Darren Straight's Blog

Download and run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor to see if your PC is ready for Windows 7. It scans your hardware, devices, and installed programs for known compatibility issues, gives you guidance on how to resolve potential issues found, and recommends what to do before you upgrade.

Download Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor here

Microsoft has recentntly announced the availability of Windows 7 Enterprise trial edition. This evaluation version is for IT Professionals who do not yet have access to Windows 7 RTM through one of the following means:

• Partner Program
• MSDN Subscriber (Developer)
• TechNet Plus Subscriber
• Volume License/Software Assurance customer

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. It is 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 the FAQ on the Download page.
• 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 the 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 Microsoft 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.

Download: Windows 7 Enterprise Trial Edition (7600.16385.090713-1255_x86fre_enterprise_en-us_EVAL_Eval_Enterprise-GRMCENEVAL_EN_DVD.iso)

Finally received my copy of Windows 7 Professional through the post this morning.

See postal strikes aren’t all that bad here in the UK, they can work in your favour, giving Microsoft an opportunity to be nice and and release it’s goodies to us early. Not that Microsoft aren’t nice! ;)

Time for a fresh install of Windows I think.

903 different keyphrases were used to find my site in September 2009, here are the top 10 with the amount of times they were used plus their overall usage percentage.

963 different keyphrases were used to find my site in August 2009, here are the top 10 with the amount of times they were used plus their overall usage percentage.