Attention Microsoft Digital Locker users

If you have purchased software from the precursor to the newly launched Microsoft Online store -- a k a Windows Marketplace -- you need to move any software stored in your Digital Locker out of it before August of next year.

Microsoft has sent a note on December 11 to registered Marketplace customers alerting them of its plans to discontinue Digital Locker. From the note:

Dear Digital Locker Customer,

This is to notify you that on November 20, 2008 Windows® Marketplace  transitioned from an e-commerce site to a reference site. On Windows Marketplace you will find links to sites such as Microsoft Store, Windows Vista® Compatibility Center, and other destinations with compatible software, hardware and devices that support Microsoft platforms.  As part of this transition, the digital locker service affiliated with Windows Marketplace will be closed in August, 2009.

If you made a purchase on Windows Marketplace, you acquired a digital locker account  in order to purchase, download and install products from Windows Marketplace.  You may be using your digital locker account to store and maintain information about software you purchased, including license information to enable you to reinstall your software or get assistance from the software reseller.

The digital locker service will continue to be available until August, 2009. During this time, you should back up the contents of your digital locker account before they are permanently deleted.

More details on the discontinuation are avaialble via the Windows Marketplace Frequently Asked Questions page.

Microsoft’s “digital locker” technology allowed users “purchase & download hundreds of software titles from multiple resellers.” The digital locker stored customers’ product keys and purchase information so they could backup and reinstall software from a single location.