What happens when Win 7 Beta Expires?

Ok so probably a dumb question but I'm a noob where beta versions of MS OS are concerned so please bear with me...

When I install Windows 7 Beta I understand that it will expire on August 1st.

If I've installed it via the upgrade of Vista SP1 option what happens when the beta expires on August 1st?

Do I get the option to rollback to Vista as it was or am I going to have to completely re-install Vista and start again with it?

Thanks in advance for any advice on this.

 

I'm assuming by then the next beta should be out by then. Other than that, I'm not too sure

 

Thats a good question, but I dont think you'll have the option of rolling back to the previous OS version. You upgraded the OS, so I dont think you'll have the option of rolling back.

 

you should roll back before the August first date, in the Programs and Features control panel applet.

An August 1 you will no longer be able to log in to the Windows 7 installatlon if history is an indicator. You will likely get a few warning in July that the beta is about to expire.

Also, my guess is, even if there is another public beta--something I would not bet on, it will probably need to be installed from scratch--not overwrite beta 1. That means you will need to uninstall beta 1, then install beta 2.

Also, beta 2--if it comes--will probably also expire Aug 1, becauseif windows hits its release date they don't want the betas in wide release.

 

I'd be surprised if the public RC isn't out before then, which will expire in November or something, and then Windows 7 to be released before the RC expires.

 

Well in that case I need to find a way of getting an extra partition (I already have 4) to do a clean win 7 install on, and GParted doesn't work on my Asus.

Otherwise I'll never use it. I have it installed on a "test bed" laptop but I never use that so apart knowing it runs the OS ok I can't really put it to the test.

So far though it doesn't look all that different from Vista.

 

I've read August 1 expiration elsewhere too but when I type winver, my copy says that it will expire on July 1, not August 1. Is everyone else's copy the same?

 

Mine says July 1st as well. It's a bit concerning, so I setup a reminder to have me "re-arm" the trial period. You can find out more about re-arming the trial to extend it here. The article says it's for Vista, but I think it works in Windows 7 as well. Can anyone confirm this?

 

I doubt it will work as SP1 rendered this useless anyway.

 

Rearming only extends the period by which you need to activate the OS, not the expiration of the OS itself. So you can get more than 30 dyas before activating Windows by rearming, you can't extend the July 1 expiration date that way.

As has been noted, I'm sure a Beta 2 or RC will be out by then, and those should be installed from scratch anyway.

 

To further expand on that, the "hack" was used to stave off Window's limited-functionality mode after a set timeframe without activation, which was made moot by SP1. Since your beta has already been activated, this particular fix would not have applied anyway.

 

Awww... well here's hoping W7 is officially released by then. Or at least another beta to arrive.

 

As Fountainhead said, it is likely we will see another build before then. Thats how it was with the Vista betas anyway.......

 

I'm curious about the next Beta. Do you need the first Beta to be eligible to participate in the second Beta (and any future RCs)?

 

That's generally not the case.

 

I guess it will depend on how generous Microsoft will get with keys. If they pull the plug, you may need to have an existing beta key (provided you signed up for one when they were available).

 

Ok good, then I'll save my newer systems for more improved builds.

 

Well I've got it installed. I was quite surprised in how short a time it took, I started at 03:00, after sorting my partitions out, which took about 40 minutes.

I dl'd a program called easeus partition manager home edition and removed the recovery partition, I have a norton ghost image of Vista that was supplied with my Asus so I don't really need the recovery partition and if I need to put it back I can always recreate the partition in size terms and put the data back using the Acronis backup of my entire HDD I have.

And I'm typing this post in Win 7 and I could have typed this 30-40 minutes ago if I wasn't sorting out the Asus drivers and apps.

Having a slight problem getting the Dolby Control Center app that I have in Vista, I can't find it on the drivers disk from Asus and I can't find a download for it that works, perhaps it's one thing that won't work in Win 7 yet, like the power 4 gear extreme app, that doesn't seem to work.

Oh and my Intel Pro wireless install app won't work because it doesn't recognise Win 7 (it only works in Vista), but I think I have been able to work around that by using device manager and updating the driver that way.

But anyway I have functioning Win 7 and aside from it looking largely like Vista I am on the fence about this one, I have Vista, it works ok for me, I see no reason to upgrade, especially when it'll cost me. Perhaps more use of Win 7 will encourage me to do so, I'm gonna try some gaming shortly...

I read that it's been mooted that M$ are considering giving a free upgrade from Vista to Win 7 when the full version is released, from what I've read that'll only be when you buy a new computer though...

 

There is a web page somewhere that I read a short while back that Microsoft will allow people to upgrade to Windows 7 for free if they buy a computer that is loaded with Vista after July 1st, 2009. I'll see if I can dig it up.

Edit: Here it is - http://arstechnica.com/journals/mic...pc-as-of-july-1-upgrade-to-windows-7-for-free

 

Yeah, they had the same program when Vista launched.

Greg

 

I think everyone who has Vista should at least get a reduced cost upgrade, and I mean a huge reduction, something like 50% off, just allowing new computer owners to have a free upgrade while the rest of us have to shell out £250+ for the new OS is a bit off if you ask me.

I am in two minds about upgrading to Win 7, it's not that much different to Vista, although my bluetooth headphones automatically connect which is something they don't do in Vista, I have to unpair and pair them again each time I boot into Vista.

I guess I'll wait and see. Looks ok so far but I haven't got around to seeing if there is any gaming performance issues or boost as I've got to reinstall all my games to get them to work, or so it seems at the moment...

 

Apple charges people for what are essentially service packs and you want Microft to give you a new OS when Vista is perfectly fine?

 

No but I don't see why they should allow people who buy a new computer with Vista on to have a free upgrade either. Either specify that you want Windows 7 when you buy the computer or take Vista.

 

It will likely end up being a handful of consumers who buy Vista machines right before W7's retail launch. I don't see MS just discounting every Vista user on earth....(IMO)

 

Hmm yeah probably.

I'm going to see what happens when the time comes, I've got Win 7 on a separate partition now so it's not like I'm suddenly going to lose an OS, besides if I had upgraded Vista to Win 7 I'd still have my backups and XP to fall back on.

 

I planned on getting the Lenovo X200t sometime later this year.

But, I may hold out to see if Win7 will hit the streets by fall or early '10.

 

These kinds of fanboyish comments are unnecessary. Leopard not only had a ton of new features, but also provided full 32-bit and 64-bit for every computer that could run it instead of having two different versions. And it only costs $129, which is about the same price that Windows 7 should cost in my opinion. OS X upgrades are essentially similar to the Vista-Win7 upgrade.

While we're on the subject, all Ubuntu OS' and upgrades are free, so why don't you just use that?

 

Because many games don't run in Ubuntu (Linux), I have seen so many people struggle to get the games I play, in particular Dawn of War Soulstorm, running in Linux.

With windows all I have to do is install the games, make sure I have properly updated drivers and hey presto games work, for the most part.

I certainly don't have to mess around with apps like WINE.

Plus I know more about Windows than I know about Linux.

But on the flip side, if Linux is free, why do Apple and M$ still get away with charging for their OSs, especially when in the case of Win 7 it's more of a service pack with a few graphical tweaks (at least that's how it looks from the 24hrs or so usage I've had of it so far)?

 

Apple and MS are charging coz they want to make money.

 

A new build will be out before July 1st. If not, either go back to Vista or TimerNuke Win7.

 

And that's why you have to pay for it.

Linux is free cause it's open for anyone to modify it or so, it's open source. Windows and osx aren't the same as only m$ can change things in the OS.
That's why we as users can have demands on stability and how it works, cause we pay for it. We may also have support and such. Linux has nothing like that, because it's free.

Linux was intended to be a free OS from the beginning, so it's not like m$ and osx are getting away with anything at all when they charge for it.


And if you see w7 as just graphical tweaks compared to vista, then i guess you haven't really looked around what really is different. It just seems like you've been stairing at the desktop and been using internet explorer Check what processes (and how many) are running and how much they use, check how much RAM everything uses and so on. Check how you change some settings and see how homegroup works

 

I haven't looked into Homegroup as it isn't a feature I'd use anyway, I think and seeing as I've never used it and it's not got a big "I'm here use me" sign on it I doubt I'll ever look at it.

And yes I have seen there are a few less processes running than in Vista (although I still have 63 running currently and I'm only using my mobile web dongle, WMP12 and Firefox 3), which is about as many as Vista runs, although Win 7 appears to be marginally quicker than Vista with the same or similar amount of processes running.

I also know it's not just a graphical tweak, but to most users it is, and I certainly can't be bothered with looking into the inner workings of an OS.

But software and games will be increasingly developed for Win 7 and those of us with XP/Vista will have to upgrade and to upgrade we have to pay for it as an OS or buy a new computer with it pre-installed (or get it as a free upgrade) and when your being forced to upgrade, which is the way it seems sometimes, paying £250+ for an OS if you don't take the latter two options isn't on imo.

M$ have even said that Windows isn't their main source of income these days, so why do they keep charging so much for it?

And with Linux there's a whole community of people out there that can and will offer support with problems for free - you get charged for M$ support per support case after your first free one, at least that was what I understood from the last time I made a request support, for M$ Excel, which was a year or so ago, perhaps I misunderstood that though...

 

So I have win7 installed on a separate partition. How do I delete the partition after it's expired?

 

Using a partition editor. Vista has one built-in ( instructions here), but you can also use 3rd-party software, such as GParted ( download here, instructions here), which is free.

 

Yeah but GParted doesn't always work for everyone. It doesn't work on both my old Acer or my current Asus, for some unknown reason it just will not load, and I've tried nearly every version there is of it...

I'd use Vistas built in disk manager, which can be found by right clicking on the "my computer" icon, selecting manage and then disk management and then right click on the partition and selecting delete or whatever the option is.

Or you could use a program I came across, totally free afaik, called Easeus Partition Manager Home Edition, very handy tool, and from what I understand it can do the same as GParted.

 

That's the impression ever since SP2 for XP. Nearly every service packs released in the past was a collection of bug fixes to make it easier for network admins to get the newly installed systems up to date.

OSX updates on the other hand add functionality to the OS.

 

I never said that Sp2 was a new OS...I said Windows 7 was a new OS.

As for Mac updates...well, if you want to call them new functionality, that's your perogative.

I'm just glad they gave up trying to write their own OS and just stole BSD instead, cus everything prior to OS X was crap