While laboring to produce the first Release Candidate of the next iteration of Windows, Microsoft is making available for download the Windows Demo Toolkit, an offering with Windows 7 as its nucleolus. Both the 32-bit and the 64-bit variants of the Foundation Suite (what the software giant referred to as the heart of the Windows Demo Toolkit) are up for grabs via Microsoft Connect, the Redmond company revealed. Via the two downloads packaged as ISO images, customers will be able to access preconfigured installations of Windows 7 Beta Build 7000. Microsoft informed that once Windows 7 Release Candidate would be made available, the Windows Demo Toolkit would be upgraded with the RC bits.

“Are you Gold Certified or Certified partner who wants a way to demo your software on Windows 7? If so, the brand new Windows Demo Toolkit (WDT) is a collection of resources that makes demoing the Windows operating system as easy as possible. You can use WDT to create engaging and reliable demos in a fraction of the time. WDT is available exclusively for Certified and Gold Certified Partners,” revealed Bruce Kyle, Microsoft ISV Architect Evangelist. “The heart of the Windows Demo Toolkit is the Foundation Suite, a deployment of Windows 7 Beta tailored specifically for use in demonstrations.”

Windows Demo Toolkit involving Windows 7 is indeed an offering addressed at Microsoft partners. But fact is that the bits can be downloaded from Microsoft Connect by all users with a Windows Live ID. Still, users must understand that the Windows Demo Toolkit is designed to allow partners to build demonstrations involving the Windows 7 operating system, and to create Win7 demo machines, now evolving from Beta to RC. In addition to the Windows 7 Beta, the Windows Demo Toolkit offers the latest edition of Windows Live Essentials, IE8, the high end edition of Office 2007, and even Forefront security solutions.

“The Foundation Suite uses Windows Setup to install onto your PC in minutes, and includes a host of must-have software including Windows Live Essentials and Microsoft Office 2007. You can demo the included both Windows 7 Beta for Consumer and Enterprise out of the box. Or you can use the Foundation Suite as a starting point for demoing your own products and services,” Kylen added.