14 DAY TRIAL // Free copies of Windows Vista Enterprise edition are up for grabs over at Microsoft. The Redmond company is delivering Vista Enterprise as a free download enabling all users to access the otherwise restricted edition of its latest operating system. Windows Vista Enterprise is the first version of the platform released. On November 30, 2006, Microsoft Chief Executive Office Steve Ballmer celebrated the business launch of Vista from the NASDAQ headquarters in New York. Vista Enterprise is designed with the Redmond company's Software Assurance customers in mind, and can only be acquired via volume licensing.
Still, a free version can also be downloaded under the form of a pre-configured VHD. In Microsoft's perspective, the virtual machine containing Vista Enterprise is offered for evaluation purposes. Enterprise was preferred to the other editions of the operating system due to its unique activation architecture. For example, prolonging the Initial Grace period on Vista Home basic, Home Premium, Business and Ultimate via the "slmgr -rearm" trick does not work on Enterprise. Additionally, the virtual hard disk is time bombed at 30 days, after which users will no longer be able to access the expired Enterprise virtual image.
On July 2, 2007, Microsoft started offering an updated variant of the Windows Vista 30-Day Eval VHD. Version 1.1 of the Vista Enterprise VHD weighs from 3.9 MB to 1632.2 MB, so it can be quite a consistent download. And you will need to plan ahead because it will hug your network resources. Still, Microsoft has streamlined the download process concomitantly with the introduction of the updated Enterprise VHD.
Initially, the Windows Vista 30-Day Eval VHD was provided as three separate items, essentially a self-extracting RAR archive. While the modus operandi remains virtually the same, Microsoft has cut up the virtual machine in no less than 18 pieces. Each slice of the Windows Vista 30-Day Eval VHD is a maximum of 95.8 MB, simplifying the download.
If you would like to get a detailed insight on how to access, download, deploy and run free Windows Vista Enterprise and Windows XP SP2 in virtualized environments, then go ahead and read "Install Free Windows Vista Enterprise and Windows XP SP2 IN(!) Windows Vista." Otherwise, you will be able to access the updated version of the Windows Vista 30-Day Eval VHD via this link.