A lot of people have been talking about Windows 7 lately. A lot of people have been downloading it and giving it a try, too. Many, though, may be wondering where they got it. I looked into it. It isn’t so mysterious.
Many have probably been getting Windows 7 through back channels such as BitTorrent. Ever since Microsoft made the developer preview available at the PDC conference, it has been making the rounds. But, you are not forced to go this route if you want to check out the new OS. Microsoft is making Windows 7 freely available as a beta.
The beta version is set to expire on August 1, 2009. Before that time, you’ll either need to begin using an earlier version or install a newer version of Windows 7.
When you get to the download page, select the 32-bit or 64-bit version and our language. You’ll then be directed to your Windows Live login. Yes, you need a Windows Live ID to get the download. Once you’ve entered your login, you will need to fill in an online form with some basic information, including your name, email, country, etc. You will then be given a Windows 7 product key. I suggest you print that page as you will obviously need the product key to install the program. After that, hit the big “Download Now” button to grab your copy.
As you can see, it is a 2.44 GB ISO file. You’ll need to burn the ISO to a DVD file and then install to a dedicated machine. I would recommend a dedicated machine to play around with Windows 7. As you can no doubt tell from the screenshot above, I am using a Mac. But, I will not be installing Windows 7 to my Mac. I will pull out one of my dedicated PCs and give it a try there.
And I’ll report back what I find. 
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