Windows 7 beta downloads to continue 'til Feb 10

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Monday, 26 January 2009 16:18

Opinion and Analysis

No doubt Windows Azure, Microsoft’s version of Windows for the web, will be far more mature by that time, as will Microsoft’s efforts in bringing its office suite online, for actual editing and not just document viewing and sharing, which is currently the case.

As Gralla explains, Google’s own operating system desires are very much in debate, with the obvious path being an Android OS for desktop, notebook and netbook computers to come.

Already attempts to port the existing Android OS to various netbooks have succeeded, showing it is technically possible to run a Google OS on your computer right now, even though doing so is still largely impractical, with a regular Linux distro, Windows XP or the Windows 7 beta much more capable at this moment in time.

As I’ve previously reported, my own experiences with the Windows 7 beta have been as successful as virtually everyone else’s. I did go through the pain of loading the Win 7 beta onto an Asus Eee PC 1000HD, the 900MHz Celeron equipped model.

While it loaded, I would experience random MSHTML.DLL and other Internet Explorer related .DLL errors that I could “Ignore Once, Ignore always or cancel” – if memory serves. Choosing ignore once would work to clear the error, but it would come back quite quickly.

I was also having stability issues with BSOD’s and other crashes, leading me to wonder what the heck was going on!

Trying to install various Asus Eee PC drivers and some Vista specific drivers didn’t help. What worked in the end was a re-installation of the Windows 7 beta, after which the .DLL crashes and ACPI BSOD’s just disappeared, thankfully.

Could be a handy tip for you if you’re experiencing the same .DLL problems and think Windows 7 is just incompatible with your hardware – you might just need a re-installation, and given how quick Win 7 is to install, it’s not such a big deal to give it a go.

So… if you want to try out Windows 7 beta 1 for yourself, whether it’s on a powerful computer or an old/spare Pentium IV era box (or thereabouts, including AMD boxes), you’ve got some more time up your sleeve to start that 2.5GB download for the 32-bit version, or 3GB+ for the 64-bit version for those with a 64-bit processor wanting to give it a go.

Win 7 beta downloads are available here, although if you're in a mood to tinker with operating systems, you can always try the latest version of Ubuntu as well, and make your own comparisons with what is, beyond Mac OS X, Windows most well known competitor.