Windows 7 Demo Tutorial – Try Windows 7 Before You Buy
Posted on April 6, 2010 at 6:27 am
Previously we wrote a post Top 10 Differences Between Windows XP and Windows 7. This article is a great guide for helping you decide whether or not to upgrade from Windows XP to 7. Ultimately, the conclusion that we came up with was:
“If you are considering upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7, be prepared for some new things, some missing things, and a few things in between. Still, the stability and usability of Windows 7 has been more or less established so you can rest assured that you are taking a step in the right direction by leaving XP behind.”
If you still cannot decide whether or not to switch to Windows 7, why not try Microsoft’s demo of Windows 7. Although it is somewhat limited in functionality, it should still provide a solid basis for XP and Vista users who are deciding whether or not to upgrade. By actually trying software out, often times we can decide immediately whether or not it’s for us or not. Here is how you get started:
Head on over to this webpage using Internet Explorer. Browsers like Firefox and Chrome are reported to not work with the Windows 7 demo, so make sure that you are using Internet Explorer (higher than IE6).
Upon arriving at the page, locate the lower left hand side pane titled Make people productive anywhere. Click the Take a Test Drive link located near the bottom of this box.
On the next screen, you will be presented with several test drive options. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and select MED-V. Assuring that MED-V is highlighted, click the Try it now! button.
This should immediately open up a new window in IE titled System Check. System Check will scan you system for three major requirements. Most likely you are already running IE6 and higher and have Java enabled. However, you will need to install the Active X control. Simply click the Click here to install link.
Upon installation, you will need to return to the actual Test Drive screen. There should be a link for this located at the bottom of the screen. After you are back on the Test Drive screen, you may need to reload the page in order for it to recognize the freshly installed Active X control. You should get the green light go ahead.
Microsoft Windows 7 Test Drive should now start building the lab, which means it’s preparing Windows 7.
Upon loading, which may take a couple of minutes, you will be presented with a Start your lab button. Click it to get started.
The final screen will present you with 3 steps. Simply click the Close Window button to skip this screen. Please note, you may get a popup message before this screen that says something like: NTLM Authentication. Click Yes if you get this popup.
That’s all there is to it. You should now be running a Windows 7 demo from within Internet Explorer. Go ahead and try out some of the features and see how well you like it. Microsoft even loads the demo version of Windows 7 with a couple of other MS products such as Word 2010.
» Filed Under Windows 7
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Nice share, thanks for your tips!
thanks. I just tried out the Windows 7 demo. Neat.