TechNet Virtual Labs

Dec 17, 2009 14:11 GMT  ·  By

Approximately two months after Windows 7’s general availability on October 22nd, 2009, Microsoft continues to offer free downloads of its latest Windows client. Still, while the Windows 7 Enterprise 90-day Trial offering continues to be live, fact is that there are more ways than one to get a taste of Windows Vista’s successor without paying a single cent. Microsoft unveiled recently the Windows 7 Test Drive website, an online destination aimed at both developers and IT professionals  looking to explore the operating system.

“This site offers developers a chance to get first-hand experience in developing for Windows 7, even if they don’t have Windows 7 installed on their development environment. Using the Windows 7 Test Drive site, you can learn about developing on Windows 7 in a virtual environment. This experience provides the user with a guided tour of Windows 7 features from a developer's perspective with the goal of engaging and enabling them to develop on the Windows Platform,” revealed Yochay Kiriaty, Windows 7 technical evangelist on the Client Platform Evangelist Group.

Kiriaty might be talking only of developers, but the same thing applies to IT professionals, and to end users for that matter. The website in question features a diversified range of content, including insights from Windows guru Mark Russinovich, a technical fellow at Microsoft. Via Windows 7 Test Drive devs and IT pros will be able to experience the platform while it is running live on servers inside Microsoft datacenters. The Windows 7 test-drive environments are available through the browser. Essentially, developers and IT professionals will be able to take advantage of a collection of virtual labs along with video content to provide guidance.

“The idea behind the Test Drive lab is to create a very low barrier-to-entry development experience for Windows 7. It is a free tool for you to use whenever you want and requires no special software installation (besides a single ActiveX). All you need is a Windows Live ID, a few clear hours, and a visit to the Windows 7 Test Drive for Developers to take a guided tour of Windows 7. The short virtual labs and supporting videos will give you a chance to explore Windows 7 feature by feature with no installation required. Try out a few of the virtual labs and watch a few videos today to learn how and why you should develop on the Windows,” 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.