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hellfury
8 Jan 2009, 10:33am
http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2009/01/microsoft-relea.html

On friday (tomorrow) microsoft will release a trial of the new OS (Windows 7) to download for free! Try it out.

PS: this is a PRE-BETA version!! Be careful. And the OS will expire in 30 days from install

Itch
8 Jan 2009, 10:49am
Warning.. most trial versions will timeout and stop working.. Don't use this for your primary machine/operating system.

Omar
8 Jan 2009, 01:14pm
Warning.. most trial versions will timeout and stop working.. Don't use this for your primary machine/operating system.

Thanks for the advice, gave you +rep

hellfury
8 Jan 2009, 01:35pm
PS: this is a PRE-BETA version!! Be careful. And the OS will expire in 30 days from install

Zero001
8 Jan 2009, 04:05pm
It's not pre-beta, it is beta. It's supposed to stay active until August 1.

Cranks
8 Jan 2009, 05:45pm
Im looking about putting on my laptop just to try it out. Any one if its actually worth a shot?

Zero001
8 Jan 2009, 06:17pm
Im looking about putting on my laptop just to try it out. Any one if its actually worth a shot?

I'm planning on installing it on my Mini 9, and I might toss onto a 2nd PC I plan on building tomorrow.

So far the only things I've heard is that setting UAC to level 0 can cause some issues, and the first few seconds of an MP3 get deleted but can be avoided by changing some settings.

- Here's a good FAQ Click (http://www.winsupersite.com/faq/windows_7.asp)
- Official Windows 7 site Click (https://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/default.aspx)

Veggie
9 Jan 2009, 02:30am
I'll wait until the the final version is released. Must say it's looking very promising.

Wrathek
9 Jan 2009, 06:06am
i tried it out on my comp a couple of weeks ago (for free, just not free like that :P)

i really liked it, a giant leap from vista i must say. the day that comes out retail im getting it.. only reason im not using it right now is my sound drivers didnt work right and were forced into 2.1 mode.

the super bar and like aero peek are fuckin amazing.

Cranks
9 Jan 2009, 08:27am
Does it comes with DX10 support? or is it still "vista only"

Itch
9 Jan 2009, 08:35am
As is my habit.. I will try this out on a spare machine I have here at work. I'm not expecting miracles.. nor will I jump to purchase any OS the second it goes retail. But will keep an open mind as far as migrating to the OS once it's established.

Axel
9 Jan 2009, 08:43am
Tempted to get it
But I think I'll just leave my windows as Vista
It runs fine now and I like the theme!

SpEeD
11 Jan 2009, 10:46am
im debating whether to try this out, im sure it would be a big change from xp though :P

Smallsasaurus
11 Jan 2009, 08:15pm
I finally got around to putting the beta on my computer today, and I have to say for a beta that's still almost a year out from publishing, it runs really smooth. My CPU and RAM are at normal levels (comparable to XP), even during start up, and its handled all the programs and drivers I've thrown at it so far, not even a hiccup.

I even got CS:S up and running for it and my FPS are definitely better then what I had using Vista, but not quite as good as my current XP install. The task bar on the bottom of it is very OSX-ish and I love it. You can pin icons down there permanently, or less intrusive icons, not whole text items, appear as you open and run the programs.

It really has a Vista 2.0 feel to it, but at the same time feels much more comfortable to use then Vista. Maybe its just because I used Vista before and the differences didn't strike me as so major anymore.

Anyway, if you have your system well backed up or another computer you don't mind trying a beta OS on, I highly recommend it. If this beta is any sign of how good the final product will be, I'm skipping Vista and just going straight to 7.

Red
11 Jan 2009, 09:08pm
Glad to hear they unfucked their OS, but I'm still wondering what the pros of upgrading to 7 over XP are.

Smallsasaurus
11 Jan 2009, 10:23pm
Right now, there is absolutely zero reason too. I just like messing around in Beta's and trying to break them, because oddly enough I enjoy fixing computer crashes.

From what I hear though, the improvements in 7 will be a more stable and efficient underlying OS, improved security, newer and more integrated features, better device management and better networking. Vista managed to do some of that (better security, new integrated features), but screwed up the underlying OS so much and used way to many system resources that any gains were outweighed by the poor performance. So far 7 seems to be on the right track to fix that. Also, there seems to be a lot less bloatware involved with 7. I still have the obligatory games, paint, internet explorer and windows media player, but a majority of the other crap (MSN messenger and that whole suite of programs I never touch) don't seem to be included, which is nice.

Even once 7 does come out later this year/early 2010, it's still probably worth holding off until the first SP comes out, just to make sure its really going to improve upon XP.

That and Microsoft is going to stop offering any support for XP, so at some point, they are almost going to force the switch upon people, and 7 seems the better choice over Vista.

Also, I found my first hiccup, that being when I attempted to update my soundcard driver, the installation freaked out and warned me this driver was only for XP or later installations. My card still works fine in XP, but now I'm stuck using on-board audio in Windows 7. At this point though, its sort of to be expected.

Zero001
11 Jan 2009, 11:09pm
64bit implementation is the reason to change to Vista or Windows 7. Windows 7 will be the last Microsoft OS to be released in both 32bit and 64bit.

Red
11 Jan 2009, 11:22pm
But I mean other than 64 bit, which basically allows me to use more ram, I don't see the need.

I think software has reached a wall. Other than gaming and graphics intensive apps, I don't see a need for such increased hardware specs, and therefore upgrading OS. At least not for a couple years.

Zero001
12 Jan 2009, 01:28am
The industry works at a faster pace than the average user.

Software has yet to reach it's limits. Even the most basic web browsing, e-mail and chat programs can be taken further. You're just not thinking from a creative point of view.

I don't suggest that anyone swap out their current systems OS for a new one, but if you're building a new PC and are in need of an OS then updating isn't a bad thing. With 64bit extra RAM is just the tip of the iceberg. It is not yet mainstream but more and more developers creating software with the new standard. The average user has yet to catch up, but there are industries in which it's practically a requirement to use a 64bit OS.

XP has been around for years, so it dominates the market. Support for it isn't going to die anytime soon because change come from a need and the average user won't/doesn't need to update. Everyone didn't go out and by the latest system just because Crysis wouldn't run at 60+fps on their system.

XP SP2 doubled the RAM requirement from SP1. There were complains back then, but most aren't aware or seem to have forgotten that part now that hardware has far outpaced the 9 year old OS that has reached it's limit.