Source claims that partners can get the testing build from Microsoft before the public unveiling in early October

Sep 27, 2014 07:55 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft will officially talk about Windows 9 plans publicly next week during a press event in San Francisco, but it turns out that the company has already completed development of the very first testing build aimed at the masses.

A post on PCBeta forums reveals a screenshot from Microsoft Connect which allegedly allows users to download Windows Technical Preview build 9834, but it’s not yet clear at this point whether the download links are indeed active or not.

Of course, users cannot access this section, so the download link doesn’t work for anyone beside partners who have to log in with their credentials before getting access to this page.

Surprisingly, the date when the listing was published is September 8, which means that the download link has been available for a while, so many partners might already be running the preview.

Build 9834 could be the public preview

A few weeks ago, leaked Windows 9 screenshots provided us with a detailed glimpse at the feature lineup of the next Microsoft operating system, confirming that Redmond was working to bring back the Start menu, multiple desktops, a PC version of Cortana, and other features.

The leaked screenshots were made on Windows Technical Preview build 9834, which is exactly the one that appears in this photo, so they were most likely coming from a partner build.

What’s more, these screenshots reached the web on September 11, only two days after the download link was published on Microsoft’s servers.

This could be a sign that the public build might actually be the very same 9834 that leaked in screenshots a couple of weeks ago, so users may in the end get access to the majority of the features rumored to be part of the final product.

Public download links in early October

While partners can already download Windows Technical Preview, users won’t have this chance until early October.

Microsoft will indeed hold a press conference on September 30 to discuss its Windows 9 plans, but the company will only reveal the download links in early October, sources say. This means that we shall be able to try out the new OS version in approximately 10 days.

The Windows 9 press event won’t be streamed online, but Microsoft apparently promised to post detailed blogs and articles on its official websites once the conference comes to an end, in an attempt to keep everyone up to date with what’s next for Windows.

Windows Technical Preview download links will also be available from Microsoft’s servers, while new versions and updates will be delivered through a new built-in update system.