Free Windows 7 RTM Test Drive from Microsoft

The Windows 7 Professional Test Drive website is designed to deliver a free taste of the latest iteration of the Windows client with as little effort as possible on behalf of the end user. There are other ways in which customers can try out Windows 7 to see what the new operating system has to offer. Users can download the actual bits for Windows 7 Enterprise and install a trial edition of the OS that is time-bombed and set to expire after 90 days. Similarly, customers can download a Virtual Hard Disk image with Windows 7, also time-bombed, but which requires less work, no installation, and comes pre-configured. You will be able to find links for both at the end of this article.

However, the Windows 7 Professional Test Drive website provides a much simpler way to take the successor of Windows Vista out for a spin. Users need to run Internet Explorer 6, IE7 or IE8 with JavaScript enabled, and install the following ActiveX control: 'Virtual Server VRMC Advanced Control' from Microsoft. Subsequently, customers will be able to either get the hands-on experience by actually test driving Windows 7 or they can watch videos about the features.

“New to the Test Drive experience? Experience Windows 7 Professional in a fully-functioning environment, without having to install the full version. Follow guided steps to complete tasks using Windows 7 Professional features,” Microsoft noted. The content is spread in three sections, “Works the way you want,” “Get more done” and “Safeguard your work.”

“Here are some quick tips to get you in the driver’s seat in no time: start by choosing a topic on the right that you would like to try. You will go through a quick check to ensure that your machine has all the requirements needed to run the test drive. Once you have passed the requirements, you may have to wait a few moments while your experience ‘starts up’. This is a full-functioning version of Windows 7 Professional that you will be accessing, so you can get hands on with all of the new features, without having to install the full version on your own machine,” the company 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.