How to get Windows 7 for free?

By Davey Winder
Friday, 26 September 2008 15:37

Strategy

If you want to grab an early copy of Microsoft Windows 7 for free, and all above board and legal as well, then you can in late October. Of course, there is a catch or two...

For some people, early reports that Microsoft is going to be stripping out the email, photo gallery and movie maker functions from the upcoming Windows 7 operating system might be enough to turn them off the idea.

Others, of course, will just want to get their hands on a copy as early as possible to see what all the fuss is about.

Microsoft has now confirmed that it will be giving away free copies of Windows 7 in October. So what is the catch?

Well, for a start these are what Microsoft call pre-beta builds, and the rest of us call 'do not put that near a machine you actually want to use' code.

Then there is the slightly more problematical catch of not only having to attend either the Microsoft Professional Developer Conference in Los Angeles at the end of October, or the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference a week later.

But also of having to be a PDC or WinHEC keynote attendee which means getting the "opportunity to attend 21 different sessions that drill down into the details of developing for Windows 7" in order to "be among the first to receive the pre-beta build of Windows 7."

Still, Microsoft does promise that with Windows 7 at PDC you will learn more about "opportunities to build on the platform’s commitment to OS fundamentals, while also enabling you to enhance your existing applications and create new applications that use the new technologies and APIs in Windows 7."

Shame that it won't be the expected Windows 7 beta version available at PDC though, rather this pre-beta build instead. Which could, of course, impact upon the final release date itself.

There had been much speculation regarding a June 2009 date for the final release code, but now it seems more likely that the official Microsoft murmuring of 'first half of 2010' will be correct.
 
One thing is for sure, whenever it arrives will not be too soon for Microsoft which will be glad to see the back of the less than successful (at least in marketing and PR terms) Vista.