Comments on: Windows 7 beta now available

After a day-long delay, Microsoft makes the Windows 7 beta broadly available. The company has said it's looking for millions of testers for the Vista successor.

[sexysnake]

I downloaded the 64 bit version from that notorious Swedish "pirating" website because M$ was taking forever to load the page. I agree that M$ should have used Bit Torrent for distribution. The link given in the last comment is also working. But the keys are available on that notorious Swedish "pirating" website...

[frankwick]

Downloaded in less than 30 minutes using ie7pro addin for IE. Setup was easy and it is running VERY smoothly on my 1GB Media Center. I don't like the new task bar though. IT IS HORRENDOUS!!!

[BillWindows]

Why would Microsoft put stuff on a Bit Torrent, I downloaded and burnt in under an hour, I thought that was reasonable.
Microsoft must be really shaking in their boots about Apple. Around a quarter of a century ago Apple dominated the market, what share have they got now, oh yeah about 7%, wow, they're moving up fast. Except for a few highly overpriced laptops, they're almost extinct.

[Fire Balls]

This post is coming from am Acer Aspire 5110 running Windows 7 Beta1. I love Windows but this still feels sluggish like Vista (have 2 GB of RAM and a Turion 64bit X2 processor 1.6GH) I know that's not blazing by anyone standards but it should run it ok. I'm not going to pretend to know what they can do to make it run better but it feels about the same.. except for shutting down and

[Zacm05]

Well, I have downloaded Windows 7, and installed it on 2 different computers, both pretty new. I have tested it thoroughly, putting it through a battery of tests including but not limited to: hardware use w/o driver install (mouse, keyboard, ext. hard drive, digital camera, webcam, ext. dvd burner, three printers), hardware use w/ driver install, software including Microsoft software, iTunes, Safari, Roxio, Picasa, Symantec, various games, etc. After my tests, I have come to a final conclusion. I really wanted to like 7, so bad, thinking it was not Vista all over again, but unfortunately, I have to say Windows 7 fails.

The performance in the beginning is great, just as expected from a new install, but as I began to add basic programs, performance dropped precipitously. Performance drops to 30%-50% of its original performance shortly thereafter. Error messages start to appear randomly, which is to be expected in a beta, but then they become more frequent, finally freezing the computer for up to 2 minutes. This is especially prominent when running iTunes and Roxio simultaneously, which may or may not be conflicting with one another. Also, when turning off Symantec's realtime protection, it seems to alleviate some of these issues, which defeats the purpose of the virus protection. Hardware-wise, mouse and keyboard work without a hitch, hard drive takes a few seconds to load, webcam fails to perform without software, digital camera fails to be seen within Picasa, so then I tried Adobe Photoshop Elements, and the same issue. Two of the three printers failed to have drivers installed without external downloaded drivers. Safari and Firefox were the only apps to not encounter a problem, to which they remained fast throughout.

Overall, this is a huge disappointment. And just to make sure it was not a fluke, I performed the same tests on a different computer of even more powerful specifications, and even installed the programs in a different order and tested independently.

As I have said, I really wanted to like Windows 7, because as much as I love Windows XP, I am tiring of it. Windows Vista was the most atrocious operating system I have ever encountered. Windows 7 seems like Microsoft's shining opportunity to redeem themselves, but no. I can only imagine how it will perform after repeated months of use, for what I did is what any normal person would install within a 24 hour period.

Being an active Windows user since its inception, my recommendation, at THIS current point in time, is to NOT use Windows 7. Hopefully they can make some serious overhauls on this release and prove me wrong.
As for Windows, the best release of Windows by far is Windows XP Service Pack 3. It may be running on its 8th year now, but it is still the most reliable and compatible version of Windows to date, getting better with age like a fine wine.

As green with envy am I with Windows, it is not my favorite, despite using it for the better of 20 years. Currently, my favorite top recommendation for an OS for any person in the market for a computer is Mac OS X Leopard. Having only used Mac for a few years, I have made discoveries. Mac has amazingly consistent performance throughout, even after years of use. Mac has the absolute best compatibility when it comes to Plug-n-Play hardware. The OS interface is incredibly polished and streamlined beyond any OS to date. And the security is never constricting, yet smart enough to blanket the user with an unparalleled level of protection. Finally, it has an amazing longevity/lifespan for typical users that is yet to be surpassed, ie: 5-8+ years (rough estimate), opposed to typical PCs, ie: 2-4 years (rough estimate).

While people may say Macs are a bit overpriced and and are closed, there are reasons that counteract these accusations. Macs, while being more expensive, provide the end-user with the full package, offering an insanely stable and easy to use OS and full compliment of software, a level of innovation rarely seen in computers today when it comes to hardware and software, quality that never overpowers the user but makes him/her confident in its ability to perform and last over time, and a look that screams of style and substance while offering a simplicity and refinement that other hardware providers just cannot offer. And the reason all of this is possible is because everything is made by Apple, and not various manufacturers like PCs are known for. A singular manufacturing route is why Apple and Macs have a seamless hand-in-glove experience.

I am sorry, I am aware this post was focused toward Windows 7 and user experiences with it, but I felt a need to convey the particulars and my opinion about both platforms. In my opinion, Window's future look bleak and full of uncertainty. They most certainly have a chance to turn things around, but after 8 years since XP and many millions of dollars later, including an unsuccessful ad campaign, what can I say?

[rdwalton]

I haven't had any of those issues with Windows 7. All of my printers work, hard drives, iTunes, everything.

[kylebuttermore]

crashed about 20 times within an hour of installing, ill wait for a later beta...

[markdoiron]

Got it downloaded with no problem (once I used IE vice Firefox!). Install was very easy on an older, homebrew machine--2.6-GHz Pentium, 2-GB of RAM. Had it install over a corrupted Linux partition and it went very smoothly and quickly. It actually seems to run very fast, compared to Vista on my son's Dell 1605 Core Duo laptop. Also seems quite stable for a beta release. Certainly has a lot of cool eye candy. If you have a PC to spare, I highly recommend it. BTW: The license will expire on August 1st. --mark d.

[piermaranza]

Now i take 7 .... just for look .... i have macbook pro (only 3 month) :-) but leopard is another history. I must use Xp for some application that are made in "c" and have some runtime ..... windows/Office.
I wont to know if someone know or try if Microsoft Seven < I dont know why ... but i i'll have the suspictius that is the seventth sola (italian slang) like shoes ....... > ... goes whit BootCamp or Fusion ?
Resident or Virtual ..... Now on the local HD i use Vista 64 bit ..... but ... i don't like vista ..... He wont to decide for me ..... and if i set for take off this problem it stop to work ......
Ciao
Pier

[piermaranza]

P.S.Sorry for my English

[davidsmi]

The link worked well on Saturday and I was able to download the 32 and 64 bit versions.

Installing it worked well - and it runs like a charm!

[inachu]

Dalaran does not lag anymore using Windows 7.
Hurray for WOW players!

[rollo1002]

To those complaining about features not working I guess you forgot to read this paragraph right below the download go buttons.

Important recommendation: As you know, the point of beta testing is to find things we need to fix. As you help us uncover issues, we'll post fixes on Windows Update. So we recommend you keep your PC set to automatically check for updates through Windows Update.

So if you're looking for a finished product then wait for the release; otherwise, report your issues and move on. Oh and we might want to wait until the product has actually released before we start the OS wars.

[afolgueira]

It was easy to install, took a little while but It works great, having some small issues but It seens that it can fix it on its own. Chrome does not work, not problem here, everybody is on the Google's vanwagon except me. Why do you MS hater hate MS so much? YOu have to be thankfull that Apple and Linux exists thanks to MS anyways. And for those saying that OS X is better than windows there are hundreds of litle things you can do on windows that Macs can't. Period!. with $2800 that it takes to buy a Macbook Pro I can buy a 18.1 In blu-ray sony Vaio , a 42 in 1080p tv and still have money left.

[scottyrob]

Sucks if you have Xp. I would have to do a complete install, which remains erasing everything and starting over. Fat chance. I'll wait.

[nabhead]

i downloaded it without any problems a few days ago and i love windows 7 has'nt given me any problems.

[Tinshield118]

I installed it on a Celeron 2.4 with 1 GB or RAM and it actualy runs well. I installed AVG 8.0, Adobe and Office 2007 and so far it works well.

[bigcycs1]

well i had problem trying to download but after i switched my browser to ie and fill in my name and email acct. i was sent a link and downloaded the first try you also have to have active x and java or im not sure you half to but thats the way the download worked for me !anyway its alot like vista i think maybe a lil bit better than vista but that not saying much idont know you will half to decide yourself but i think xp better than vista as well as windows 7 and i dont know how linux got into all this but ubuntu and kubuntu as well as pc linux and a few others are not all that bad there decent if you aint to picky and your fed up with windows try ubuntu or pc linux you never know you might like it .

[peeskieeskie]

I think the reason most people are having trouble with Windows 7 is the same reason the same people had trouble Vista and XP: All of the requirements that MS listed, and as you posted in your article, failed to include the ability to read and follow instructions. Go figure!

[BiggyTech]

Im going to burts a lot of bubbles here but 1. it doesnt take HOURS to download...if you are still on dial up then yes it might...I downloaded in less than 1 hour.
2. Its not a pain in the behind to install, its actually pretty quick and easy.
3. Im loving it. Seriously, its waaaay faster than XP and Vista Im not using it as my main OS, some people are stupid enough to actually do that even though its just beta, but Im using it a lot and Im running everything on it and it runs well. Its fast, its secure, its pretty steady, and not a memory hog.
Windows7 Next Gen OS from WINDOWS!

[STEVE777411]

Hiya Folks !!! My experience has actually been a pleasant one . I waited til 2am Sat. registered and downloaded no problem, fios helps i guess... Sunday I installed on a Acer4720z laptop, 1hr as upgrade option while on a desktop which I had a old 80 gig formatted ide drive was loaded in 25 min. I have loaded software to the gills on these things and they had there hiccups but run better then that damn Vista ever would with half the stuff. Know that I still am an Xp fella , and I loath microsoft for making me buy the laptop vista bundle which sucked to death, windows 7 has some room for improvement, but will say at least there rollin down a better path lets say, oh and the non-microsoft folks , I dont understand all the conflict and hard feelings over software dudes just relax already....everyone. Its only a beta version
\STEVE