Windows 7 beta - 9th January

Kainz said:
I thought about it but then removed that idea because I'd have to get me a copy of oem vista basic and I didn't want to spend some cash :) At least with the beta I'll get around say 30 days of use if it has a expiration date on it. I know little about it atm aside from the screenies I've seen lol
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try linux mint on there

i'm a linux noob, but that's a really really neat package :)
 
Windows 7 Team Blog
Information on Downloading and Installing Windows 7 Beta

*
Posted by:
Brandon LeBlanc
* 09:51 PM Wednesday
Jan 07, 2009
*

137 Comments

As of today, I am running the Windows 7 Beta on several different PCs including my laptop, my work PC, and my PC at home, which I upgraded recently to Windows 7 from Windows Vista SP1. (I’ll be outlining the PCs I’m using to test Windows 7 shortly.) I’m all connected with HomeGroup, I’ve got several different Libraries set up, and I’m loving the new Windows Taskbar. I’ve got Windows Media Center recording my favorite TV shows and my Zune 80 syncing up with the Zune software. And things are even better with Windows Live Essentials installed. I find the Windows 7 Beta to be an amazing beta release and I am extremely excited for you to get your hands on it later this week! I’d like to take a moment to share some specifics regarding the Windows 7 Beta that I think are very important for people looking to give Windows 7 a spin.

On January 9th, the Windows 7 Beta will be available for Windows enthusiasts to download via the Windows 7 page on Windows.com. The Windows 7 Beta is going to be available download-only (we’re not sending out physical media) and available for a limited time to the first 2.5 million people who download the beta.

The Windows 7 Beta will be available in English, German, Japanese, Arabic, and Hindi, and each language will be available in 32-bit and 64-bit versions (except Hindi which will only be available in 32-bit). Because the Windows 7 Beta will be offered download-only, it will be provided to you as an ISO image (an .iso file) that you download. After downloading either the 32-bit or 64-bit ISO image of the Windows 7 Beta, you will be required to burn the ISO image to a DVD to install Windows 7. So you want to be sure you have a DVD burner before spending the time downloading the ISO image.

To burn the ISO image of the Windows 7 Beta to DVD, if your PC comes with Nero or Roxio products – you should be able to burn the ISO image to DVD. If you don’t already have DVD burning software on your PC, you can also check out ImgBurn which is free and can be downloaded here.

The Windows 7 Beta only supports Windows Vista SP1 to Windows 7 upgrades. So if you intend to do an upgrade – be sure it is on a PC running Windows Vista with Service Pack 1. We are not yet announcing anything regarding finalized upgrade paths for Windows 7.

The Windows 7 Beta will be only available in one edition, which is roughly equivalent the Ultimate edition of Windows Vista.

Also, another important thing to keep in mind is that the Windows 7 Beta will expire on August 1st, 2009.

I also need to emphasize that this is a beta of an unreleased operating system. Be sure to backup all your important data. As much as the Windows 7 Beta completely rocks, part of the beta process is discovering bugs and reporting those bugs. Some of those bugs could possibly lead to data loss. I tend to be a risk-taker myself and have gone all-out with the Windows 7 Beta by putting it on almost all my PCs both at work and at home, but not everyone should do this. I recommend using Windows Vista’s Backup and Restore features to ensure your information is backed up before trying out the Windows 7 Beta. Click here for several methods of backing up your data in Windows Vista.

The Windows 7 Beta is targeted toward the enthusiast crowd – people excited and knowledgeable with technology. If you don’t quite understand much of what I’ve written above, it is probably best you don’t try to install the Windows 7 Beta.

If you are an IT Professional, you can visit the Springboard Series for Windows 7 on TechNet (see the Windows 7 tab) on January 9th to sign up for the Windows 7 Beta but also can also get access to dynamic resources including video walkthroughs and the new Windows 7 forums.
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Lysander said:
Better than Ubuntu?

What are the latest ATI drivers like? I couldn't get the bloody things to scale at 1920x1200.
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it's based on ubuntu, but it's more of an "straight out of the box" experience :)

6 was just released, give the live cd a try
 
when it's out, can we get this thread title changed to "### Windows 7 beta released ###", and a link to the site in the first post.

will help stop the mayhem a bit
 
bledd. said:
when it's out, can we get this thread title changed to "### Windows 7 beta released ###", and a link to the site in the first post.

will help stop the mayhem a bit
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OK, I'll put the direct links to the x86 and x64 versions too.
 
"The Windows 7 Beta only supports Windows Vista SP1 to Windows 7 upgrades. So if you intend to do an upgrade – be sure it is on a PC running Windows Vista with Service Pack 1. We are not yet announcing anything regarding finalized upgrade paths for Windows 7."

I don`t understand this. Surely XP users will be the biggest target audience for Windows 7. I.e. those who did not move to Vista for whatever reason.

Is it due to the beta still using a lot of Vistas core components?
 
quick question, when you get the download and its on your system, were do you get the product key from ?
 
Countcussy said:
"The Windows 7 Beta only supports Windows Vista SP1 to Windows 7 upgrades. So if you intend to do an upgrade – be sure it is on a PC running Windows Vista with Service Pack 1. We are not yet announcing anything regarding finalized upgrade paths for Windows 7."

I don`t understand this. Surely XP users will be the biggest target audience for Windows 7. I.e. those who did not move to Vista for whatever reason.

Is it due to the beta still using a lot of Vistas core components?
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eh?

'upgrading' is a bad idea anyway, fresh install is much cleaner, who wants all the old crap folders junking up the place?

what do you mean, 'still using' they're keeping them
 
sunderland said:
what i cant understand is why just give it to 2.5 million people,just let people test it if they want no wonder people go to torrents and then try to find cracks if microsoft dont give them a key to try a beta
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From what I read ms don't seem to bothered about people downloading a beta - i mean why would they for all intents and purposes? They were asked the same question by thereg and got the bog standard response back:

"Microsoft has not released Windows 7 code to the public and we caution consumers and businesses that downloading software (including workarounds) from a non genuine source can pose risks to their environment."
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source
 
bledd. said:
eh?

'upgrading' is a bad idea anyway, fresh install is much cleaner, who wants all the old crap folders junking up the place?

what do you mean, 'still using' they're keeping them
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Sorry, I probably did not make myself clear. It seems like you need to currently be using Vista to try the Windows 7 beta. Have I read that wrong?

I was planning to dual boot with XP, and because I don`t have/use Vista, I will be unable to do this..

Am I incorrect?
 
Since 7 "is" Vista but in a new shell with some new features I don't see upgrade as a problem.

It's not like Windows 98 to XP or XP to Vista upgrading.
 
Countcussy said:
Sorry, I probably did not make myself clear. It seems like you need to currently be using Vista to try the Windows 7 beta. Have I read that wrong?

I was planning to dual boot with XP, and because I don`t have/use Vista, I will be unable to do this..

Am I incorrect?
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What they mean by this is that if you want to upgrade using the beta release you can only do so from Vista SP1. If you are not upgrading you can still do a clean install using the beta.
 
Countcussy said:
Sorry, I probably did not make myself clear. It seems like you need to currently be using Vista to try the Windows 7 beta. Have I read that wrong?

I was planning to dual boot with XP, and because I don`t have/use Vista, I will be unable to do this..

Am I incorrect?
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it's a full os

just burn to dvd, restart pc and pop dvd in, then install
 
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