NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - The Justice Department is already monitoring the next version of Microsoft's Windows operating system, still years from introduction, to make sure it complies with an antitrust settlement between the software provider and regulators, according to a published report.

The Washington Post reported Tuesday that Justice Department attorney Renata Hesse told a federal judge Monday that the government is beginning its monitoring of the new operating system, code named "Longhorn," to make sure it is not presented with a "fait accompli" version of the software that would be difficult to change.

Hesse said Justice Department lawyers would visit Microsoft's headquarters next week to discuss a variety of antitrust compliance issues, including the development of Longhorn.

Microsoft has delayed the introduction of Longhorn and not said when it will be released. Analysts now expect the successor to Windows XP to not be available until 2006 or 2007.

The new operating system is expected to highlight some new pushes by Microsoft, including Internet searches, virus protection and managing multiple home entertainment devices. Those applications would put it in competition with key products of other software makers.

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It was Microsoft's bundling of different applications such as an Internet browser in its earlier versions of Window that brought on the government's antitrust case.