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Bill Gates today announced at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) 2006 the immediate availability of Beta 2 versions of the three Microsoft flagship products. This is the first time that Microsoft has released such a trio simultaneously.

“The release of these three betas is a significant milestone for Microsoft and a major step toward delivering the platforms that will drive the next decade of computing, Gates said. “The combination of these innovative platform technologies and the new hardware and software being developed by our partners will make PCs and other devices more powerful, more useful and more intelligent for businesses today and into the future.

Yeah right. But if you have a MSDN or TechNet subscription, or are a member of the Technology Adoption Program (TAP) or TechBeta program you can download the Vista and ‘Longhorn’ Betas now to try for yourself. Microsoft will start the Windows Vista Customer Preview Program (CPP) within a few weeks. However, anyone can the freely available 2007 Microsoft Office System Beta 2 right now.

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Short summary and context from the WinHEC announcement: Bill Gates used the WinHEC keynote to hand out Beta 2 builds of Windows Vista, the 2007 Microsoft Office system and Windows Server "Longhorn" — a coordinated push so hardware, client and server work together during testing. These were distributed first to MSDN/TechNet/TAP/TechBeta attendees and then made available more broadly through the Customer Preview Program; Office 2007 Beta 2 was offered for public download at the time. Bill Gates: WinHEC 2006 (news.microsoft.com) Microsoft news: next-generation platform announcement (news.microsoft.com)

Quick practical checklist before testing (keeps you out of trouble):

  • Use a virtual machine or a dedicated spare machine; take a full disk image/snapshot first.
  • Decide test goals (device drivers, app compatibility, new UI/features) and collect current drivers and installers.
  • Run the Vista hardware checks / Upgrade Advisor and verify graphics/DirectX and disk space — Vista Beta 2 had higher "premium" recommendations than XP.
  • Isolate the test system from production networks and back up user data; expect device drivers and some apps to be unstable or unavailable.

See a hands-on tour and the Beta 2 hardware notes for reference. Ars Technica: A tour of Windows Vista Beta 2 (arstechnica.com)

Office and feedback notes: Office 2007 Beta 2 was widely posted for preview (multiple languages) and Microsoft tracked feedback through its beta channels — expect time-limited builds and later technical refreshes/updates during the preview cycle. If testing Office/Outlook workflows, record compatibility with your mail server and add-ins before switching any production data. ()

One last point on the "busy Microsoft" quip from : browser work was active too (IE7 Beta 2 appeared earlier in 2006), so multiple major dev streams were running in parallel; treat all these builds as test/preview code and report bugs via the official beta channels. Wired: Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2 Released (wired.com)

Practical takeaway: test with clear goals, isolated hardware or VMs, full backups, and document every failure — that makes your feedback actionable and keeps production systems safe.

Member Avatar for tgreer

NOW I know why they haven't been able to fix Internet Explorer's bugs for 3 years. They've obviously been very busy.

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