January 10th, 2009
Microsoft reboots borked Windows 7 Beta
The primary public Beta link for Windows 7 is now live, a day after Microsoft said it would make the bits available.
The Windows 7 public beta can be downloaded from the Windows page, as of January 10.
There are product keys for the first 2.5 million who want them.
Many testers were frustrated by the lack of information from Microsoft about when the bits would become available, following initial server overload. (And that’s putting it mildly.) Microsoft said it was adding more servers late yesterday afternoon to cope with the demands but declined to provide any other information — like when the Beta bits would be live. Some testers managed to get the bits from direct download links from Microsoft but had problems getting product keys.
Update: Around 9:30 p.m. ET on January 10, Microsoft officials finally acknowledged availability of the Windows 7 Beta bits via a posting to the Windows Team blog. They also said they would make the Beta code and product keys available to anyone who downloads it during the next two weeks, even if that number exceeds the original 2.5 million to whom Microsoft originally committed to making theBeta available.
Onward and upward. I’m interested in hearing from folks who haven’t yet tried out Windows 7 as to what you think of the Beta. What do/don’t you like?
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| 01/10/09
