Microsoft extends Win 7 download cap

Author: Gareth Halfacree
Published: 12th January 2009
Comments (22) Stumble
Microsoft extends Win 7 download cap

The removal of the download cap means that the Windows 7 Beta will be available for the next two weeks, guaranteed.

If you haven't snagged your beta copy of Windows 7 yet, there's good news – due to the mess that was the original beta launch, Microsoft is suspending the 2.5 million download cap.

According to CNet, the company is making amends for a failed launch last week by postponing the introduction of a cap on the number of people who can download the public beta – originally set at 2.5 million – for two weeks, ending on the 24th of January. From the 25th onwards, the beta will be unavailable if the cap has been hit.

While the downloads themselves – two ISO files, comprising the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 7 Beta – appeared on file sharing networks almost immediately after launch, keys are only accessible via the official Microsoft website. At least, that's the theory. According to reports on several websites – including ITWire, there are a selection of codes which have been leaked and are valid for multiple installs – allowing a user to get their hands on an activated copy of the beta without the need to sign up to the programme officially. Whether this is a temporary loophole – and for how long the systems will remain activated once Microsoft gets wind of the leak – is unknown.

However you get hold of your beta, some things haven't changed – the operating system will remain usable until August 1st, at which point you'll be looking to re-install either the final release of Windows 7 – which you'll have to pay for – or your previous operating system. It's not known yet whether there will be an upgrade path to the full release at that time, but from experience of previous betas I would think it unlikely.

Tempted to snag a copy of the beta now that the site is playing nicely – and you don't have to rush – or are you going to let others experience the teething pains and pick the next version of Windows up some time around Service Pack 2? Share your thoughts over in the forums.
Quote quack 12th January 2009, 10:44
I have both ISOs, and the keys, but no SATA drive to install it on at the moment! I want to test out the 64-bit version without affecting my existing XP or Vista so will be using a separate hard drive.

I really do hate how quickly PATA and old molex connectors became obsolete, I have 4 PATA hard drives just sitting in a pile and I can't use any of them!
Quote Angleus 12th January 2009, 10:45
How kind, the 64-bit download is refusing to start for me at the moment though :(
Quote Doyleyboy 12th January 2009, 11:15
Quote:
Originally Posted by quack
I have both ISOs, and the keys, but no SATA drive to install it on at the moment! I want to test out the 64-bit version without affecting my existing XP or Vista so will be using a separate hard drive.

I really do hate how quickly PATA and old molex connectors became obsolete, I have 4 PATA hard drives just sitting in a pile and I can't use any of them!

really? you cant use an IDE drive at all? or is it just on the 64 bit versions like vista? i think maybe you could use the 32 bit version with a PATA/IDE drive. anyone know for sure?
Quote Gareth Halfacree 12th January 2009, 11:22
I think quack is referring to the fact that his motherboard doesn't have any IDE connectivity. I'm not aware of anything in Windows 7 that would prevent it being installed on an IDE drive.
Quote [USRF]Obiwan 12th January 2009, 11:41
Can i install under VM?
Quote quack 12th January 2009, 12:02
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gareth Halfacree
I think quack is referring to the fact that his motherboard doesn't have any IDE connectivity. I'm not aware of anything in Windows 7 that would prevent it being installed on an IDE drive.
Correct. Maybe I should've elaborated a bit more.

Now although I do have an IDE port on my motherboard but I'd really rather not use it, and I'd have to go through a lot of effort to attach a floppy or molex power cable to my modular PSU.

I've bitten the bullet and decided to buy another SATA hard drive, same spec as my 2 current drives (1 for XP, 1 for Vista), and will keep it as a spare just in case one of the others dies once I'm done playing with Windows 7.
Quote perplekks45 12th January 2009, 12:02
Yes, Obi, you can. Just the Aero stuff won't work.
More information in the Windows 7 Public Beta News thread.

I don't really care about MS' download cap as I downloaded the x86 ISO yesterday within 1 hour via BitTorrent. :p
Quote quack 12th January 2009, 12:03
Quote:
Originally Posted by [USRF]Obiwan
Can i install under VM?
Yes, you can run it on Virtual PC and VMWare. I currently have it running in VMWare, you don't get any aero effects however.
Quote wuyanxu 12th January 2009, 12:04
Quote:
Originally Posted by quack
Yes, you can run it on Virtual PC and VMWare. I currently have it running in VMWare, you don't get any aero effects however.
same here, Vmware but no aero :(

have got 64bit ISO only, if installing to a desktop, no point messing around with 32bit at all
Quote Xir 12th January 2009, 12:19
"...pick the next version of Windows up some time around Service Pack 2"

Correct...this means i'm thinking about getting Vista this year ;-)
Quote zimbloggy 12th January 2009, 12:22
Just downloaded it. It's not like I am going to delete my current XP though. New partition time!

But sadly, to free up disk space, I got rid of Ubuntu. Hopefully windows 7 might be better?
Quote ImInTheZoneBaby 12th January 2009, 12:39
I went through with the sign-up to grab my Beta key. And when it redirected me, I got a nice "Page not found" error message.
In both Internet Explorer and Opera. That's flipping lame.

Gahhh...
Quote V3ctor 12th January 2009, 12:44
No problem with x64... My laptop battery is great now!
2h20 for Windows 7
1h30 for Windows Vista

That is what I call an improvement!! :D
Quote MBR 12th January 2009, 14:20
Well i already had a go at the pre-beta using other means. Was very impressed with the speed improvements in that one as compared to the Windows 2008 (yes thats where i game and work - trust me its VISTA with out the rubbish).

Does anyone know if i can run games on this beta :-D

Man i love living on "the Bleeding Edge"
Quote Zeus-Nolan 12th January 2009, 14:20
Wow i should get this running as mine lasts 2 hours on a 8 cell battery
Quote _DTM2000_ 12th January 2009, 17:00
I've had a quick play around with the 64bit beta in a VM and I like it a lot. I definitely prefer it to Vista and I now definitely won't ever use Vista at home. I'll be jumping straight from XP to 7. IMHO Win7 is what Vista should have been.

Now I just want to find out more details on the media center functionality in Win7 and DirectX11. I noticed DX11 is installed out the box with Win7 which is nice.
Quote Seraphim Works 13th January 2009, 00:34
The battery life does seem to be improved, a quick test with RMClock shows the power consumption to have dropped by up to 2000mW. I'm not sure how it was achieved but there is definitely a tangible improvement.

Performance wise, it feels a bit snappier on my c2d 1.66 laptop. Either way it'll be staying on the hard drive for a while longer.
Quote amacieli 13th January 2009, 12:12
I upgraded my primary Vista HPx64 install, and it works just great. Had to reinstall nVidia drivers, and the only thing that doesn't work is my MS VX-3000 webcam (lol - even MS doesn't update its own drivers). Adobe Master Suite, FAH GPU, Lightroom x64, Carbonite, Live Sync, etc. all work nice and fast. Didn't have to reinstall any progs.
Quote liratheal 13th January 2009, 12:16
I've been using Windows 7 for a while now, and I am more than impressed.

Never before have I not needed a driver disk when installing Windows. I have installed one driver on my Win7 test box, and that's the ATi Win7 beta drivers (Which work just as well as the Vista non-beta ones btw).

I've got it running on an Opteron 146 (@2.4ghz), 1gb of RAM and a 3870 - And it runs like a dream. Hell, the games I've tried on it run like a dream. Biggest thing for me? Red Alert 2 works on it, properly.

Windows 7 is absolutely what Vista should have been, and I look forward to its retail launch.

Very glad they've taken the 'cap' off (Though, 2.5m is hardly a small quantatity in the first place) - Got a friend on the beta too, and he's liking it.
Quote Mother-Goose 13th January 2009, 12:40
I think I might set this to dual boot on my laptop and give it a go.

Now, the biggest question I can think of at the momement is:

When this reaches Gold and is finally released to be purchased, do we reckon it's going to cost the earth like Vista did?
Quote liratheal 13th January 2009, 12:44
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mother-Goose
I think I might set this to dual boot on my laptop and give it a go.

Now, the biggest question I can think of at the momement is:

When this reaches Gold and is finally released to be purchased, do we reckon it's going to cost the earth like Vista did?

Given that the beta seems to be tagged 'Ultimate', I expect there will be a pricing structure akin to the current cluster**** (We can't expect them to get everything right now, can we. I'd rather a good OS and a mess of a pricing scheme tbh). I haven't heard of any word on price, but I wouldn't mind parting with ~£100 for it. OEM, of course.
Quote Mother-Goose 13th January 2009, 13:42
I'd be happy if it was £150 for the Home Premium retail but doubt that will happen. It's a right pain in the ass if they charge top wack for it seeing as it Vista, whilst a nice step forward, was bloody expensive and didn't live up to all it's hype.
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