Windows 7

The public beta for Windows 7 is available today! I have included some information and links for those looking to test the new windows OS in a NON-PRODUCTION environment.

The Beta is your chance to help us with feedback that targets the fundamentals—the “quality bar” that we are setting for Windows 7 on security, reliability and performance. If you are interested in getting even more involved, the Windows Feedback Program is your chance to directly influence future versions of the Windows operating system. This program is limited to the first 500 IT professionals to sign up, so don’t delay!

A major focus of Windows 7, from an IT professional perspective, has been to improve overall PC manageability, security, and end user and IT productivity—especially given the more mobile and distributed work environments that we see today. You will find key advancements that will impact you and your end users every day—such as accessing information and network resources across the enterprise; implementing security and compliance policies, and automating the management of physical and virtual PCs. For a more in-depth view of Windows 7 and how it will impact your day-to-day work, take a look at the feature articles on the Springboard Series, "First Look at Windows 7 for IT Professionals," and "Ten Things IT Professionals Should Know About Windows 7.” Or, for even more background on the fundamentals, visit the Engineering Windows 7 blog.

Visit the Springboard Series for Windows 7 to register for the Windows 7 Beta^—and access rich content including video walkthroughs—in your local blogs, newsletters, and websites.

* This is a limited Beta program available to the first 2.5 million people who download the bits. This limit does not apply to TechNet/MSDN subscribers.

February 12^th Virtual Roundtable with Mark Russinovich

Please join Mark Russinovich and a panel of subject matter experts on Thursday, February 12^th at 11:00AM Pacific Time for a live discussion of what's in store for IT pros with Windows® 7. Learn about the evolution of features like Group Policy, BitLocker™ To Go, DirectAccess, BranchCache™, and Software Restriction then get tips on troubleshooting, deployment, and application compatibility. Bring your questions—Mark and the panel will answer as many as they can during the hour-long event, then publish the rest in a Q&A after the event.

Visit https://ms.istreamplanet.com/springboard to add the event to your calendar.

One thing of note, I had this conversation with Dave Northey this morning and it is an important one to have. While the download for this and every other OS is provided as an ISO, that does not mean you need to burn a DVD to install it. I recommend going to a bootable USB key for 2 reasons. It is faster to install from (15 minutes for Windows 7 last night on my Tablet) and it is more environmentally friendly as those DVD’s don’t end up in the landfill.

For those that don’t know how to make a bootable USB key, here is the recipe:

Creating a bootable USB device:

Start\run\diskpart.exe

DISKPART> list disk

Select the USB device from the list and substitute the disk number below

DISKPART> select disk 1

xcopy X:\*.* /s/e/f Y:\

where X:\ is your mounted image or physical DVD and Y:\ is your USB device

Now all you need to do is plug the device into your target box's USB slot and boot it. This may require hitting F12 to load the one-time boot menu and selecting the USB Key.

cheers

Will