The Windows 7 team announced the timeline for the shutdown of general availability for Windows 7 Beta, which will occur in 3 phases over the next few weeks.  You're encouraged to download and trial Windows 7 Beta soon...so don't miss out!

  • Starting January 27th, the Windows 7 page will be updated with a warning that time is running out on downloading the Windows 7 Beta and that we will be limiting downloads shortly. People will be encouraged to register and start the download of the Windows 7 Beta sooner rather than later.
  • February 10th, new downloads of the Windows 7 Beta will no longer be available. People who have already started their Windows 7 Beta download and have not yet finished will still be able to finish their download and are encouraged to do so.
  • February 12th, people will no longer be able to complete their download of the Windows 7 Beta. Anyone who hasn’t finished downloading the Windows 7 Beta will be unable to do so.
  • For more details, please read the recent blog post from Windows Team Blog.

In addition, my team is now planning for the next release of Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit (MAP 4.0) that may include hardware and device compatibility assessment for Windows 7 Beta (and subsequently RTM).  We will disclose the confirmed release plan on this blog or the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit Beta site as soon as possible.

Thanks,

Baldwin Ng