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Showing posts with label Desktop Computing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Desktop Computing. Show all posts

Windows 7 90-Day Trial

Windows 7 Enterprise 90-day Trial

Welcome to the Windows 7 Enterprise 90-day Trial. It is designed specifically for IT Professionals, so that you can test your software and hardware on a final version of the product. In addition, it provides the opportunity for you to become more familiar with the key improvements over previous versions of the Windows operating system, and experience firsthand how Windows 7 can make your PC environment more productive, secure, and manageable.

Is the evaluation edition really for you?

If you qualify under one of the following programs listed below, you may already have access to the final bits and do not need to download the 90-day Trial.

Microsoft Partner Network
MSDN Subscriber (Developer)
TechNet Plus Subscriber
Volume License/Software Assurance customer

Here’s what you need to know:

This is trial software designed for IT Professionals interested in experiencing the Windows 7 Enterprise on behalf of their organization so please read the following to get an idea of the risks and key things you need to know before you install.

We do not recommend that you install this if you are a not an IT Professional or not professionally managing corporate networks.

Guidelines on usage:

  • Protect your PC and data. Be sure to back up your data and please don’t test Windows 7 on your primary home or business PC.
  • You have 10 days to activate the product. If not activated within 10 days, the system will shut down once every hour until activated. Unsure on how to activate? Visit our FAQ.
  • The 90-day Trial is the full working version of the Windows 7 Enterprise, the version most of you will be working with in your corporate environment. It will not require a product key (it is embedded with the download).
  • The 90-day Trial will shut down once every hour when you have reached the end of the 90-day evaluation period.
  • The 90-day Trial is offered for a limited time and in limited quantity. The download will be available through March 31, 2010, while supplies last.
  • After the 90-day Trial expires, if you wish to continue to use Windows 7 Enterprise, please note that you will be required to purchase and perform a clean installation of Windows 7, including drivers and applications. Please keep this in mind; Windows 7 Enterprise is not available through retail channels.
  • Technical details/updates/questions: Please review our FAQ or visit the Windows 7 support forum.
  • Stay informed. You can keep up with general technical information and news by following the Springboard Series blog. Want technical guidance, tips, and tools? Visit the Springboard Series on TechNet.
  • Keep your PC updated: Be sure to turn on automatic updates in Windows Update in case we publish updates for the 90-day Trial.
  • Microsoft Partners-: Learn more about Windows 7 on the Microsoft Partner Portal.

Minimum System Requirements*:

  • 1 GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
  • 1 GB of RAM (32-bit) / 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
  • 16 GB available disk space (32-bit) / 20 GB (64-bit)
  • DirectX 9 graphics processor with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver
  • DVD-compatible drive
  • Internet access (fees may apply)

*Note: Some product features of Windows 7, such as the ability to watch and record live TV, BitLocker, or navigation through the use of “touch,” may require advanced or additional hardware. Windows XP Mode requires an additional 1 GB of RAM and 15 GB of available disk space; and a processor capable of hardware virtualization, with Intel VT or AMD-V turned on.

Get the download

The 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 7 are only available in five languages: English, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish. Just choose the version that fits the system you'll be using and pick your language to register for and download the 90-day Trial.

Downloading the Windows 7 Enterprise 90-day Trial could take a few hours. The exact time will depend on your provider, bandwidth, and traffic. The good news is that once you start the download, you won't have to answer any more questions – you can walk away while it finishes. If your download gets interrupted, it will restart where it left off. See this FAQ for details. For technical questions visit the Windows 7 support forum.
Posted on 9:14 PM by Zaheer and filed under | 0 Comments »

Windows 7 Survival Guide: From 32- to 64-Bit

Windows 7 Survival Guide: From 32- To 64-Bit


Your old hardware isn't doomed. Here's how to migrate 32-bit printers and scanners onto your 64-bit version of the Windows 7 operating system

indows as a whole -- Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 and the operating system's server editions -- has been shipping in both 32- and 64-bit editions for some time now. That's more than long enough for hardware manufacturers to get on the ball and supply 32/64-bit device drivers for everything they sell.

In fact, most every printer, scanner, video camera, or other hardware device you can buy today comes with drivers for both platforms in the box.


[Find out when Windows 7 will be right for your Enterprise. If you're weighing whether or not to migrate to Microsoft's new operating system, then be sure to check out InformationWeek's Virtual Event: Business Case For Windows 7. Click the link to register and immediately access an on-demand replay.]

That's great if you're buying a whole new system. But what if you're migrating over a printer, scanner, or webcam -- individual peripheral devices from an age just slightly before the 64-bit years?

That's where things get more difficult.

While 32-bit applications generally run without issues on 64-bit Windows, 32-bit device drivers aren't as lucky. There is so far no mechanism in Windows to take a 32-bit device driver, wrap it in an emulation layer, and use it in Win64. This means that a great deal of hardware, otherwise perfectly useful and totally functional, is doomed to be useless to a whole swath of existing Windows users.

There's no reason to take this situation lying down, though. Depending on your budget, circumstances, and needs, you can go a long way -- sometimes all the way -- toward getting unsupported hardware working again in 64-bit Windows.

Scanners and printers comprise two of the largest classes of devices that have been unfairly marginalized because of the 64-bit switchover. To that end, we'll be looking at both of these (with some occasional digressions) and exploring ways to make them operable.

Why 64-bit, Anyway?
Why use 64-bit Windows in the first place? Desktop machines that ship with more than 3GB of RAM also come with 64-bit Windows installed by default. It's the best possible way to make use of all that memoryefficiently.

Individual 32-bit apps may only be able to use so much of that memory at once, but those of us who run a lot of apps side-by-side get a boost from it. Also, applications that perform certain kinds of processing -- encryption, for instance -- run markedly faster as 64-bit binaries.

Not every computing device is bound to go 64-bit. Netbooks, for instance, or low-end PCs that top out at 2-3GB RAM don't bother going 64. But at this point it's safe to say that most any desktop computer (and notebook) from the midrange on up will be 64-bit. As a result, the number of users who encounter legacy device incompatibilities will increase.

At least for the time being. Wait long enough and all of the incompatible hardware ought to fall out of use and be replaced with newer devices. But that's no strategy for those of us who have hardware to be used now.
Posted on 9:13 PM by Zaheer and filed under | 0 Comments »

Windows 7 Enterprise Deployment

Ballmer: Windows 7 Adoption A Matter Of When, Not If


I pushed Ballmer on that question in a recent interview. According to an InformationWeek survey of 1,414 IT pros, only 16% plan to deploy Windows 7 over the next 12 months. "You have your work cut out," I said.

Ballmer argues that businesses will be compelled to roll out Windows 7 for a variety of reasons: It's less expensive to operate; end users will demand its new features and capabilities; and there's a compelling business case around increased productivity and business innovation.

Says Ballmer: "I don’t think this will be a question in the case of Windows 7 of, 'Should we?' It will be, 'When should we?' There will be a strong view very quickly that says, 'We should.' "

For businesses contemplating the move, there are issues to deal with: the cost of deploying Windows 7, applications compatibility, PC hardware requirements, employee training, IT department readiness. But Microsoft customers have been through this before; as Ballmer says, "It's software business as usual."

Businesses that aren't ready for a companywide Windows 7 upgrade can bring in the OS gradually by including it on new PCs as part of the normal refresh cycle.

The strongest case for Windows 7 may be the fact that the widely used Windows XP is now eight years old. Businesses simply can't continue to operate effectively running old apps on an outdated operating system, and Ballmer knows it.

Ballmer says he's "not scared" by InformationWeek's survey results showing that many IT pros don't have plans to deploy Windows 7. For more, see the full interview here.


[Find out when Windows 7 will be right for your enterprise. If you're weighing whether or not to migrate to Microsoft's new operating system, check out InformationWeek's Business Case For Windows 7.]

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Posted on 9:12 PM by Zaheer and filed under | 0 Comments »

The Business Case for Windows 7

The Business Case for Windows 7
Microsoft’s launch of the Windows 7 operating system is one of the most anticipated technology introductions of this year, and enterprises both large and small are evaluating the benefits – and weighing the challenges – of migrating to the new platform. In this on-demand virtual event, attendees have the opportunity to learn from the developers of Win 7, the testers who put it through its paces, and peers who are considering taking the plunge. Experts will discuss the product’s features, performance issues, security and management processes, compatibility concerns, and more in a set of on-demand webcast presentations
Attendee benefits:
  • Access to the premier one-stop Win7 information destination, packed with resources to guide you in your decision-making process.
  • Join webcast presentations covering the most timely subjects surrounding the Win7 launch.
  • Collect and download presentations, research documents, and contacts to your personal online briefcase.
  • Create your own schedule, and access to the entire virtual event on-demand if you missed anything on the live date.
Posted on 9:03 PM by Zaheer and filed under | 0 Comments »