A Windows Vista Ultimate Extra, called Secure Online Key Backup allowed backing up EFS recovery certificates, as well as the BitLocker recovery password in the Digital Locker.

[5] The site was designed to allow product comparison, purchase and discussion from one central location.

Research had shown the average customer used over 20 sites when making purchases and Marketplace was an attempt to centralize that.

In less than two years since the original launch, Microsoft tripled the software purchasable by download to 60,000 and expanded all products offered to over 150,000.

[6] The Digital Locker initiative also attempted to unify all software licenses into a central location tied to a single Windows Live ID.