With Windows 7, Microsoft is trying not to make the same mistakes it did with Windows Vista. That much is clear.

One of the biggest things Microsoft is trying to do different this time is be a more dependable software vendor. The company knows it lost some credibility with businesses by changing its Vista plans midstream and also having several delays. (more…)

Although the enthusiasts that are testing Windows 7 have been generally positive on the product itself, some feel Microsoft has been less than eager to receive constructive criticism.

The issue came to a head last month in regards to changes Microsoft was making to make its controversial user account control feature less annoying. While the company did eventually make some shifts to address security concerns raised by testers, for some, the notions has lingered that Microsoft just isn’t all that interested in user feedback. (more…)

Neowin is reporting a date of April 10th for the release of Windows 7 RC, the next important version of the OS. Microsoft confirmed that beta users won’t receive the RC before the general public. (more…)

Microsoft has definitely opened up a few doors for personalizing Windows 7 compared to Windows Vista, but the software giant recently gave some news that many customizers and tweakers will not enjoy. Only two months ago the boot screen for Windows 7 leaked, and everyone was trying to confirm whether it was real or fake. (more…)

Microsoft warned enterprise customers this week that the migration path from XP to Windows 7 won’t be any easier than it is to Vista, and offered recommendations for how companies can move from older versions of Windows to one of its newer client OSes.

windows 7, microsoft”Moving from XP to Windows 7 is not a magic bullet,” said Gavriella Schuster, a senior director of Windows product management, in an interview Tuesday. “You have the same level of application compatibility from XP to Windows Vista or Windows 7.” (more…)

Finding myself with some free time on Tuesday, I decided to try and see whether and how Windows 7 would install using Boot Camp on a Mac.

I must say, I get a little sick pleasure turning a Mac into a Windows machine, knowing that it has to make both Microsoft and Apple’s skin crawl to see their progeny used in such a way. (more…)

Computer enthusiasts who want to get their hands on the trial version of Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT)’s next operating system have just two more weeks to do so.

The company says it will end availability of Windows 7 Beta on Feb. 10.

There are a couple of loopholes, however. Users who started to download the OS before that date will have until Feb. 12 to complete the process. Also, Microsoft will continue to distribute product keys beyond Feb. 12 to users who have previously downloaded Windows 7 Beta but have yet to obtain a key. (more…)

has dropped limits on the number of copies of the Windows 7 beta it plans to make available to PC enthusiasts after a crush of download requests for the new operating system brought its servers to a halt over the weekend. (more…)

 By: MG Siegler

It’s pretty clear that Microsoft would rather see its next operating system, Windows 7, sooner rather than later. But conflicting reports and opinions have it launching anywhere from mid-2009, to sometime in 2010.

Officially, Windows 7 may or may not be ready for the 2009 holiday season. “I’m telling them that it could go either way,” Windows executive Bill Veghte told CNET’s Ina Fried earlier this week. But that’s just a cautious company line, says ZDNet’s Ed Bott, who goes on to predict that we’ll see Windows 7 hit shelves sometime in July 2009. Yes, just 6 months from now.

Microsoft hasn’t had to best record recently for hitting launch windows (no pun intended) — Windows Vista, for example was delayed. And the original thought was that Windows 7 would roll out sometime in 2010.

But consumer backlash — or maybe more appropriately, apathy — towards Windows Vista seems to have shifted that timetable forward. And now Microsoft appears to be in high gear. After only announcing the product’s name in October, Microsoft already launched a public beta version of Windows 7 on Friday — which, after some server issues, is now available.

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Microsoft Corp said on Friday it has paused offering downloads of the public test version of its new version of Windows due to “high demand.”

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