For the very first time in its own history, Microsoft Windows has crashed –annual sales and quarterly revenues are down. Reporting a 17 percent drop, sent Microsoft shares down 8 percent.Although most of the world’s personal computers run on Windows, its maker’sbusiness isn’t running so well.

Microsoft apparently isn’t immune to the weak global market.Chief Financial Officer Christopher Liddell of the behemoth software companyoffered a small glimmer of optimism in an interview with Reuters:

"At least sequentially, we are seeing a little bit ofgrowth. While things are not necessarily getting better, they may have bottomedout."

The company’s net profit for its fourth quarter last year was46 cents per share, compared to a drop to 34 cents per share in this year’sfiscal fourth quarter. An analyst at Primary Global Research cited lack oflarge ticket, large margin item sales as the culprit. The business communitylately has leaned toward conservative, smaller projects that don’t glean asmuch profit for the vendor.

Although there is still the anticipated boast from Windows 7being released in October, Liddell doesn’t see it as sparking a recovery in PCsales. Towards helping Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 get off the ground,CEO Steve Ballmer announced the RTM (Release to Manufacturers) in Atlanta thisWednesday. It’s always good to have applications that will run on youroperating system be ready when it is.

Additionally, Microsoft’s new Bing search engine is gettingsome play and, bing, bang, boing, may bounce some dollars into their coffer. Asa precautionary measure, however, the big company is still planning to par downand tighten its belt - just like the rest of us.