<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content=text/html;charset=utf-8 http-equiv=Content-Type>
<STYLE>BODY {font-family: Tahoma;font-size: 10pt;}</STYLE>
<META name=GENERATOR content="MSHTML 8.00.7600.16588"></HEAD>
<BODY style="PADDING-LEFT: 10px; PADDING-RIGHT: 10px; PADDING-TOP: 15px"
id=MailContainerBody leftMargin=0 topMargin=0 CanvasTabStop="true"
name="Compose message area">
<DIV><FONT size=3 face=Calibri></FONT><FONT size=3 face=Calibri>
<DIV>Public Beta Now Available for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service
Pack 1</DIV>
<DIV id=ctl00_content_ctl00_page class="content-fragment-page post">
<DIV class=layout>
<DIV id=ctl00_content_ctl00_layout
class="layout-content header-top-content-left-sidebar-right">
<DIV id=ctl00_content_ctl00_content class="layout-region content">
<DIV class="layout-region-inner content">
<DIV id=fragment-3327
class="content-fragment blog-post no-wrapper-with-spacing">
<DIV class="content-fragment-inner fiji-content-fragment-inner">
<DIV class=content-fragment-content>
<DIV class=full-post>
<DIV id=post-metadata>
<DIV class=post-date-block>
<DIV class=month>Jul</DIV>
<DIV class=day>12</DIV>
<DIV class=year>20<BR>10</DIV></DIV>
<DIV class=avatar-shell>
<DIV class=avatar><A
href="wlmailhtml:{A9B22B6C-C985-49B5-9D80-5E37FB1CC592}mid://00000017/!x-usc:http://windowsteamblog.com/members/Brandon-LeBlanc/default.aspx"><IMG
style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px"
alt=""
src="wlmailhtml:{A9B22B6C-C985-49B5-9D80-5E37FB1CC592}mid://00000017/!x-usc:http://windowsteamblog.com/resized-image.ashx/__size/44x44/__key/CommunityServer-Components-Avatars/00-00-01-66-82/avatar.jpg"></A></DIV>
<DIV class=user-name><A class="internal-link view-user-profile"
href="wlmailhtml:{A9B22B6C-C985-49B5-9D80-5E37FB1CC592}mid://00000017/!x-usc:http://windowsteamblog.com/members/Brandon-LeBlanc/default.aspx"><SPAN></SPAN>by
Brandon LeBlanc</A></DIV></DIV>
<DIV class=post-comment-shell>
<DIV class=post-comment-item><SPAN
id=ctl00_content_ctl00_fragment_3327_ctl01_ctl06_customCommentCount>7</SPAN>
</DIV></DIV>
<DIV class=post-rating-shell>
<DIV class=post-rating><SPAN
id=ctl00_content_ctl00_fragment_3327_ctl01_WeblogPostRating1
title="Rated Good [4 out of 5]."></SPAN><INPUT
id=ctl00_content_ctl00_fragment_3327_ctl01_WeblogPostRating1_Value value=4
type=hidden> </DIV></DIV></DIV>
<DIV class="post-content user-defined-markup">
<P>Today, we announced at our annual <A
href="wlmailhtml:{A9B22B6C-C985-49B5-9D80-5E37FB1CC592}mid://00000017/!x-usc:http://digitalwpc.com/">Worldwide
Partner Conference</A> (WPC) the availability of the public beta for <B>Windows
7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1)</B>. As Gavriella Schuster and
I have mentioned in <A
href="wlmailhtml:{A9B22B6C-C985-49B5-9D80-5E37FB1CC592}mid://00000017/!x-usc:http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/b/business/archive/2010/06/07/virtualization-updates-at-teched.aspx">previous</A>
<A
href="wlmailhtml:{A9B22B6C-C985-49B5-9D80-5E37FB1CC592}mid://00000017/!x-usc:http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/b/windows7/archive/2010/03/18/talking-about-service-pack-1-for-windows-7-and-windows-server-2008-r2.aspx">blogs</A>,
SP1 for Windows 7 does not contain any new features specific to Windows 7.
However, the new features in SP1 for Windows Server 2008 R2 benefit Windows 7 by
providing a richer Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) experience. For Windows
7, SP1 is simply a combination of updates already available through Windows
Update and additional hotfixes based on feedback by our customers and partners.
For more information on Windows 7 SP1 and new features for Windows Server 2008
R2 SP1, I recommend reading <A
href="wlmailhtml:{A9B22B6C-C985-49B5-9D80-5E37FB1CC592}mid://00000017/!x-usc:http://blogs.technet.com/b/windowsserver/archive/2010/07/12/available-for-download-windows-server-2008-r2-sp1-beta.aspx">this
blog post from the Windows Server Division Weblog</A>. </P>
<P>If you are an IT Professional interested in testing Windows 7 SP1, you can
download the public beta via the <A
href="wlmailhtml:{A9B22B6C-C985-49B5-9D80-5E37FB1CC592}mid://00000017/!x-usc:http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/dd361745.aspx">Springboard
Series on TechNet</A> where you will find the download as well as other key
deployment and support tools. For everyone else, Windows 7 SP1 will be available
in the first half of 2011 through the usual channels. </P>
<P>Business customers tell us that they are already seeing the benefit of
deploying Windows 7, and industry analysts agree that there is no need to wait
for SP1. According to the IDC Survey “Deployment Opportunities for Windows 7” by
Matt Healey, Al Gillen, and Cushing Anderson, Doc #223694, June 2010<B> </B>-
64.7% of enterprises have already begun or will begin their migration to Windows
7 within the next 6 months and 89% of companies have definitive plans to begin
their migration to Windows 7 within a 24-month period. And Forrester predicts
that Windows 7 will become the new standard for most commercial PCs within 12
months (Forrester Research 2010): </P>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<P><I>“With Windows powering approximately 96% of corporate PCs, it’s a
no-brainer for most firms to eventually transition to Windows 7.”
</I></P></BLOCKQUOTE>
<P>After only 7 months in market, Windows 7 had nearly 14% share of the global
OS market, according to Net Applications for June 2010. Not only that, Windows 7
has become the fastest selling operating system in history. We <A
href="wlmailhtml:{A9B22B6C-C985-49B5-9D80-5E37FB1CC592}mid://00000017/!x-usc:http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/b/bloggingwindows/archive/2010/06/23/150-million-licenses-of-windows-7-sold-windows-live-betas-announced.aspx">recently
announced</A> that Windows 7 has sold 150 million licenses. Check out my blog
posts <A
href="wlmailhtml:{A9B22B6C-C985-49B5-9D80-5E37FB1CC592}mid://00000017/!x-usc:http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/b/bloggingwindows/archive/2010/06/04/windows-7-still-going-strong.aspx">here</A>
and <A
href="wlmailhtml:{A9B22B6C-C985-49B5-9D80-5E37FB1CC592}mid://00000017/!x-usc:http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/b/bloggingwindows/archive/2010/05/21/microsoft-customer-satisfaction-improves-likely-due-to-windows-7.aspx">here</A>
for more amazing Windows 7 momentum today. </P>
<P>In short - businesses should move full speed ahead with deploying Windows 7
today.</P>
<P>Along with today’s announcement of public beta availability of Windows 7 and
Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, we also wanted to provide customers and partners
with more predictability around the lifecycle of Windows. </P>
<P>Prior to shipping Windows 7, we communicated that end-user downgrade rights
provided in the software license terms of Windows 7 Professional or Windows 7
Ultimate editions preinstalled on a new PC would allow a customer to downgrade
to either Windows XP Professional or similar Windows Vista versions for 18
months, or until the availability of SP1, whichever came sooner. Generally, PC
manufacturers are in the process of ramping down Windows XP downgrade
facilitation options that some offer today. As background, an OEM’s ability to
generally offer downgrade facilitation options (e.g., preinstalling Windows XP
Professional on a new PC that includes end-user rights for Windows 7
Professional) ends on October 22, 2010.</P>
<P>While the majority of customers are actively transitioning to Windows 7, and
PC manufacturers are focused on delivering PCs and devices with Windows 7
preinstalled, our business customers have told us that the removing end-user
downgrade rights to Windows XP Professional could be confusing, given the rights
change would be made for new PCs preinstalled with Windows 7 and managing a
hybrid environment with PCs that have different end-user rights based on date of
purchase would be challenging to track. </P>
<P>Therefore, maintaining a more straightforward policy would help those
customer segments that rely on downgrade rights as part of their migration
planning – particularly in emerging markets and customers who may not take
advantage of our volume license programs. </P>
<P>To support our customers’ “unprecedented move” to migrate their PC
environment to Windows 7, we have decided to extend downgrade rights to Windows
XP Professional beyond the previously planned end date at Windows 7 SP1. This
will help maintain consistency for downgrade rights throughout the Windows 7
lifecycle. As a result, the OEM versions of Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7
Ultimate will continue to include downgrade rights to the similar versions of
Windows Vista or Windows XP Professional. Going forward, businesses can
continue to purchase new PCs and utilize end user downgrade rights to Windows XP
or Windows Vista until they are ready to use Windows 7. Enabling such rights
throughout the Windows 7 lifecycle will make it easier for customers as they
plan deployments to Windows 7. </P>
<P>In the interest of providing more consistency and predictability with how we
manage the Windows lifecycle, we are confirming our current policy of allowing
retailers to sell the boxed version of the previous OS for up to 1 year after
release of a new OS, and that OEMs can sell PCs with the previous OS pre-loaded
for up to 2 years after, the launch date of the new OS. This means that since
Windows 7 launched on October 22, 2009, retailers will be able to sell the boxed
version of Windows Vista until October 22, 2010, and OEMs will be able to sell
PCs with Windows Vista preinstalled until October 22, 2011. I also recommend
checking out <A
href="wlmailhtml:{A9B22B6C-C985-49B5-9D80-5E37FB1CC592}mid://00000017/!x-usc:http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/b/bloggingwindows/archive/2010/06/09/reminder-windows-xp-end-of-sales-and-end-of-support-deadlines.aspx">this
blog post</A> regarding Windows XP end-of-sales and end-of-support deadlines.
</P>
<P>This lifecycle policy has been in effect since before the launch of Windows
7, and it has very little impact on most customers, as many retailers and OEMs
have already discontinued sales of Windows Vista in favor of Windows 7. But it
does ensure that our OEM and retail partners can discontinue sales of earlier
versions of Windows within a predictable timeline. </P>
<P>We are humbled by the amazing Windows 7 momentum and the positive feedback we
continue to hear from customers and partners. </P>
<P><B>UPDATE 7/13:</B> We’ve seen some confusion regarding the information in
this blog post covering the changes we’ve announced to end user downgrade rights
so I wanted to update this post with some clarification. </P>
<P>Customers who purchase Windows 7 PCs with end user downgrade rights as
provided in the software license terms (EULA) will be able to downgrade to
Windows XP Professional on those PCs for the life of the PC. However, customers
will not be able to buy a Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate PC with end user
downgrade rights after Windows 7 reaches the end of sales date in the OEM
channel – which according to the current Windows Lifecycle policy is 2 years
after the next version of Windows ships. </P>
<P>These changes are unrelated to our technical support policy. As mentioned in
<A
href="wlmailhtml:{A9B22B6C-C985-49B5-9D80-5E37FB1CC592}mid://00000017/!x-usc:http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/b/bloggingwindows/archive/2010/06/09/reminder-windows-xp-end-of-sales-and-end-of-support-deadlines.aspx">this
blog post</A>, extended support for Windows XP SP3 will continue through April
2014. So customers who downgrade their Windows 7 PCs to Windows XP will no
longer be able to receive extended support after April 2014. After April 2014,
customers will need to either get a custom support agreement or install a more
modern OS on those PCs. </P>
<P>And of course there’s also the question of third party applications that run
on Windows XP that our customers need as well. Analyst firms such as <A
href="wlmailhtml:{A9B22B6C-C985-49B5-9D80-5E37FB1CC592}mid://00000017/!x-usc:http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Windows/Microsoft-Windows-XP-Users-Can-Keep-Downgrade-Rights-491684/">Gartner</A>
are predicting that many third party applications will no longer be supported by
their makers after 2011, so we encourage customers to think holistically about
their IT infrastructure as they make their Windows migration
plans.</P></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://www.isihatiteddybearcute.blogspot.com/">Blog saya</A> <A
href="http://twitter.com/tai_cute">Twitter saya</A> <A
href="http://www.facebook.com/tai.cute">Facebook saya</A> <A
href="mailto:blind_boy007@live.com.my">Windows Live Messenger saya</A> <A
href="mailto:puteri_kencana_dewi1@yahoo.com.my">Yahoo messenger saya</A> Skype:
ultraman5984 <A href="http://www.1malaysia.com.my/">Laman 1Malaysia</A> <A
href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dato-Sri-Najib-Tun-Abdul-Razak/27767103249">Laman
Facebook Dato Sri Najib Tun Abdul Razak</A></DIV></BODY></HTML>