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FAQ: How to get the Windows 7 beta


mark1447

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Windows_7_build_7000.png

 

Check out Windows 7 Online at: http://www.windows7.com

 

Forget XP and VISTA hehe!

 

 

When can I download the beta? Starting Friday, Jan. 9. Microsoft said today that it will open the download gates worldwide at noon, Pacific time, tomorrow.

 

Where do I get it? The public download will be posted to the Windows 7 Site here, Microsoft said.

 

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/default.aspx

 

What do I need to install the beta? Microsoft has set the minimum requirements for the beta as a 1-GHz processor, 1GB of memory, 16GB of free hard drive space and 128MB of graphics memory on a chip set or card able to support DirectX 9 graphics.

 

Those hardware requirements, by the way, are virtually identical to what Microsoft now says you have to have to install any version of Vista except for the entry-level Home Basic.

 

Anything else? Yes, a DVD-ROM drive. In other words, a drive that can burn data to a recordable DVD disc.

 

You need that because Microsoft has not providing the beta as an executable or installation file, but as a disk image, or .iso file.

 

Once you've downloaded the monster, you must burn the image to a DVD to create the installation disk. That means you need DVD-burning software, such as Nero 9, an $80 download from Nero AG, or the $100 Roxio Creator 2009 from Sonic Solutions or use Imgburn as it is free.

 

That's it? Nothing else? Last thing, we swear. The Windows 7 beta is actually an upgrade, not a full new install. You need to have a machine running Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) to install the beta.

 

What edition of Windows 7 is the beta? Microsoft said the beta is "roughly equivalent" to Vista Ultimate, which is a strong hint that the preview is actually Windows 7 Ultimate.

 

Is Microsoft limiting the beta? Yes, it is. The company said it will close out the beta after 2.5 million downloads.

 

Is Microsoft limiting the beta? Yes, it is. The company said it will close out the beta after 2.5 million downloads.

 

Really? So if I'm late to the party, I'm out of luck? Not really. The 2.5 million number is how many activation keys Microsoft will hand out to beta testers, not the number of actual downloads. (Yes, Windows 7 retains product activation.)

 

Microsoft won't pull the download after the 2.5 million, it will just stop handing out keys.

 

Minus a key, you can still download and install the beta, then run it for 30 days before it quits on you. And by using the same "slmgr -rearm" command that gained notoriety after Windows Vista's debut, you can extend that trial period to 120 days.

 

Several blogs have posted instructions on how to use this legal method to extend the life span of Windows 7 previews, including "My Digital Life."

 

What edition of Windows 7 is the beta? Microsoft said the beta is "roughly equivalent" to Vista Ultimate, which is a strong hint that the preview is actually Windows 7 Ultimate.

 

Microsoft is being cagey here because it refuses to say how many different editions of Windows 7 it will eventually sell, what they contain and how much they'll cost. Some have speculated, however, that unlike Windows Vista, which comes in five flavors -- Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, Enterprise and Ultimate -- Windows 7 will be sold in four versions: Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate.

 

How big is the download? Microsoft has not said, but since the beta's build designation of 7000.0.081212-1400 is identical to copies that have leaked to BitTorrent, it's a good bet that the official download will be the same as the pirated files.

 

On BitTorrent, the downloads are: 2.44GB for the 32-bit version, 3.15GB for the 64-bit version.

 

What languages are supported? Microsoft has limited the beta to English, German, Japanese, Arabic and Hindi, with the last available only in 32-bit.

 

When does the beta expire? Microsoft stayed with the Aug. 1, 2009, expiration date, which it had used in earlier previews of the new operating system, for the beta. On that date, the beta will stop working, according to the beta's end-user licensing agreement, which reads: "This software will stop running on August 1, 2009. You may not receive any other notice. You may not be able to access data used with the software when it stops running."

 

What's this I've heard about a bug in Windows 7? You've heard right. Microsoft has acknowledged a bug in Windows Media Player 12 -- the version bundled with Windows 7 -- that shaves two to three seconds from the beginning of MP3 audio files.

 

Here's the scoop from a Microsoft support forum: "When MP3 files are added (either manually or automatically) to either the Windows Media Player or the Windows Media Center library, or if the file metadata is edited with Windows Explorer, several seconds of audio data may be permanently removed from the start of the file. This issue occurs when files contain thumbnails or other metadata of significant size before importing or editing them."

 

Microsoft has produced a patch and posted that to TechNet and MSDN, the two destinations where the beta is currently available. Expect that it will do the same for the public beta tomorrow; it's also possible that the patch will be offered via Windows Update once you've installed the beta.

 

A support document -- designated as "KB961367" -- has been assigned to the bug, but it's not yet available on Microsoft's Web site.

 

Microsoft also recommended that users back up all MP3 files before installing the beta, and set all of them to "read-only" status by right-clicking each file in Windows Explorer, then clicking the General tab and selecting the "Read-only" box.

 

Right. Like you have time for that.

 

Microsoft won't pull the download after the 2.5 million, it will just stop handing out keys.

 

 

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9125380

 

______________

Mark- Ive been using Windows 7, since the release of Windows 7 Pre-Beta(Alpha) 6801. and this OS is a charm, sexy looking, secure and better then Windows Vista and XP! If you are stuck with Windows Vista and XP well, you might as well get Windows 7 in the future and try it.

 

Note that if you are gonna become a Beta Tester, you can only upgrade, Im gonna see if i can get away with that and leak on different places+ me site, not here tho. Enjoy the new NT Operating System (OS) =)

 

Windows 7 Beta Build 7000/ Windows Server 7 [server 2008 R2]

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I've heard good things about Windows 7 so far. Too bad theres no good benchmarks out there (EULA specifically says No benchmarking). A few sites said it's "faster than even XP" but who the hell knows what that really means...

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seeing that MSFT server is fried, MSFT released unlimited Windows 7 Keys for all:

 

 

THESE ARE NOT ILLEGAL KEYS< THESE ARE FROM MICROSOFT, THAT THEY GAVE FOR ALL, SO PLEASE DONT COMPLAIN, IF YOU WANNA REMOVE THEN FINE.... Even tho these are public keys!

Windows 7 Beta 64-bit(X64) Product Key

 

 

7XRCQ-RPY28-YY9P8-R6HD8-84GH3JYDV8-H8VXG-74RPT-6BJPB-X42V4482XP-6J9WR-4JXT3-VBPP6-FQF4MJYDV8-H8VXG-74RPT-6BJPB-X42V4D9RHV-JG8XC-C77H2-3YF6D-RYRJ9

 

 

Windows 7 Beta 32-bit(X86) Product Key

 

 

6JKV2-QPB8H-RQ893-FW7TM-PBJ73TQ32R-WFBDM-GFHD2-QGVMH-3P9GCGG4MQ-MGK72-HVXFW-KHCRF-KW6KY4HJRK-X6Q28-HWRFY-WDYHJ-K8HDHQXV7B-K78W2-QGPR6-9FWH9-KGMM7

 

 

If you wanna download the Beta download via here:

 

 

http://www.mydigitallife.info/2009/01/10/windows-7-beta-official-direct-download-links/

 

 

English/Germany

 

Sorry i dont Normally post download on a non-piracy forum, but seeing that this is free for all, id just put it up

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Yep I have the full activated Windows 7 running on my computer Its pretty nice. Heres a video of mine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6W_HoPv0CI&feature=channel_page

 

Other video coming later

 

Anyway yea it is very nice. Theres some new features with it. Obviously one is the taskbar, which has a glass effect. Some other little things too, like the snipping tool, which is like the print|screen thing on a keyboard. The startup logo is also animated.

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