Free Windows 7 RTM Tests

What Microsoft is offering

Still unconvinced to make the jump to Windows 7? Well, Microsoft is, by all means, delivering consistent efforts to win customers over, including offering free downloads of the operating system. The latest iteration of the Windows client is available for download both as a standalone ISO image, but also as a virtualized evaluation version (links at the bottom of this article). Still, Windows 7 can also be test-driven off of Microsoft servers in the company’s datacenters via Windows 7 Test Drive.

After initially announcing the new online Windows 7 RTM test destination, Yochay Kiriaty, Windows 7 technical evangelist on the Client Platform Evangelist Group, revealed the key focuses of the test scenarios put together by Microsoft. Windows 7 Test Drive is addressed at two separate audiences, and as such the website content offered is divided in two sections, one for IT professionals and one for developers.

As far as IT pros go, Microsoft wants them to test “Search Federation: See how Search Federation works and see how to set up search federation connector. BranchCache: Try BranchCache and enabling BranchCache in a virtual environment. Med-V: Learn about Med-V and enabling Med-V in a virtual environment. BitLocker/BitLocker to Go: Learn about enabling BitLocker and BitLocker to Go encryption using group policy. User Account Control: Controlling user access through User Account Control. Windows Troubleshooting: Observe first hand how the Windows Troubleshooting features work,” Kiriaty explained.

The best thing about Windows 7 Test Drive, on top of the fact that the resources and content are available completely free of charge , of course, is the fact that neither IT Professionals not developers will have to spend a single second downloading , installing and customizing the platform. Windows 7 RTM can be tested through short virtual labs which come accompanied with supporting videos.

Developers will be able to test Windows 7 labs for the “Taskbar (without the Thumbnail Preview or customer switcher due the Basic Windows 7 Video Driver used to facilitate this virtual lab), Libraries, Version Control, Version Checking, Troubleshooting Platform, Windows Ribbon, Sensor and Location and IE8,” Kiriaty added.

Microsoft Windows 7 90-Day Eval VHD is available for download here.
Another Windows 7 RTM Enterprise 90-Day Evaluation is available for download here.

What are the system recovery options inWindows 7?

The System Recovery Options menu contains several tools, such as Startup Repair, that can help you recover Windows from a serious error. This set of tools is on your computer's hard disk and on the Windows installation disc.

Note

You can also create a system repair disc that contains the System Recovery Options menu. For more information, see Create a system repair disc.

The System Recovery Options menu

Windows 7 activation error: 0xC004F061

If you receive error "0xC004F061" when trying to activate Windows 7, it means you're using a product key for an upgrade version of Windows 7 and a previous version ofWindows wasn't on your computer when Windows 7 was installed. To install an upgrade version of Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP must be installed on your computer. If you formatted the drive before starting the installation process, you won't be able to use the upgrade product key to activate Windows 7. To activate Windows 7, you'll need to install your previous version of Windows, and then reinstall Windows 7. For help with the activation process, go to the Microsoft Support website.

We recommend that you install Windows 7 with your current version of Windows running. If you want to format the hard drive, and you are using an upgrade version of Windows 7, you'll need to start your computer using the Windows 7 upgrade DVD, click Custom (advanced), and then click Drive options (advanced).

For more information about Windows 7 product key errors, see Windows 7 activation error: invalid product key.

Personalizing your computer

You can add a personal touch to your computer by changing the computer's theme, color, sounds, desktop background, screen saver, font size, and user account picture. You can also select specific gadgets for your desktop.

Themes

A theme includes a desktop background, a screen saver, a window border color, sounds, and sometimes icons and mouse pointers. You can choose from several Aero themes. Use the whole theme or create your own customized theme by changing the pictures, colors, and sounds individually. You can also find more themes online at the Windows website. For more information, see What is a theme?

Components of a theme

Aero

Aero is the premium visual experience of this version of Windows. It features a transparent glass design with subtle window animations, a new Start menu, a new taskbar, and new window border colors. For more information, see What is the Aero desktop experience?

Window border colors that are available with Aero

To learn how to change colors in Windows, see Change the colors on your computer.

Sounds

You can change the sounds your computer makes when, for example, you receive e‑mail, start Windows, or shut down your computer. For more information, see Change computer sounds.

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Desktop background

The desktop background, also called wallpaper, is a picture, color, or design on the desktop. It provides a backdrop to your open windows. You can choose one picture to be your desktop background or you can display a slide show of pictures. For more information, see Create a desktop background slide show and Change your desktop background (wallpaper).

Some of the desktop background choices in Windows

Screen saver

A screen saver is a picture or animation that appears on the screen when you haven't used the mouse or keyboard for a set period of time. You can choose from a variety ofWindows screen savers. For more information, see Change your screen saver.

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Font size

You can make the text, icons, and other items on your screen larger by increasing the dots per inch (DPI) scale. You can also decrease the DPI scale to make text and other items on your screen smaller, to fit more on the screen. For more information, see Make the text on your screen larger or smaller.

User account picture

A user account picture helps identify your account on a computer. The picture is displayed on the Welcome screen and on the Start menu. You can change your user account picture to one of the pictures included with Windows, or you can use your own. For more information, see Choose a picture for your user account and Start menu.

Desktop gadgets

Desktop gadgets are customizable mini-programs that can display information, such as continuously updated headlines or a picture slide show, without having to open a new window. For more information, see Desktop gadgets: frequently asked questions and Customize desktop gadgets.

Gadgets on a desktop

Install a USB device

Typically, the first time you connect a device that plugs into a USB port, Windowsautomatically installs a driver for that device. Drivers enable your computer to communicate with hardware devices. Without a driver, a USB device that you connect to your computer—for example, a mouse or a webcam—won't work properly.

Before installing a device

Check the instructions that came with the device to see if you need to install a driver before connecting the device. Although Windows usually does this automatically when you connect a new device, some devices require that you install drivers manually. In those cases, the device manufacturer includes a software disc and instructions on installing the driver before plugging in the device.

If your USB device came with software from the manufacturer, check to see if it's compatible with this version of Windows. If it's not compatible, or doesn't say which versions of Windows it's designed for, try plugging the device in first to see if Windowscan find a compatible driver.

If the instructions that came with your device contradict the information in this topic, follow those instructions.

Plugging in and turning on a device

To install any USB device, just plug it in to your computer. Some USB devices have power switches you should turn on before connecting them. If your device uses a power cord, connect the device to a power source. Then, turn it on before connecting it.

Next, decide which USB port to connect your device to. If your computer has USB ports on the front, consider using one of those if you plan to frequently connect and disconnect the device. (You can use any port the next time you plug in the device.)

A typical USB cable and port

Plug the device into the USB port. If Windows can find and install the device driver automatically, you'll be notified that the device is ready to use. Otherwise, you'll be prompted to insert a disc containing the driver.

Windows will notify you when it finishes successfully installing a device.

After installation is complete, check the information that came with your device to see if you need to install any additional software.

Occasionally, a USB device isn't recognized by Windows and doesn't come with a disc containing a driver. In that case, you can try to find a device driver online. Start by checking the website of the device manufacturer—you can often download drivers from the "Support" section of such sites.

Tips

• Make sure the device is getting enough power. If a device doesn't work properly when connected to a USB hub, try connecting it directly to one of your computer's USB ports. Some ports on a USB hub, monitor, or other device that's plugged into your computer might not provide enough power to support your device.

  Smaller devices, such as USB flash drives and mice—and devices with their own power cords, such as printers—typically work properly when connected to an unpowered USB hub. Some devices that use more power, such as USB-powered scanners and web cameras, require a hub that has its own power cord to function properly.

• Make sure the device is plugged in to the correct USB port.Devices that transfer large amounts of information, such as external hard disks, scanners, and video cameras, function best when connected to high-speed USB 2.0 ports. Some older computers might include only USB 1.x ports, or a mix of USB 1.x and 2.0 ports. If your device requires a high-speed port to function properly, check the information that came with your computer to make sure that the port you're using supports USB 2.0. If your computer includes only USB 1.xports, you can add USB 2.0 ports by installing a USB 2.0 card inside your computer.

Disconnecting a device

Most USB devices can be removed and unplugged. When unplugging storage devices, such as USB flash drives, make sure that the computer has finished saving any information to the device before removing it. If the device has an activity light, wait for a few seconds after the light has finished flashing before unplugging it.

If you see the Safely Remove Hardware icon in the notification area on the right side of the taskbar, you can use this as an indication that devices have finished all operations in progress and are ready to be removed. Click the icon and you'll see a list of devices. Click the device that you want to remove. Windows will display a notification telling you it's safe to remove the device.

Turn ReadyBoost on or off for a storage device

ReadyBoost can speed up your computer by using storage space on most USB flash drives and flash memory cards.

Watch this video to learn how to turn ReadyBoost on or off for a storage device (1:32)

To turn ReadyBoost on or off

1. Plug a flash drive or flash memory card into your computer.

2. In the Autoplay dialog box, under General options, click Speed up my system.

3. In the Properties dialog box, click the ReadyBoost tab, and then do one of the following:

   • To turn ReadyBoost off, click Do not use this device.

   • To use the maximum available space on the flash drive or memory card for ReadyBoost, click Dedicate this device to ReadyBoost. Windows will leave any files already stored on the device, but it'll use the rest to boost your system speed.

   • To use less than the maximum available space on the device for ReadyBoost, click Use this device, and then move the slider to choose the amount of available space on the device you want to use.

4. Click OK.

   Move the slider to choose how much space you want to designate for boosting your system speed.

Notes

• If AutoPlay doesn't open, it might be disabled. For more information, see Troubleshoot AutoPlay problems.

• For ReadyBoost to effectively speed up your computer, the flash drive or memory card should have at least 1 gigabyte (GB) of available space. If your drive or card doesn't have enough available space for ReadyBoost, you'll see a message telling you to free some space on it. For best results, use a flash drive or flash memory card with at least double the amount of available space as the amount of memory (RAM) in your computer.