After much anticipation, Microsoft has now made Windows 7 Beta available for evaluation and testing to IT professionals! For TechNet subscribers, you can download Windows 7 Beta today here . On January 9th , the beta will open to all IT professionals...

We’re here at the Professional Developers Conference (PDC) in Los Angeles, where Microsoft has taken the wraps off the latest client operating system, Windows® 7. The first thing to note is that this is a pre-beta release, and is still an early first...

Attention Windows 7 Beta and Release Candidate (RC) testers! To avoid interruption, you’ll need to start planning now to rebuild your test machines using a valid version of Windows before the software expires. Windows will notify you that the expiration...

You might have heard about the upcoming beta release of Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2) , and we wanted to take a few minutes to describe what’s in it and how it can help you align your plans around Windows Vista adoption. The Windows Vista SP2 beta...

We are pleased to announce that the Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC) is available for immediate download to our TechNet and MSDN subscribers. If you’re not a TechNet Plus subscriber, please click here to learn about the benefits of becoming one. Windows...

With today's launch of the Customer Preview Program (CPP) for Windows Vista® Service Pack 2 (SP2) , we wanted to provide a brief synopsis of the elements in this service pack, and encourage you to download and test this release. Windows Vista SP2 is a...

Hello again from Redmond. Let’s talk compatibility – a big component of any operating system deployment project is knowing what applications, hardware and devices your users have and whether they will work on the new OS. With Windows 7 approaching fast...

Today we are proud to announce the Release to Manufacturing of Service Pack 2 for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. Service Pack 2 (SP2) represents the latest step in Microsoft’s commitment to continuous improvement. It includes all of the updates...

  Windows 7 Application Compatibility: Your Questions Answered (Part 1) Date: Thursday, June 18 Time: 11:00am Pacific Time https://ms.istreamplanet.com/springboard Windows 7, is approaching fast and from the application standpoint is very similar...

In our recent Springboard Series Virtual Roundtable— Windows 7: To the Beta and Beyond —with Mark Russinovich, we fielded numerous questions on the Windows 7 Beta release that the panel was unable to address, given time limitations. As promised, we have...

In order to better provide you all the latest information on what is going on with the various Windows teams, we have partnered with the Windows Team Blog ( www.windowsteamblog.com ) and moved our blog to their site. Same content, same writers, same great...

We are pleased to announce that Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC) is available for immediate download to the general public here . Windows 7 Ultimate is the Release Candidate edition; it is available in 32-bit and 64-bit versions in English, French, Japanese...

We see the Springboard Series blog as a place to communicate important information and updates for desktop and laptop-focused IT professionals—what you need to know to effectively perform your job. Now on to a discussion on Windows 7, and what you’ll...

Before we dive into part two of our interview with Jeremy Chapman, Windows Senior Product Manager, on new image management and deployment technologies in Windows 7, we want to remind you to join Mark Russinovich for a Virtual Roundtable discussion on...

When planning for migration to Windows 7, specific knowledge about each computer on the network and its readiness for migration is essential. Manually conducting a detailed network inventory is time consuming and costly; and existing assessment management...

Today we are pleased to pre-announce the Release to Web (RTW) of Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008.  SP2, a combined service pack for both operating systems encapsulated in a single installer, will simplify deployment...

Here’s an update for those of you who have installed the Service Pack Blocker Tool for Windows XP or Windows Vista. This code temporarily prevents the installation of a service pack through Windows Update, typically for one year after general availability...

After we announced Windows XP Mode, I sat down again with Jeremy Chapman at the Microsoft Management Summit in Las Vegas to find out what he thought about Windows XP Mode as a solution for solving application compatibility issues. Stephen Rose: Hi Jeremy...

We know many of you have downloaded the Windows 7 Beta (enough to overwhelm our servers!), and are likely putting the new operating system through its paces. Now that you’ve had a chance to explore the new UI and some of the advanced end-user features...

MDOP 2009 includes MED-V 1.0, App-V 4.5 CU1 and AIS 1.5 Updates I wanted to let you know that Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) 2009 is now available for purchase to Software Assurance customers. MDOP 2009 includes the first release of Microsoft...

As part of the regular beta testing cycle, the Windows 7 Engineering team will be releasing “test updates” to Windows Update. Users of beta build 7000 will receive notification of the “test update,” but it will not install automatically. While these test...

Over the weekend, some of you may have received an email from us reminding you that “the Windows 7 Beta expires on August 1st, 2009. In that email, we ask that if you are still on the Windows 7 Beta that you should consider moving to a “non-expired” copy...

As noted in our previous post , our recent Springboard Series Virtual Roundtable— Windows 7: To the Beta and Beyond —with Mark Russinovich resulted in numerous viewer-generated questions on the Windows 7 Beta release that the panel was unable to address...

Response to the beta has been fantastic, and we now have more than enough customers enrolled in the Beta to provide the feedback that Engineering needs to finish the product. Because interest in the beta is so high, we have decided to extend availability...

It’s been a busy week for beta software downloads—we had a tremendous response to the Windows 7 Beta, to the point where we needed to add server capacity just to keep up! And if you haven’t downloaded the Windows 7 Beta yet, you can still do so here ...