Windows 7 beta leaked

[Shadowstorm]

The actual release is Jan 5th, I believe. But there is a working version on various torrent sites at the moment.

Installing it now on a spare computer.

[biosc1]

I'm actually annoyed that it hasn't popped up on my MSDN subscription yet :(

[Disgustipated]

Been leaked for ages. I'll just wait for the RC's.

[Whunpo]

I've heard good things. I'm interested in your impressions though.

[Wackman3000]

Few people I know have been using "trial" editions for a while now. It looks pretty neat, but I'll wait for a final build before I give it a whirl.

[Slack3r78]

I ran Vista from Beta 1 to RTM. There's a distinct possibility I may do the same with 7.

[NoName]

I've been working on d/ling it but the torrent is going incredibly slow.

Now I need to decide which machine to test it on...

[TheFlyingOrc]

Here's hoping it's better than Vista.

[Slack3r78]

Here's hoping it's better than Vista.
Windows 7 = Mojave 2.0

[Stoke]

I would have been running the alpha for a few months but I don't want to go through all the hassle that comes with uninstalling it if there are some issues. It looks great though, I can't wait to try out the RCs.

[Bone]

I just installed the new build (7000) as the third OS option on my rig... XP, Ubuntu and now this beta. It's going smoothly, and I'm going to start installing some games to see test the video drivers.

From what I've read, this is the beta that is about to be released officially, and it's much faster and more stable than the previous build.

[KingGorilla]

Ok ten posts, I can put this gem out there.

But I thought the Windows 7 Beta was released in 2006.

[Whunpo]

Ok ten posts, I can put this gem out there.

But I thought the Windows 7 Beta was released in 2006.

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l311/unknown_exception/gaf/fry-see-what-you-did-there.jpg

[Johan]

Considering how many people have skipped Vista (myself included), MS could do nicely if Windows 7 is attractive enough and marketed well. There's some pent up demand for the OS, perhaps.

Please...NO JERRY SEINFELD marketing crap. Ugh!

[Slack3r78]

Considering how many people have skipped Vista (myself included), MS could do nicely if Windows 7 is attractive enough and marketed well. There's some pent up demand for the OS, perhaps.

Please...NO JERRY SEINFELD marketing crap. Ugh!
Vista's problems were largely perceptual. PC builders that were shipping systems generally underpowered systems with 512MB of RAM immediately around its launch window really didn't help things. The entire software compatibility thing was HUGELY overblown from reality -- the only major mainstream software package that had major issues with Vista was Quickbooks which only had problems because Intuit was doing some things in XP that were violating MS' guidelines anyway and they refused to patch it for Vista, instead insisting their customers just buy the new version. Hardware's a similar issue -- Vista works fine with far more hardware than it doesn't.

As a result of all this, you have what was a solid but nothing special release that picked up and reputation for being slow and incompatible. This isn't saying there weren't problems, just that they were nowhere near to the extent that 'popular opinion' would have suggested.

So what is Windows 7 going to be? A solid but nothing special release, but since people have already started to adjust to the idea that this isn't 2003 anymore and maybe 1GB of memory isn't all that much after all and that their old applications which were introducing a host of security problems to the system really have gone the way of the dinosaur.... well, I expect it to see better adoption rates. Even though it's essentially going to be Vista Second Edition.

[Wraith]

Report Accuses Microsoft of Purposefully Leaking Windows 7 Beta (http://www.dailytech.com/Report+Accuses+Microsoft+of+Purposefully+Leaking+W indows+7+Beta/article13822.htm) (DailyTech)
Microsoft's Windows 7 beta 1 was not officially intended for release until January. However, the release somehow hit torrent sites this week. Many, including commenters here at DailyTech, suspected the "leak" was really a clever ruse (http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg193/Braindead_album/clever_ruse.jpg) by Microsoft to drum up tech community excitement for its upcoming release.

Now Microsoft Watch's Joe Wilcox, an observer on all things Microsoft, has thrown in his support for such theories (http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/windows_7/who_leaked_windows_7.html). Mr. Wilcox writes:Was this a craftily timed Microsoft marketing leak?

I sure as hell think so. It's certainly what I would do if I worked at Microsoft on Windows evangelism. The timing is perfect, from a marketing perspective. The leaked build hit BitTorrent sometime on Saturday, right after Christmas when the Windows geeks had nothing better to do and bloggers and journalists had nothing better to write about. The leaked build is designated "7000," which strongly suggests that the code is the same as forthcoming Beta 1, or close to it.

[maverick106]

So this beta on Jan 5, its not public, is it? I'd love to get my hands on 7 to play with...trying to keep my current laptop chugging along until it comes out.

P.S. Shadowstorm and Bone, I demand you guys post some reviews!

[roboninja]

Report Accuses Microsoft of Purposefully Leaking Windows 7 Beta (http://www.dailytech.com/Report+Accuses+Microsoft+of+Purposefully+Leaking+W indows+7+Beta/article13822.htm) (DailyTech)

Well, so what if it was? Not directed at you personally, Wraith, but who cares how the beta got out there? If Microsoft does not seem to care, I certainly don't. I guess it could be an interesting story of MS using torrents to foster interest, but that only appeals to those that see torrents as nothing more than a pirating tool. ;)

[Wraith]

I don't think it's a big deal. Just makes one wonder why they would prefer to "leak" it now, instead of just releasing early. (If this was in fact what they did.)


A few notes from the EULA (http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=624):

You may install and use any number of copies of the software on your premises to design, develop and test your programs for use with the software.
You may not use the software in a live operating environment unless Microsoft permits you to do so under another agreement.
The software will stop running on August 1, 2009. You may not receive any other notice.
Instead of using the software directly on the licensed device, you may install and use the software within only one virtual (or otherwise emulated) hardware system on the licensed device.
Because this software is a pre-release version, we have turned on some internet-based features by default to obtain feedback about them […] You may switch off these features or not use them.
You are not permitted to circumvent validation.
You may not disclose the results of any benchmark tests of the software to any third party without Microsoft’s prior written approval.

[boratika]

I don't think it's a big deal. Just makes one wonder why they would prefer to "leak" it now, instead of just releasing early. (If this was in fact what they did.)

Because leaks are sexy.

[Spectre-7]

Because leaks are sexy.

Yep... that's why I take them.

[Johan]

Vista's problems were largely perceptual....

...it's essentially going to be Vista Second Edition.

I agree.

I agree.

:)

[NoName]

So I've been running Windows 7 on a spare PC for a day and some now.

Early impressions is that I'm really impressed. As someone who has been an outspoken Vista hater I'm much happier with the beta thus far.

My biggest thing is it "feels" much faster than Vista (and even XP!), it's a very snappy experience. I've also managed to get all my hardware working ok (something I've had problems with in Vista, though this means I could probably get Vista working fine now [finally]).

I love love the new taskbar. It's very well designed and fun to use.

I was thinking I might need to give Vista another chance now, but I'll probably just wait for Windows 7 :).

[Slack3r78]

I also got it running on a box the other night and my opinion is pretty much unchanged.

W7 is Vista with some UI polish.

[Voodoo]

I also got it running on a box the other night and my opinion is pretty much unchanged.

W7 is Vista with some UI polish.
I've been under the impression that Windows 7 was the complete version of what Vista was intended to be. They needed to get an OS out so they clipped features that were still being worked on in order to get Vista out. Perhaps I am completely off base?

[Slack3r78]

I've been under the impression that Windows 7 was the complete version of what Vista was intended to be. They needed to get an OS out so they clipped features that were still being worked on in order to get Vista out. Perhaps I am completely off base?
Not really. All the really big architectural changes are already in Vista. W7 is largely a superficial upgrade in terms of feature set.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Features_new_to_Windows_7

[Tron]

This thing available to MSDN subscribers yet?

[NoName]

W7 is Vista with some UI polish.

Enough polish to make me interested in changing from XP. I keep discovering neat things in the UI as I go. Most of it isn't new ideas, just new to be native to Windows.

I still can't stand the new networking UI. It's too user friendly I have trouble finding what I need. I had trouble getting the ethernet drivers working correctly and the computer wasn't helping. After I got that working everything's been flawless.

[GigaFuzz]

Enough polish to make me interested in changing from XP. I keep discovering neat things in the UI as I go. Most of it isn't new ideas, just new to be native to Windows.

I still can't stand the new networking UI. It's too user friendly I have trouble finding what I need. I had trouble getting the ethernet drivers working correctly and the computer wasn't helping. After I got that working everything's been flawless.

The networking control panels in Vista were certainly some of the biggest and most confusing changes made from a UI and settings view. Doesn't really bother me much, but it can take a lot of hunting and opening new windows to find what you want. I made a shortcut to the one I used most often.

[Slack3r78]

Enough polish to make me interested in changing from XP. I keep discovering neat things in the UI as I go. Most of it isn't new ideas, just new to be native to Windows.

I still can't stand the new networking UI. It's too user friendly I have trouble finding what I need. I had trouble getting the ethernet drivers working correctly and the computer wasn't helping. After I got that working everything's been flawless.
One change from Vista to W7 is that they've exposed a bit more of the networking cpanels directly to the find as you type start menu.

I do agree that the UI changes are good, but they're not enough to justify the total hatred for Vista compared the reaction I'm seeing to W7 so far. Vista --> W7 appears very akin to W2K --> XP to me.

[Bone]

P.S. Shadowstorm and Bone, I demand you guys post some reviews!I may be the wrong guy for a deep review, since I never used Vista other than a few minutes here and there on other people's machines. I found a couple cool features in 7 and my friend came over and said "yeah, that was in Vista".

However, I can testify that it boots extremely fast (about as fast as resuming from Hibernation on my XP Pro desktop) and runs very well. The OS animation is smooth and responsive, and overall I'm very impressed. This will make me upgrade from XP Pro when it comes out.

I heard people were getting Fallout 3 to work in Vista compatibility mode; however I'm on Steam and it failed to install Fallout properly. It downloaded all the files but when I click Fallout, the only option is to Install, which it refuses to do.

[GigaFuzz]

I heard people were getting Fallout 3 to work in Vista compatibility mode; however I'm on Steam and it failed to install Fallout properly. It downloaded all the files but when I click Fallout, the only option is to Install, which it refuses to do.

Try finding the fallout3.exe file in the install directory. That might let you run it directly. Steam links to the Launcher.

[Bone]

Tried that. It launches the launcher, and the only non-greyed item is "Install". Apparently Steam downloaded but never installed it.

Maybe Steam itself needs to run in Vista compatible mode... I'll scour some forums and see what I can come up with.

[Wraith]

Also for those trying it, are you running 32-bit or 64-bit?

I will most likely put Windows 7 on my main PC this year, which is still running XP Pro (32-bit, SP3). I'll just have to try find a full retail (non-OEM, non-Upgrade) version for less than full retail price... (I don't want to get an OEM version where the license is locked to one motherboard, and I'd like to free up my existing XP license rather than using it for an Upgrade version of 7.)

[Bone]

The early beta I found was 32 bit only- which is disappointing because I really wanted to try 64 bit.

However, the OS did report 4 GB of RAM so I'm not sure what the deal is.

[Slack3r78]

The early beta I found was 32 bit only- which is disappointing because I really wanted to try 64 bit.

However, the OS did report 4 GB of RAM so I'm not sure what the deal is.
Vista does the same thing. Microsoft has it report 4GB so people won't bitch even though only 3.5GB is actually available.

[total]

I do agree that the UI changes are good, but they're not enough to justify the total hatred for Vista compared the reaction I'm seeing to W7 so far. Vista --> W7 appears very akin to W2K --> XP to me.

I am using my roomies Acer Aspire One (netbook) with Windows 7 installed on it. The system is extremely responsive, it boots lightning fast, the eye candy worked out of the box and I had to fuck with very little to get things working properly. This is a machine that wouldn't run Vista very well at all (even after applying all the Vista patches and what not).

As it stands right now it runs better than XP, Vista and my beloved Ubuntu (it really hurts to say that) on that specific machine. I am going to install it on my gaming box (which runs XP) and see how it runs for shits and giggles. I have no intention of doing any gaming on it, but I would like to see how it runs compared to Vista which has never ran well on that machine.

My biggest gripe with Vista has always been that there is very little reason for me to upgrade to it. When I went from W2K to XP there were clear advantages for me to do so. I only have 2GB of ram in my machine and upgrading to more is throwing money away. Vista always ran sluggish for me with 2GB or less. I've used Vista machines with 3GB and 4GB and they seem just as responsive as XP is with 2GB. The netbook I am running has 1GB and an Atom and this thing is blazing fast.

If Windows 7 can keep this performance I will actually consider using it. So far it seems like a pretty solid OS. The eye candy is functional and actually useful (one thing Vista fell short on...Compiz is leaps and bounds above Vista in terms of functional and useful eye candy) and the ability to mount virtual drives out of the box is pretty compelling for me. Couple that with an OS that isn't a resource beast and you have a winner. W7 is turning out to be much more polished than I thought it would be.

[Slack3r78]

I am using my roomies Acer Aspire One (netbook) with Windows 7 installed on it. The system is extremely responsive, it boots lightning fast, the eye candy worked out of the box and I had to fuck with very little to get things working properly. This is a machine that wouldn't run Vista very well at all (even after applying all the Vista patches and what not).
God dammit, don't tell me that. I've been trying to hold off on buying an Aspire One until after Nvidia Ion hits the market.

[total]

God dammit, don't tell me that. I've been trying to hold off on buying an Aspire One until after Nvidia Ion hits the market.

I am blown away by the performance of this machine. Ubuntu Netbook Remix runs like absolute shit (not really a performance issue, more like this remix is simply not polished enough) on it but Windows 7 is amazing on it. When he had XP on it he could even play WoW decently. Nothing outstanding mind you but enough to do some grinding on his way to level 80. I tried running it in Windows 7 and the performance wasn't was on par with XP. Granted I didn't expect the game to actually start but it did. So I actually considered it a good thing.

If you are going to get a Aspire One I would suggest you stay away from the Linux variants. The SSDs they ship with them are notoriously poor performers and the distro that ships with them is based on Fedora. I know how you feel about all things RPM.

[Slack3r78]

I am blown away by the performance of this machine. Ubuntu Netbook Remix runs like absolute shit (not really a performance issue, more like this remix is simply not polished enough) on it but Windows 7 is amazing on it. When he had XP on it he could even play WoW decently. Nothing outstanding mind you but enough to do some grinding on his way to level 80. I tried running it in Windows 7 and the performance wasn't was on par with XP. Granted I didn't expect the game to actually start but it did. So I actually considered it a good thing.

If you are going to get a Aspire One I would suggest you stay away from the Linux variants. The SSDs they ship with them are notoriously poor performers and the distro that ships with them is based on Fedora. I know how you feel about all things RPM.
Big thing with the Aspire Ones is that some models ship with a 3 cell battery and others with a 6 cell battery. I think that the 6 cell variants only ship with Windows anyway (though I was planning on just formatting it anyway). Like I said, I'm mostly trying to hold out for Ion to hit the market as that should offer a decentish GPU and according to Nvidia will actually offer about the same battery life as the current underpowered Intel 945s.

[biosc1]

This thing available to MSDN subscribers yet?

All signs seem to point to January 13th...I've got to dig up a spare pc at work for this...

[total]

Big thing with the Aspire Ones is that some models ship with a 3 cell battery and others with a 6 cell battery. I think that the 6 cell variants only ship with Windows anyway (though I was planning on just formatting it anyway). Like I said, I'm mostly trying to hold out for Ion to hit the market as that should offer a decentish GPU and according to Nvidia will actually offer about the same battery life as the current underpowered Intel 945s.

This is correct. Acer does not currently offer a Linux variant with a 6 cell battery. I haven't bought a netbook but I've used this one quite a bit. Overall a very nice machine for the price but my biggest gripe is the keyboard is just too small for my hands. Of course I am 6'3 and could palm a basketball in 7th grade so it is entirely my fault for having an ape like body.

Has Nvidia made any announcements at when the Ion is going to be released? I've heard first half and first quarter but have yet to see anything beyond that.

[Slack3r78]

Has Nvidia made any announcements at when the Ion is going to be released? I've heard first half and first quarter but have yet to see anything beyond that.
That's about as specific as I've seen. I was actually hanging out with a guy that's an engineer at Nvidia over the holidays and the gay marketing slogan "ION ENERGIZES THE ATOM" was the most he knew about it.

[boratika]

That's about as specific as I've seen. I was actually hanging out with a guy that's an engineer at Nvidia over the holidays and the gay marketing slogan "ION ENERGIZES THE ATOM" was the most he knew about it.

Such a terrible slogan!

They pick a name that's a clever play on words, then pick a slogan that completely undoes that by making no sense. So terrible.

[NoName]

I am using my roomies Acer Aspire One (netbook) with Windows 7 installed on it. The system is extremely responsive, it boots lightning fast, the eye candy worked out of the box and I had to fuck with very little to get things working properly. This is a machine that wouldn't run Vista very well at all (even after applying all the Vista patches and what not).

If Windows 7 can keep this performance I will actually consider using it. So far it seems like a pretty solid OS. The eye candy is functional and actually useful (one thing Vista fell short on...Compiz is leaps and bounds above Vista in terms of functional and useful eye candy) and the ability to mount virtual drives out of the box is pretty compelling for me. Couple that with an OS that isn't a resource beast and you have a winner. W7 is turning out to be much more polished than I thought it would be.

I wonder if I'll be putting Windows 7 on my EEE pc some day. I always figured it'd be either XP or linux...

Windows 7 has the ability to mount virtual drives? How does one do this? (I had to find a new program to do so not ever thinking Windows would do this. Daemon tools doesn't work in Win 7)

[total]

I wonder if I'll be putting Windows 7 on my EEE pc some day. I always figured it'd be either XP or linux...

Windows 7 has the ability to mount virtual drives? How does one do this? (I had to find a new program to do so not ever thinking Windows would do this. Daemon tools doesn't work in Win 7)

I am talking virtual drives, not mounting isos. As in the VHD format. Here: http://wpfwonderland.wordpress.com/2008/10/28/windows-7-vhd-changes/

I want to say the Ultimate version of Vista can do this already through one of it's programs but it sounds like 7 is making it much more robust.

I can't say if it will or won't run on your EEE (I don't really see why it wouldn't) but yeah it is pretty nice for a lower spec machine. I've been completely blown away by it.