UPDATE 2-Russia probes laptop makers' use of Microsoft OS

* Probe concerns use of pre-installed Microsoft OS

* Agency says Microsoft is involved as a third party

* Follows separate probe into Microsoft launched last week

* Microsoft says hopes to resolve some issues soon (Recasts, adds details, further Microsoft comments, background)

By Maria Kiselyova

MOSCOW, June 10 (Reuters) - Russia's anti-trust regulator on Wednesday launched a probe into laptop makers whose machines contain pre-installed Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) software -- the second Russian probe to hit the U.S. company in under a week.

The watchdog said it was investigating Acer Inc (2353.TW), Asustek (2357.TW), Toshiba Corp (6502.T), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ.N), Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) and Dell Inc (DELL.O) over "coordinated actions" when selling laptops with the pre-installed Windows operating system, and was treating Microsoft as a third party in the probe.

Dell declined to comment. Acer, Asustek, Toshiba, HP, and Samsung could not immediately be reached for comment.

Microsoft is already the subject of a probe by the Russian regulator over whether it broke competition law by holding back supplies of its Windows XP operating system to the Russian market. [ID:nL435248]

A statement on the regulator's website about the laptop maker probe said: "The signs of violation of the anti-monopoly legislation are seen in coordinated actions by laptop makers which have been pre-installing an operating system of the one same producer."

The Russian agency said that, in most cases, customers were unable to buy a laptop from the above-mentioned producers without the pre-installed Windows OS, or were not able to refuse to use the operating system they were given with the laptops.

Microsoft does not disclose the size of its Russian sales but says they had approached those in European markets in 2007.

Microsoft spokeswoman Marina Levina said the company had not received any notification from the Federal Anti-monopoly Service (FAS), the regulator, which will review the case on July 15.

Top Russian officials, including Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, have repeatedly criticised the anti-monopoly service for being a ceremonial agency which lacks real power.

Last year, its head, Igor Artemiyev, promised to turn the agency into a powerful tool to enforce market principles, and since then has slapped a number of fines on powerful Russian oil firms for price fixing in the domestic market.

The Russian probes into Microsoft come on top of ongoing charges by European regulators that it stymied rivals by tying the firm's Web browser to its dominant Windows system.