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windows-7-beta posts

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft

Windows 7 Beta shuts down today. Repeatedly (time to upgrade to RC)

Windowsby Brad Linder Jul 1st 2009

Windows 7 Beta
So you downloaded the first beta version of Windows 7 when it was released to the public in January. You installed it on a separate partition on your Windows XP, Vista, Linux, or OS X box played around with it for a little while and then forgot about it. You never got around to installing the Windows 7 release candidate that came later.

Well, let me tell you what will happen the next time you boot up Windows 7 Beta. You'll be able to use your computer for about 2 hours and then it will restart. Microsoft built a little time bomb into the beta to remind users to upgrade or remove the operating system. Subtle, not so much. Effective? Yes. Annoying? Definitely.

If you want to keep using a free version of Windows 7, it's time to upgrade to Windows 7 RC. But there's a time bomb on the release candidate as well. Starting on march 1st, 2010 it will begin restarting every two hours as well, and come June 1st, 2010 it'll just stop working. But since Microsoft will begin shipping the full version of Windows 7 on October 22nd of this year, you should have plenty of opportunity to upgrade by then.

In the meantime, Microsoft is essentially letting you run (and test) Windows 7 for a year and a half for free. Just remember to download Windows 7 RC by August 15th.

Tags: windows-7, windows-7-beta, windows-7-rc

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft, Beta

Windows 7 RC downloads only available through August 15th

Windowsby Brad Linder Jun 23rd 2009

Windows 7 beta
If you've been using an early build of Windows 7 beta and haven't upgraded to the Release Candidate yet, you'll probably want to do that by next week. Starting on July 1st, anyone still using Windows 7 Beta will have to put up with their computers rebooting every hour. The beta will expire altogether on August 1st.

Meanwhile, the download program for Windows 7 RC closes on August 15th. You don't necessarily need to install the release candidate by that point, but you will need to download it by then.

It's not surprising that Microsoft is flipping the off switch soon. The company is on track to launch the retail version of Windows on October 22nd, and it's gong to be a lot easier to convince people to buy the software if they can't get it for free.

Tags: windows-7, windows-7-beta, windows-7-rc

Filed under: OS Updates, Microsoft, Beta

Microsoft on upgrades from Windows 7 beta to RC: Please don't

by Brad Linder Apr 8th 2009

Windows 7 upgrade tweak
Millions of people around the globe have downloaded and installed beta versions of Windows 7. And soon Microsoft will be launching a release candidate which offers new features and bug fixes. But the company's not making it easy to upgrade from Windows 7 beta to the Windows 7 release candidate.

And there's a good reason for that: When the company releases the full version of Windows 7 most people aren't going to be upgrading from a pre-release version. They'll be upgrading from Windows Vista or performing a fresh install. (Microsoft has already said there will not be an easy upgrade path from Windows XP). And the whole point of putting out betas and release candidates is to test software in real-world conditions.

In a blog post, Microsoft's Windows 7 team is encouraging beta testers who plan to upgrade to the release candidate to revert to Windows Vista before upgrading, or to do a fresh install of the new release candidate. The team acknowledges that this will be a real hassle for anyone that has started to use Windows 7 beta as their primary operating system. But that's what you get for treating beta software as if it were a finished product. It isn't.

In the blog post, Microsoft does offer instructions for upgrading from an existing Windows 7 build to a newer version. But it requires tweaking some system files and there's absolutely no guarantee that the process will go off without a hitch. In fact, it sounds likely that you will experience some problems if you go this route, and Microsoft has no plans to figure out how to fix these errors because this isn't the usage scenario the company expects real world users to follow.

[via CNet]

Tags: upgrades, windows-7, windows-7-beta, windows-7-rc

Filed under: Games, OS Updates, Windows, Beta

Redesigned Backgammon, Checkers, Spades for Windows 7

Windowsby Brad Linder Feb 20th 2009

Internet Checkers
Windows 7 beta has a ton of features that make the operating system easier to use and more visually attractive than its predecessors. There's the new taskbar, the ability to make foreground windows transparent and see what's on your desktop, and most importantly, the ability to run well on older or slower hardware. But you know what else Microsoft has included in Windows 7 beta? Games.

Actually, Microsoft has been bundling a handful of casual games with Windows for years. But while Windows 7 includes the old standbys like Solitaire and Minesweeper, Microsoft has also included updated versions of three popular Windows XP games: Internet Backgammon, Internet Checkers, and Internet Spades.

The games let you play either against a computer or over the internet against real people. You can select your skill level to be matched against similar players. And if a human opponent leaves the game, the computer will take over so you can still finish.

Tags: games, internet-backgammon, internet-checkers, internet-spades, windows-7, windows-7-beta, windows-games

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Beta

Microsoft to push test updates (with no features) to Windows 7 beta

Windowsby Brad Linder Feb 20th 2009

Windows 7 Updates
Next week Microsoft will be pushing out up to 5 updates to Windows 7 (build 7000) beta testers using the Windows Update service. Basically, this will be a test of the Windows Update process. Users won't notice any new features or bug fixes.

Microsoft will begin sending out the updates on February 24th. Users should receive a notification that updates are available, but they won't be installed automatically. If you'd rather not install them, you can go to the Windows Update control panel and choose to hide the updates.

Tags: windows-7-beta, windows-update

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Beta

Time's running out to download your (legal) Windows 7 beta

Windowsby Brad Linder Feb 10th 2009

Windows 7 beta
If you've already registered for the Windows 7 beta but haven't downloaded the installation disc image yet, you'd better hurry up. Microsoft is turning off the spigot on Thursday morning at 9:00AM PST.

In order to register your copy of Windows 7 once you download and install it, you'll have to have already signed up for the beta. The cutoff took place last night. While Thursday might seem like a long time from now, it could take a while to download the disc image, which weighs in at about 2.5GB.

Of course, this doesn't mean you won't be able to find Windows 7 download links in the future. Just don't expect to find them from publicly accessible portions of the Microsoft web site.

Tags: windows-7, windows-7-beta

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft, Beta

Up next for Windows 7: A release candidate

Windowsby Brad Linder Jan 31st 2009

Windows 7
You know that beta version of Windows 7 that's been floating around for a few weeks now? Yeah, turns out it's the last beta you're going to get. Because the next version of the operating system will be a release candidate. That means there will be no Windows 7 Beta 2.

This isn't the first time Microsoft officials have stated that there would be just a single beta. But I believe it is the first time it's been said since the beta was released to the public.

It's not clear at the moment when the release candidate will be available, or if it will be released to the public or just a group of private beta testers. But the step after that will be getting the final build of Windows 7 in the hands of manufacturers. Officially this all means Microsoft is on track to ship Windows 7 in early 2010, but I wouldn't be surprised if it happened this year.

[via ZDnet]

Tags: windows-7, windows-7-beta, windows-7-rc

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Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Beta

How Windows 7 handles disk defragmenting

Windowsby Brad Linder Jan 26th 2009

Windows 7 Disk Defragmenter
It may not be one of the sexier changes Microsoft has made in Windows 7 beta, but the company has changed the way the operating system handles disk defragmentation. Microsoft developers Rajeev Nagar and Matt Garson have written a lengthy post on the Engineering Windows 7 blog explaining how fragmentation occurs, how modern hardware like high capacity hard drives changes things, and how Windows 7 differs from Windows Vista and Windows XP when it comes to defragging your hard drive.

In a nutshell, Windows 7 features a new graphical user interface for the Windows disk defragmentor that provides uers with more control over defrag jobs and shows more detailed information about each job. You can also safely terminate the defragmenting process any time without any adverse effects.

Like Windows Vista, Windows 7 allows for scheduled defragmentation jobs. In fact, defragmentation is automatically scheduled by default, which means that most users will never have to adjust any settings in order to optimize disk performance. Well, assuming you don't turn off your computer at night, anyway. By default, the defragmenter is set to run at 1:00AM.

Windows 7 also adds the ability to defragment multiple volumes simultaneously, and the operating system will automatically disable defragmentation on any solid state disk since there's no need to defragment flash memory and continued write access to the disk could actually shorten its life.

Tags: defragment, disk-defragmenter, windows-7, windows-7-beta

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Beta

Last day to download Windows 7 Beta

Windowsby Brad Linder Jan 24th 2009

Windows 7

Update: Microsoft has extended the download period. You now have until February 10th to begin downloading Windows 7 Beta.

We've been playing with Windows 7 Beta for the past few weeks (OK, some of us have been using it for a few months), and the operating system is pretty much everything we had hoped Windows Vista would be. It's fast, pretty, and runs pretty well on low power hardware. And it's available as a free download, although it will eventually expire, as all good Beta software must (with the possible exception of Gmail).

But here's the deal. You've got to grab your copy and register for a product key by today or you're pretty much out of luck.

Microsoft has planned to limit the number of Windows 7 downloads, but due to problems during the launch of the public beta, Microsoft decided to just let anyone who wanted to grab a copy do so for a few weeks. Unfortunately time is up. Fortunately you don't actually need to activate your license today. You just need to sign up for a registration key and download the installer.

Tags: microsoft, windows-7, windows-7-beta

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Beta

How to remove Windows 7 Send Feedback, Watermark text

Windowsby Brad Linder Jan 22nd 2009

Send Feedback

Windows 7 Beta may be available as a free download, and it may run pretty well right now. But it's still beta software. And that means that:

  1. Microsoft wants to remind users that they're looking at beta software.
  2. The company is hoping to solicit feedback to make the operating system better before the final version is released.
To that end, the company puts a watermark in the bottom right corner of the desktop that reads "Windows 7 For testing purposes only." And almost every system application has a link in the upper right corner that says "Send Feedback."

If you have valuable feedback to send Microsoft, you should totally click that button. But you can also send feedback by clicking the "Send Feedback" button that Windows 7 automatically installs on your desktop, or you can just type "feedback" into the Windows search box.

So if you don't need the constant reminder, or if you have no intention of sending feedback, read on to find out how to disable the link. And we'll tell you how to get rid of the "For testing purposes only" watermark while we're at it.

Read more →

Tags: beta, remove-watermark, send-feedback, watermark, windows-7, windows-7-beta

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