Microsoft extends Windows 7 beta downloads to February 10
By Nilay Patel 
posted Jan 24th 2009 4:39PM
posted Jan 24th 2009 4:39PM
[Via Computerworld]
Read - Post on Windows Team Blog
Read - Windows 7 download page
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If you don't have it by now, you're probably not interested enough in it to care.
The extension is just a waste of more of Microsoft's money, to be honest.
I'm the type of person who likes to have something in full, not some half-ass beta shit. I also don't have £200+ to spend on software.
Onion:This just in...
Microsoft realises everyone already downloaded a copy...
Chinese Bootleggers begin selling Windows 7 on streets.
Exactly.
And if there so worried about "people missing out" just leave it up there for good. It'll cost a lot, but at least people won't "miss out"...
I don't think you're particularly good looking so why do you show your picture?
Are you trying to meet girls on engadget? You wont find any, to be honest.
@Ryan
Way to be the first person ever to complain :P (Actually, that picture is one of the older ones. I updated it but Engadget cycles it between that one, a newer one, and no image at all)
Same mofos who havent upgraded their TV's
I guess Microsoft is hoping that 7 is a lucky number. This Windows 7 might be 10X better than Vista, but still only half as good as Leopard OSX. Microsoft is gonna rush Windows 7 out the door as soon as possible whether it's finished or not. MS is losing so much money because nobody is buying Vista and Vista doesn't run well, if at all, on those under-powered netbooks. It's crunch-time for MS and they'd better get crackin' with a decent product to replace XP.
Still, I'm anxious to try Windows 7 and if it turns out to be three-quarters as good as XP, I'm sold.
I don't know about you guys but I am in Love with Windows 7. This is being written from OS X (Leopard).
Further affirmation of this; I love windows 7 as well and this message is being written from it.
I think Msoft is targeting the same release date as the analog TV-wipeouts.
(I did something here)
As an admitted Mac user (ie: obsessed cultist), I'm willing to give MS cred for: 1.) recognizing that Vista is a steaming pile of creamed corn; 2.) not resorting to endless patches & service packs for Vista (paramount to installing new carpet in a burning house); 3.) attempting to return to the heady Windows Longhorn concept.
There it is. That's all I have to say.
I just put it on my osx machine in a vm, its a huge improvement since vista/xp but unlike what my friend says, it is definitely not on a par with osx and i doubt it ever will be
You guys need to get some pussy.
Windows 7 is nice, but damn if I'm all in love with it.
I concur with your assessment of Win 7. Very smooth. Recognized my printer (found driver), my DiNovo BT mouse and keypad. Automatically adjusted my Sony monitor and found all my drivers for my MB. I was very impressed. And it was by far the fastest install I have yet to see on a Win box.
Furthermore, there are a few things I am not happy about (if you can fix it, and how, let me know):
1) Can't install Zone Alarm (why, it just keeps giving and error message - it's the free version)
2) Compupic won't work (but I'll just find another picture editor that will) but compupic is pretty stable and fast.
Any recommendations, I would surely appreciate it!
Otherwise, I am very happy with this version of Win7 and look forward to updates and the such.
I am running AMD Phenom 9500 QC @ 2.20 GHz, 2.00MB of Corsair Ram and GeForce 8800 GT and a 10,000 RPM Raptor
I have 10.5 and Windows 7 beta dualbooting on my mac. I'm really loving the beta, and I'm finding it to be a fine competitor with 10.5. However, since this is a beta I'm starting to see a bit more of the cracks at the seams. Media Center on fullscreen on my second monitor causes the mouse to get locked on that screen so long as that Media center window is in full screen, and the only way to get around it is to use Areo, and Sim City 4 (yes, old, but there hasn't been a Sim City 5 yet) caused the damn thing to blue screen on me. Not to mention that if I close my macbook pro and then open it up again, my monitors don't get any signals and remain off until I restart the computer. I'm sure that its all problems that will be fixed when the retail version of Windows 7 launches, but those are really the only complaints I have with the system so far.
"I don't know about you guys but I am in Love with Windows 7. This is being written from OS X (Leopard)." - Nick
Well, Nick, with your long history of anti-Apple ranting and raving here on Engadget, I seriously doubt the Leopard thing. Nice try.
Astroturf Different.
@ Quix @ Jan 25th 2009 12:25AM
"Well, Nick, with your long history of anti-Apple ranting and raving here on Engadget, I seriously doubt the Leopard thing. Nice try.
Astroturf Different."
Wow i feel flattered that you took the time to look up my comment history... it's true that i have ranted against the Apple Juice drinkers and Apple itself but i have always given credit to Apple for their good work on OS X, Ipod and Iphone. I think they are a great company but i don't think they are the shit as the cultist think. But to answer your questions of why i am running OS X... it's because i just began developing software for the Iphone/Itouch. Pretty good market to get into business and definitely not that dificult at all. unlike the Microsoft haters around engadget i do think that Apple is at the top of it's game but it's not at fault. I have always hated the perception that OS X is virus/hacking free and any Genius Developer/Programmer/Hacker knows that's the biggest bullshit ever. But then again all MacUltist swears on their life that it's virus/hacking free but don't worry soon, very soon the leGion oF dooM will be coming to OS X..
Oh by the way just in case you were wondering I am back on Windows 7, soon i will be getting a junked Mac to do my development so i can always look at my pretty Windows 7 and won't have to reboot into OS X. Mind you i still think OS X is a good OS, well the App i love the most is IMovie which nothing compares in a PC but other than that... not much to it.
@Nick - please know that anti-fanboys are much worse than the actual fanboys. In fact, I never even see any actual Apple fanboys on Engadget, once you exclude the obvious trolls like Clak, iEye and so on (probably all the same guy anyway).
So please stop. It's sooooo boring.
Preferring Windows 7 to OS X is OK - at least that's worth discussing. There are a lot of ppl out there that don't know how to use OS X, or that are so stuck in their Windows ways they don't see the difference. I was on Windows exclusively from 2001 to 2007, now on OS X since 2007 - there is no way to go back for me. I installed 7 and think it's way better than Vista and even a good upgrade from XP. But it still slows down my daily workflow compared to OS X. I always customize the heck out of a Windows desktop - you kinda have to really - but there is still a lot of stuff that you can't do on Windows, or that just takes longer.
I am a software developer and most of the devs in our company have now switched to Macs.
"There are a lot of ppl out there that don't know how to use OS X, or that are so stuck in their Windows ways they don't see the difference."
Your fanboy/annoyance argument gets destroyed right there.
@ Nick, looks like the peeps on the streets are already picking apart your wonderfully stable and unh4x0rble OSX.
"Trojan virus spreads to as many as 20,000 Macs"
http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2009/01/23/trojan-virus-spreads-to-as-many-as-20000-macs/
Hope you enjoy! See us Win users have been dealing with this for years and know are way around. Only problem is, iPhone runs on a slimmed down version of OSX right, OIC.....expect more haxoring and phreaking off of your handsets one day soon. Especially from the jailbreakers.
@ Nick works better than Apple and it's in Beta: http://i635.photobucket.com/albums/uu75/h4X0rz_2009/Capture1.png
I've already abandoned Vista in favor of 64-bit Win7. I hope Win7 is available before the beta expires.
... and everyone needs to get on Mozilla's and Adobe's backs to release 64-bit versions. C'mon guys, what are you waiting for?
I can live without 64 bit flash.
Unfortunately living without 64bit Quicktime can be a huge PITA.
Apple needs to get off their lazy asses. Scrap quicktime. Start from scratch and also create a 64 bit build.
I hate quicktime but am sadly forced to use it with numerous applications.
Firefox in Windows 7 64-bit is kinda buggy, it locks up a bit and it has some annoying Safe Mode probems. Really, the only thing I think Microsoft needs to fix is the DWM issues, but they can be fixed by killing dwm.exe and it will restart.
I couldn't agree more with you. 64-bit versions of many common desktop applications, the most glaring exception of which is Firefox, are long overdue.
I know there are a number of builds made by a few random people for the 64-bit version, but they all seem to be intermittent and the stability isn't the greatest. Plus, I like getting the security updates when Mozilla releases them and not having to wait.
@ Gavin Greenwalt, Quicktime takes forever to start and takes up alot of RAM on a PC, I use VLC it's the best
re: 64-bit apps - you can use 32-bit apps on a 64-bit OS, just like up until very recently you could run 16-bit DOS programs no problem.
re: Quicktime - use K-lite codec pack and VLC/Media Player Classic - the best cure for shoddy media players and codecs.
We got to stick around with Win7, soon we are getting specific software for the new 7.
Firefox(official) optimized for Windows 7 thats gonna be a nice day!
Besides we got some nice stuff coming up with Winmob 7 (spoiling us with a 6.5 anytime soon)
.
Thanks Micro Corp for offering an alternative to fruit.
Im getting insanely fast hibernation boot times.
Been clocking more with new build, than with my Good old Ultimate Service pack 1.
Its very good!
Greetzzzz.
@Gavin Greenwalt:
Funny you say that, because they're kind of doing that (for Snow Leopard anyway, and I assume Windows eventually) and calling it Quicktime X. But yes, I agree though, quicktime and iTunes for Windows needs to be cleaned up bigtime (code-wise).
So they should!
This is the best publicity they've had in ages! Getting people excited, positive reviews, even rabid mac fans getting in on the action :P
Adobe's CS4 supports 64bit.. FOR WINDOWS.
The mac version is still a POS. Go Apple!
OMG THE 64-BIT ADOBE SUITE ON OS X SUCKS! THAT MAKES APPLE AMAZING! GO APPLE!
dumbass
After Effects is still not 64bit. This is incredibly stupid because its the most RAM hungry application ever. Still it run faster and better on windows than mac. I think with all the bad stuff Apple did to Adobe, Adobe is not really in a hurry to update mac applications as fast as pc.
I would be happy if Microsoft were buying Adobe and kill it for the mac... like Apple did for Shake. (Of course its not really microsoft tactic recently to do that kind of backstabing...)
@Lando Calrissian: Is your sarcasm detector broken?
In fairness, it's not Apple's fault. And in fairness to Adobe, they've committed to a complete rewrite in Cocoa (to make it much faster, more flexible, and 64-bit) scheduled to land in CS5/6... Which is no small task.
Darn, I need an edit button:
@Boards of Canada: I'm pretty sure if Microsoft made any kind of noise about a move for Adobe, Apple would buy them straight away.
Ha! MS thinks just because 7 is a lucky number they have a winner!
Everyone says they like it... well no SHITE! when you are comparing it to the abomination that is VISTA!...
why was that shite ever written? was it coded and compiled by a bunch of monkeys in a room? The OS on the iPhone is better than that turd...
ooh window glass Aero effect... that was the polish on the buffalo diarrhea turd..
I used to think your attempts to enrage with comments were kinda funny, at least a little. Now it's just sad, like we lost the iEye we once knew. Hmm, gloomy Saturday.
No, I think this is just an iEye wannabe.
If only you didn't waste all your money on apples expensive products you wouldn't have to eat that day old hot dog now would you?
8 is more lucky... 'tard
iEye
Are you saying that your lunch was the inspiration for calling everything a "turd?" I think the last time I used the word "turd" was in about 5th grade.
@eye eye
The word is shit, not shite. Nobody thinks that your veiled swearing/you are funny/creative/smart.
If you honestly chose to stay with vista after windows 7 is released, YOU ARE INSANE
I think Windows 7 is great. Runs alot better than Vista, boots quicker, no install problems (except for that VGA resolution crap)...still feeling out the new features, I'll definitely get the full version.
I hope it releases before this summer, so there's a small chance it may find its way onto MSAcademicAlliance before I'm out of school and no longer eligible :-/
At least Seven is off to a good start. Though, Vista was off to a good start as well then somehow one person said it sucked, then another person said it sucked because that first guy said it sucked, even though this second guy doesn't even know what Vista looks like. See Microsoft's Mojave Experiment, most people who think Vista is bad don't even know what Vista looks like and can't even mention anything bad about it other then the generic "Incompatible drivers", "resource hog". And even then they can't mention what drivers are incompatible or how it's a resource hog, other then the fact that it uses more RAM then the previous version of Windows, every version of Windows always has (With the exception of Seven, which uses less RAM then Vista.).
And so you have the sheep effect. Where everyone thinks that something is bad, weather or not it's true. (Though it really can't be, since it's more of an opinion.) A perfect example of this would be eye eye's post.
Agreed. Although I actually had more problems with Vista after it was out of Beta. So while I agree Vista worked great... it worked even great..er-er while in Beta. So cross your fingers that
My understanding with Vista was that they continued to add features after the beta. So while it was "Mostly feature complete" in beta they weren't testing all the interactions between every component. With windows 7 everything is included in every build. So I think this'll be a more reflective beta of the end product.
Some problems snuck through the Vista Beta due to poor project management and I don't think we'll see a repeat.
I built a PC strictly in anticipation of Vista that ran XP MCE for months without a hitch before installing Ultimate, after 2 months of it taking over a minute to boot up or sometimes hanging during boot I got rid of it and bought 2 Macs and haven't looked back since.
I had the Vista beta and it worked pretty damn well, for some reason the final was just a cluster fuck.
Last I heard many of Vista's problems were fixed but it wasn't soon enough for many people such as myself.
I have tried Windows 7 on my Macbook Pro and I like it alot, but I do remember how well the Vista preview builds were too so I will reserve judgement until after the final build.
Vista was not the sheep following the sheep, and the Mojave "Experiment" is solely a marketing tool created by Microsoft after they FINALLY got most of the kinks worked out from Vista over a year and a half later.
I am not going to say OS X is perfect by any means but I do applaud Apple on getting right to work releasing updates rather than having press releases saying "Everything is fine, nothing to see here move along."
I bet people participating in the Mojave experiment didn't try copying files, because you know, that little feature, so useless in a 2007 Operating System, didn't work in Vista.
And they didn't have any experience with XP, because they would have found Vista's interface is a nightmare only a moron could have designed.
And they were not IT managers, having to do with users who couldn't get a damn thing to work in Vista because a standardised interface that's had the same base for 12 years is one of most most valuable assets in software for a medium to large firm.
And they didn't realise that there is no reason for Vista to take up more RAM, because they don't know that among the "features" they are sacrificing resources for there is not one that is major and that actually requires more resources, other than some "pretty" visual effects.
And they didn't know the meaning of the word "optimisation", the impossible procedure that takes a bloated OS and makes it more efficient by using less resources, which was obviously impossible to implement in the 6 years it took Microsoft to make Vista, but now become strangely possible in less than 2 years with Windows 7.
And they didn't spend money for new machines and realised that those, while being many times faster than old ones, ran actually slower, or maybe didn't care because the those shiny objects they saw on the screen blinded them.
And they were no developers, so they didn't realise that simple operations like writing data to disk were many times slower than XP, for the reason that, in Microsoft's words, they had been "optimised".
I could go on but I know it's useless, for I know that this post will get low-ranked by people who have no counter-argument and are just victims of the sheep effect, which makes you think actual facts are just an "opinion".
I just built a PC in December and installed Vista Ultimate 64 for the first time...I was very skeptical given all the bad stuff I'd heard about it....and....it runs just great! I have VS 2008 and Adobe CS4 installed on it for work purposes, and Fallout 3 and Civ4 for fun, and haven't experienced a single error so far.
I don't know what issues it may have once had, but they have clearly been resolved.
Would this be safe to install on my main PC?
No, 100% loaded with Virus', exactly the reason Microsoft and Engadget posted it...
It is. Just make sure you create a separate partition or use a different drive and do a clean install on said partition. Once you go 7, you never go back.
Posted from a Lenovo netbook, I gotta get Windows 7 on this thing...
I wasn't talking about viruses Stephen, but whether a moderately experienced computer user would be able to use it without too many bugs or glitches. Some betas are like that. Thank you for your response though.
It's a beta. There are bugs. If you are okay with that, then install away.
Seems pretty damn stable for me. Been using it for about two weeks and haven't had a single OS crash.
Latest from MS:
Oh fuck it, were going Open Source!
If they opened it all under the GPL, then I would certainly have less issues with them. It will never happen though.
you reckon?
It's an interesting thought. Imagine if Microsoft said, "we'll just release windows 7 for free and beat the shit out of every other OS out there". There's no argument from other OS developers - you just can't beat free. They're saving money on development and bug testing, since the entire world is doing that for them right now with the beta. It would kill the EU issue - how can you rule against Microsoft if they're giving it away for free? And MacOS has no where to go - you buy the Apple hardware and install Win7, Apple doesn't make money on MacOS software - Apple couldn't go and develop it's own proprietary architecture, because it's too expensive (which is why it went Intel).
But Microsoft would have to find a way to make money off it - maybe focus more on application development, or look at the royalties for applications that use Win7. Or maybe they could start charging heavily for XP or Vista updates - kind of like how car companies are selling cars with 3 years of no-cost servicing, but after that period, the charges go up (it would force everyone to upgrade to the next OS real quick).
I'm running it in a Athlon 64 1.8GHz, 512MB RAM and a Geforce 6500 (256 MB). It's waaay better than XP, IE8 opens instantly (XP takes a few seconds).
Any way this beta can be obtained in hard copy form? I'd like to try it, but I only have a CD-R/W, and I doubt this is something you can install using DaemonTools.
You can install this perfectly with daemon tools, :D
Just mount the iso, go through the install dialogs, and sit back for 30 min.
ebay.
Just use MagicISO and extract the .iso files to your computer, run the setup file and just do an upgrade so that you don't lose any of the files that are on your computer. I did that and it works great
Geez guys. Don't you think it's tragic that in that screenshot of your site, there's no content. Only ads.
I'm running Windows 7 as my primary machine. I love it that much.
I would love to try Windows 7 but I am techy at all. Should I just wait until it is released?
You just have to be willing and able to troubleshoot and fix your computer.
If you're not up to the task, save the friend you call on to help fix your computer the heartache and don't bother with Win7 beta.
OSX is still better, that's why Micro$oft is extending the beta because not many people download it. You can put lipstick on a pig, but underneath it all, it's still Windows.
You moron.
To give you an idea of how ignorant you sound,
Vista, yes, Vista, alone sold more copies in 2 years than all of Apple's OS's combined in 20 years.
Now, with Windows 7, they have already netted more downloads in 2 weeks than Apple has sold systems in the last 2 years.
The only ones missing out here are the iDiots.
Yes, you have indeed been infected by the Macintosh Virus, a disease that currently controls the minds of about 10% of the computing world. Its most obvious symptom is inflation of the egocentric part of the brain, and in its later stages, it transforms its victims into complete and utter tools.
Sexist!
Windows 7 is awesome....I have been using it for two weeks now and it is so much faster than Winblows Vista.
indeed. much much faster than windows vista.
*AHEM*
I'm sorry, i meant to say Windows Twista. It was a disaster ,'/
I think it is ironic that now , when all holes, faults and glitches in Vista have been fixed and ironed out and the OS starts to work as it should have done from day 1 MS decides it's time to subsitute it.
7 is great, specially since it's gonna be optimized for touch screens and voice controls and dictation, but I really hope that MS will not make again the mistake of rushing the new OS to market before it's ready for prime time.
I'm an optimist , but something tells me that 7 too will need about a year of bug fixing and frustrations before it will start to behave the way you want.
mmm... its already really good. Its the others now who have to adapt their softwares and drivers.
How do you guys get Google Chrome to work? It says it has compatibilty issues on my x64 system and won't connect to any web page.
you need to do this:
add "--in-process-plugins" at the end of the command line,
for example:
C:\Users\Veyka\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe --in-process-plugins
Any news on when will they release the non-beta version?
enough already.
Its just a stupid Vista SP2 Beta.
I was a full time Vista user on my Media PC this is a Vista SP2 beta, talk to me when they figure out how to crash the applications without bringing the computer down. Those morons needs some talented programmers.
I am talking to you because when my programs do crash, only the program its self crashes. :)
Also funnily enough you can download the vista sp2 beta at the moment from Microsoft, and its not windows 7 :P
Are you ignorant about Windows 7? You seem to be, just like all those other people who think Windows 7 is nothing but a small update to Windows Vista.
Windows 7 isn't just about better speed performance and a new taskbar. There's a whole slew of new features and functionality, well worth branding as a new OS. Paul Thurrott has a good list of most of the new features:
http://www.winsupersite.com/win7/ff.asp
Ah yes, winsupersite, my other regular read
sorry i missed the Aero Peek, Aero Shake, Aero Snaps Oh! and the big one Styles and Desktop Slide Shows. You missed the point i am making i am not just talking about new drivers manufacturers got it working on Vista i am talking about the registry BS i am talking about the blue screen of death this sht goes back to the Middle Ages they couldn't even figure out how to display errors correctly go do your home work.
i think alot of you people do not realize this is windows 7 premium but how will the stripped down one be i like so far but i know that thats the catch
I truly appreciated all the coverage on Windows 7. I was unable to download on the original day. Engadget has allowed me not only to install the 32 bit software on multiple machines, I will be trying out the 64 bit version soon. Keep up the good work.
You will like the 64bit version.
When it comes time to buy 7 please save yourself some money and don't bother with the out of date 32 bit OS. 64 really is better. I used it in Vista and 7 and made a big difference!
Where can I find a version of snow leopard beta? oh wait apple doesn't have public beta, I guess I can't see how great it is on my G4; time to throw out the mac and buy another.
It doesn't need a beta. Leopard is already better out of the box than Windows 7.
Poor Microsoft, they must be real anxious to get the public to bite on the software, What a crumby new OS. poor MS.
I have to admit - the lovefest for Win7 is really throwing me off. Not that I'm complaining. It's nice to read so many posts for Windows that don't revolve around a backhanded insult, an irrelevent sidenote intended to put down Microsoft when they can't put down the product, or a strange or irrelevent comparison to an Apple product.
Bravo.
My eroding faith in mankind has been restored a bit. :)
its very good news for us that microsoft entends time for download window beta 7 version . its time to download the latest version of window 7 . that good news . thank to engadget to share thus important news . thanks again .
I find it funny, yet annoying, that when I tried to download it, it came up with this:
Secure Connection Failed
profile.microsoft.com uses an invalid security certificate.
The certificate is not trusted because the issuer certificate is unknown.
(Error code: sec_error_unknown_issuer)
* This could be a problem with the server's configuration, or it could be someone trying to impersonate the server.
* If you have connected to this server successfully in the past, the error may be temporary, and you can try again later.
Or you can add an exception…
That's not funny. Self signed certs are commonplace on the web.
I'm so thankful for Win 7, finally i can use this piece-of-crap Sony Viao pcg-k33 I paid an arm and a leg for back in the day, with any sord of stablility and speed.
Having said that, they only way we're gonna get some these companies to make 64 bit versions of their software, is to issue Win 7 64bit standard on all new systems.
It's ridiculous to still be using 32 bit, and it's limitations, with new machines that come with 4+ gigs of ram.
ps: I my main comp is a MacBook pro unibody and I run Vista 64 exclusively on it, we can all really get along if we try!
I'm STILL waiting on M-Audio to release a Vista x64 version of the driver for my sound card. I WISH I could move to 7, but I'm still waiting to move to Vx64! Damn the man.
Windows 7 Facebook Fan Page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Microsoft-Windows-7/39012423321
I am dual booting 7 on my main computer with vista and i like it.
I think it's funny that Engadget has a screenshot using Google Chrome instead of IE. That is probably because the beta of IE8 crashes every 5 minutes, and when it's not crashing, it is screwing up.