Microsoft's proposed "ballot screen" that would let users in Europe choose which browser they want on their PC.
(Credit: Microsoft)It looks like there won't be a browserless version of Windows 7, after all.
Microsoft said late Friday that it won't ship the Windows 7 "E" version of Windows even though Europe has yet to sign off on its revised plan. The plan calls for the company to ship Windows 7 with Internet Explorer, but present a ballot screen in which users in Europe can decide whether they want Internet Explorer or another browser.
The software maker had originally proposed shipping Windows 7 in Europe without a browser at all--the so-called "E" version of the operating system. However, European regulators indicated that might not satisfy its concerns.
Microsoft announced last week that it was open to the "ballot screen," but said that it would wait to can the browserless "E" version until European regulators approved its plan.
The software maker said late Friday that it decided to ship the same version of Windows 7 for Europe after PC makers complained that having to use the browserless version of Windows 7 for a short period of time would be a pain.
"In the wake of last week's developments, as well as continuing feedback on Windows 7 E that we have received from computer manufacturers and other business partners, I'm pleased to report that we will ship the same version of Windows 7 in Europe in October that we will ship in the rest of the world," deputy general counsel Dave Heiner said in a statement.
The commission had said it "welcomed" Microsoft's move, also giving the software maker some confidence that it could ship Windows 7 with the browser included. If the commission accepts Microsoft's proposal, it will fully implement that proposed ballot screen to Windows 7 buyers in Europe.
"One reason we decided not to ship Windows 7 'E' is concerns raised by computer manufacturers and partners," Heiner said. "Several worried about the complexity of changing the version of Windows that we ship in Europe if our ballot screen proposal is ultimately accepted by the Commission and we stop selling Windows 7 'E'. Computer manufacturers and our partners also warned that introducing Windows 7 'E', only to later replace it with a version of Windows 7 that includes IE, could confuse consumers about what version of Windows to buy with their PCs."
The move also solved a challenge for Vista users in Europe, who under the previous plan would have had to do a clean install to move to Windows 7. It also allows Microsoft to sell an "upgrade version" of Windows 7 in Europe. Microsoft had previously said it would only sell a full version of the OS, though it had said it would sell that at the upgrade price, at least for a time.
Those who pre-ordered Windows 7 "E" through a recent discount offer will get the full version, as Microsoft had promised. However, Microsoft plans to now sell Windows 7 upgrades in Europe and also offer a higher-priced full version (for those without an earlier copy of Windows)--similar to what it is doing in the rest of the world.
Despite the arrival of a new leaked test version, Microsoft says it has not yet declared Windows 7 final.
In a blog posting late Monday, Windows blogger Brandon LeBlanc said the company still expects to finalize the code later this month.
The blog posting also confirmed that Microsoft plans to make the code available to those in its MSDN and TechNet developer programs within a few weeks after that point. Earlier on Monday, Microsoft said that businesses with volume license deals can get access to Windows 7 starting September 1.
Meanwhile, those who have pre-ordered the software or want to buy it on retail shelves or on a new PC will have to wait until its general availability on Oct. 22.
LeBlanc also cautioned against using code found on the Internet as some leaked versions have contained various types of malware.
A posting indicates those interested in the Windows 7 upgrade program should check back on Friday.
(Credit: CNET)If you are thinking of buying a Windows Vista PC in the next day or so, you might want to hold off just a bit longer.
Microsoft has said that it will have a program whereby Vista PC buyers will be able to get a free copy of Windows 7, but only if they purchase after a certain date. Well, that date would appear to be June 26.
That is the date pointed to by enthusiast site TechARP and in a leaked Best Buy memo we reported on earlier this month. The Best Buy memo also mentioned a pre-order program that will run from June 26 through July 11, offering Windows 7 Home Premium upgrades for $49 and Windows 7 Professional upgrades for $99.
It's also a date mentioned on this Microsoft Web site, uncovered by posters at Neowin.
Microsoft has confirmed it will have such a program, but has not detailed it as yet.
As in the past, the exact offer will vary by PC maker, but in general users get a free or minimal-cost upgrade once the new operating system is released. Windows 7 is slated to hit store shelves on October 22.
Microsoft isn't confirming just when Windows 7 will launch, but it is hoping that the fact that not too much has changed between the release candidate and beta versions will convince people that the product is nearly ready.
Subscribers to Microsoft's MSDN and TechNet developer programs will have access to the release candidate version starting Thursday, while the general public will have to wait until May 5. That said, users may not notice a huge difference between the two versions at first glance.
"We're not adding a ton of things," said Corporate Vice President Mike Nash in an interview. "Most of the changes are fit-and-finish things."
The company didn't say how many people it hopes will try out the version, which is expected to be the last public test version before Microsoft declares Windows 7 soup. Nash did say he is hoping plenty of IT professionals use the product at work and home and also that any lingering partners make sure they have tested their products.
Among the changes from the beta release are a more final version of Internet Explorer 8 and the expansion of a media-sharing feature to allow unprotected videos and music to be accessed remotely over the Internet.
Microsoft also said in February it would modify Windows 7 to require authorization before changes are made to the settings for a controversial user account control feature. Microsoft intentionally made the alerts less frequent in Windows 7 than they were in Vista, but some people complained that the specific changes Microsoft made also made it less secure.
In addition to the RC itself, Microsoft is also making available a beta version of XP Mode, an add-on to Windows 7 that uses virtualization to run programs that run in XP but not in Windows Vista.
Windows 7 is widely expected to be released in time for this year's holiday shopping season--a goal that one top executive said recently is "accomplishable," although Microsoft has stopped short of guaranteeing that.
"We have work to do before we can definitively say it's a holiday product," Nash said. "So far the feedback is very positive."
Perhaps the biggest issue with the release candidate is the fact that Microsoft did not make it easy to go from the beta version directly to the release candidate. Microsoft is recommending users either upgrade from Windows Vista or do a clean installation of the operating system.
Microsoft acknowledged this is a hassle, but said the move will allow it to get more feedback on the more standard upgrade paths most users will take and prevents it from having to support what it says is a non-standard case--moving from beta to RC. (I've heard grumbling from users both inside and outside the company over that call.)
Microsoft on Tuesday offered up a few more details on its once-secretive project to use virtualization to offer an "XP Mode" for Windows 7.
As noted on Friday, Microsoft is using its Virtual PC technology to allow Windows 7 users to run programs that work in Windows XP but not in Windows Vista. On Tuesday, it noted some more of the fine print regarding the product.
As far as technical requirements, XP Mode needs a beefier system than that required to just run Windows 7 or XP alone, including at least 2GB of memory and a system that has chip-level virtualization from either Intel or AMD. One of the challenges is that today it is often not that easy to tell whether one's PC has such support.
A screenshot of Windows 7's XP Mode, which allows programs designed for Windows XP to run inside a virtual machine within Windows 7.
(Credit: Microsoft)"Some PCs have it and some don't," said Scott Woodgate, a director in the Windows unit. "It's not as clear as it should be relative to which PCs have (hardware-based virtualization) support and which don't."
At its core, XP mode consists of two things, the Windows Virtual PC engine and a licensed copy of Windows XP Service Pack 3 as a packaged virtual machine. Although neither piece will be included in the Windows 7 box, XP Mode will be a free download for those who have a license to Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Enterprise, or Windows 7 Ultimate.
Microsoft is aiming XP Mode primarily at small businesses, Woodgate said."That's a class of customers that may have Windows XP apps that they may want to run on Windows 7," he said.
Larger businesses may also have need to run older applications, but typically want control over things like who can install programs on their machines and other management issues. For them, he said, Microsoft has a product called MED-V that allows such control. An updated version of MED-V, due to be in beta within 90 days of the launch of Windows 7, will add support for Windows 7's XP Mode, he said.
One of the benefits of XP Mode over Microsoft's existing virtualization products is the fact that, after a setup process, the Windows XP virtual machine runs in the background so users don't have to manage multiple desktops. XP Mode automatically installs shortcuts for XP programs in the Windows 7 start menu. The experience from that point on is similar to the one offered by VMware's Fusion and Parallels in their virtualization products.
Woodgate noted that XP Mode isn't a security solution. Indeed, to protect their systems, users will need antivirus software running both on their Windows 7 desktop as well as a copy running inside their Windows XP virtual machine.
The beta version of XP Mode is debuting alongside the Windows 7 Release Candidate that is going to developers this week and being made publicly available on May 5. Microsoft said a final release will depend on the feedback to the beta, but Woodgate said Microsoft hopes it can be ready for download at the same time Windows 7 is made broadly available.
Microsoft has been working on the XP Mode as long as it has been developing Windows 7, and Woodgate said even he is surprised it stayed secret for so long.
The existence of XP Mode emerged on an enthusiast site on Friday, later confirmed by CNET sources, and then through an official company blog post.
Microsoft said on Friday that it will distribute the near-final "release candidate" version of Windows 7 beginning next week.
Subscribers to Microsoft's MSDN and TechNet developer programs will get the code on April 30, with plans to make it broadly available starting May 5. The May 5 date matches one that was in a note briefly posted on Microsoft's Web site.
Build 7100 of Windows 7, the version presumed to be the release candidate, has been making the rounds on file-sharing services for the past day or so. The software maker has reportedly given the build to some early testers, though it has declined to confirm that.
The near-final release candidate version is expected to be the last public milestone before Microsoft finalizes the code for the new operating system. The software maker has refused to commit to launching the product before next January, but Microsoft has been aiming to get the product done so that it can find its way onto PCs sold during this year's holiday PC buying season.
A new build version of the Windows 7 beta has been available on several torrent sites as Microsoft ended the distribution of an earlier version, according to a report.
Computerworld noticed that Windows 7 Build 7022 has been available on sites like The Pirate Bay for download this week, the last days in which Windows users were able to download the beta before Microsoft pulled the plug Thursday. Several versions are still there as of this writing, which includes a Release Candidate version of Internet Explorer 8 for Windows 7 that was missing from the original beta release, and XTreview.com thought the new build was faster on certain benchmarks.
The original beta (Build 7000) was released on January 10, but Computerworld noted that Build 7022 carries a date-stamp of January 15. Microsoft has had problems with other Windows 7 betas leaking to torrent sites, in November before the beta was completed and just a few weeks before the official release in January.
Microsoft is moving forward with plans to launch Windows 7 this year, although the company still refuses to publicly commit to that goal.
PC industry sources in Asia and the U.S. tell CNET News that they have heard things are on track to launch by this year's holiday shopping season, which has been Microsoft's internal target for some time.
Microsoft is also putting the finishing touches on a program to offer Vista buyers a free or low-cost update to Windows 7. That program could kick off as early as July, sources said.
The company has run such "technology guarantee" programs in the past, typically allowing each PC maker to set the exact rules, but essentially offering buyers after a certain time to get a free upgrade to the next version. (TechArp has a post with even more details on Microsoft's planned Windows 7 Upgrade Program.)
In an interview at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, Microsoft senior VP Bill Veghte cautioned that the release still could be pushed into 2010, depending on customer feedback.
"I'm telling them that it could go either way," Veghte said in that January interview. "We will ship it when the quality is right, and earlier is always better, but not at the cost of ecosystem support and not at the cost of quality."
That remains the company's official position, although the wheels are spinning toward a release in time for Windows 7 machines to be sold this holiday season, PC industry sources tell CNET News.
The response to test versions of Windows 7 has been in stark contrast with the issues that dogged Windows Vista, which was a much more fundamental update to the operating system. Although Windows 7 adds things like an improved taskbar and snappier performance, the operating system shares most of the same underpinnings as Windows Vista. (Click on the video at right to hear me talk Windows 7 on CNET Editors' Office Hours.)
Microsoft has reiterated that it plans just a single beta for Windows 7. That beta launched in January and Microsoft this week stopped offering downloads of the test version. The company has said it will have a near-final "release candidate" version, but has not said when that will come.
Earlier this month, Microsoft confirmed that it plans to sell at least six distinct versions of Windows 7, although it also said it will focus its efforts around two editions--Windows 7 Home Premium and Windows 7 Professional. (By way of comparison, Microsoft announced the different versions of Vista in February 2006 before ultimately making the code available to business customers in November 2006).
For those that can read Chinese, here is ZDNet Taiwan's earlier report on the subject.
ZDNet Taiwan's Agnes Kuang contributed to this report.
Microsoft has apparently decided that it has enough server capacity and has made the code available for the Windows 7 beta.
I don't see a posting on the Windows 7 blog, but when I went to the Windows 7 page Saturday morning, I found the following message and was directed to this site to get the code.
"The Windows 7 Beta is now available for download," Microsoft said on its Web site. "Thanks for your interest and help with the beta."
The software was supposed to be made available on Friday, but the company delayed the release after a day filled with Web site problems.
You can also download the Windows 7 beta from CNET Download.com.
Update: Microsoft offered up some recommended specifications for the beta, but cautioned those could change for the final release. It called for a 1GHz processor (either 32-bit or 64-bit), 1GB of system memory, 16Gb of disk space, support for DirectX 9 graphics with 128 MB memory, as well as a DVD burner and Internet access.
The software maker also cautioned users should have some technical skills, such as the ability to "burn an ISO file to make an install DVD. (A good example of what we mean by 'technical')." It also said folks should know how to install Windows (uh, yeah) and set up a network.
Furthermore, the company cautioned that the beta is not the quality one should expect from a final release. "It can be glitchy--so don't use a PC you need every day."
I can see the Vista jokes coming now...
Microsoft has postponed, at least for a short time, making the beta of Windows 7 publicly available.
The move comes as Microsoft has struggled to keep its Windows 7 Web site up on Friday.
"Due to very heavy traffic we're seeing as a result of interest in the Windows 7 Beta, we are adding some additional infrastructure support to the Microsoft.com properties before we post the public beta," Microsoft said in a blog posting, which was itself hard to get to as of 1:20 p.m. PST. "We want to ensure customers have the best possible experience when downloading the beta, and I'll be posting here again soon once the beta goes live. Stay tuned! We are excited that you are excited!"
Meanwhile, the company appears to have also pulled the code off a direct link that some were using to get the software on Friday.
The company has said it is aiming for several million testers of the beta version, the availability of which was announced Wednesday night by Steve Ballmer in his keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics Show. Microsoft has been aiming to have the final version ready to be on PCs for this year's holiday shopping season, but Windows boss Bill Veghte said it is still too soon to say whether the company will make that time frame. Officially, Microsoft has promised that it will be out before the three-year anniversary of Vista's January 2007 mainstream launch.
Update, 1:55 p.m. PST: Tom Warren at Neowin.net says the direct link that it posted earlier Friday is still working.
