in documents, allowing them to be archived, restructured, aggregated and re-used in new and dynamic ways," he says. "As a result, the latest releases of Office use open-standard file formats - Open XML. Our MOU with The National Archives will go beyond this and ensure that decisions we make in future products will meet the rigorous requirements of digital preservation."

While Open XML is an open format freely licensed by Microsoft it cannot yet be called a standard. The ISO is still gathering objections ahead of a meeting towards the end of the year to determine whether the format can be accepted.