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Free Windows 7 RTM 90 day trial

by: Chris Hudson
3 September, 2009

Microsoft are offering a 90 day free trial of the final version of Windows 7 Enterprise Edition.

Microsoft state that the free trial is for IT professionals only, however, apart from a short form to complete before downloading, they make no effort to verify this is the case.

The free download will be available until March 31st, 2010 or until a certain number of copies have been downloaded.

After the 90 day trial is complete Windows 7 will shut down the PC after an hour’s operation. Users will then have to buy Windows 7 and perform a clean install - ie one that requires a reinstallation of all applications.

Download the Microsoft Windows 7 RTM trial

Tags: Download, Windows
Posted in News, Technology, Windows | No Comments »

Windows 7 RTM gets green light

by: Chris Hudson
23 July, 2009

win7boxshot Microsoft has announced that its next generation OS Windows 7 is ready for delivery to PC manufacturers.

“Today after all the validation checks were met, we signed off and declared build 7600 as RTM,” said Brandon LeBlanc of the Windows Team on Microsoft’s official website yesterday.

Windows 7 release dates:

The Windows 7 RTM (meaning release-to-manufacturers) announcement is significant as it signals to PC makers that the new OS is ready to be built into their computers so it can be available when Microsoft’s latest operating system is released to high street consumers on October 22nd, 2009.

LeBlanc gave specific details of the Windows 7 rollout; “ISV (independent software vendor) and IHV (independent hardware vendor) Partners will be able to download Windows 7 RTM from Microsoft Connect or MSDN on August 6th. Microsoft Partner Program Gold/Certified Members will be able to download Windows 7 RTM in English through the Microsoft Partner Network (MPN) Portal on August 16th. By October 1st, the remaining languages will become available to download. Microsoft Action Pack Subscribers will be about to download Windows 7 RTM in English starting August 23rd. By October 1st, the remaining languages will become available to download.”

Windows 7 pricing:

Microsoft has already announced massive discounts on Windows 7 preorders received before August 9th.

Microsoft has also offered free upgrades to Window 7 to people who buy Vista-equipped PCs before the release date of Windows 7.

Owing to the ongoing EU anti-trust inquiry against Microsoft, Windows 7 will be going on sale in Europe without including Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 8. This will catch out some people who try to upgrade a PC to Windows 7 without first having a USB stick or CD available that contains a web browser necessary for the installation! The version to be released in Europe is designated “Windows 7 E”

Tags: EU, Microsoft, Operating System, OS, RTM, Windows 7
Posted in News, Technology, Windows | 2 Comments »

Windows 7 - UK pre-order price slashed by 66%

by: Chris Hudson
15 July, 2009

Microsoft have launched a stunning pre-order deal on Windows 7 as a “token of our appreciation” for the feedback and help given by users.

win7boxshot You can pre-order Windows 7 from just £49.99 for the Windows 7 Home Premium E. That is a staggering £100 of the standard pricing. If you want the Windows 7 Professional then it’ll cost you just £99.99, an even bigger saving.

Now there’s two reasons not to hang around; this offer is only available from July 15th until August 9th 2009, and the Microsoft site says that “quantities are limited”.

After 9th August the Windows 7 prices will return to £149.99 for Home Premium E, £219.99 for Professional E, and £229.99 for Ultimate E.

Although Microsoft say that technical requirements may change, here are the current minimum recommended specifications:

1GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
1GB RAM (32-bit) / 2GB RAM (64-bit)
16GB available disk space (32-bit) / 20GB (64-bit)
DirectX 9 graphics processor with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

Here in the UK, Windows 7 will not come complete with a browser - not just IE8, but any browser! So remember you will need to have a browser saved to a CD/DVD or USB memory plug-in before you start installing a Windows 7 upgrade.

Browser-less versions of Windows 7 have names ending in a capital “E” to distinguish them from the rest of the world versions.

Here are the release dates for Windows 7

Tags: Browser, IE8, Internet Explorer 8, OS, Windows 7
Posted in News, Technology, Windows | 1 Comment »