Windows 7 beta tested, photo’d, deemed ‘massive improvement’ over Vista

Yes, Virginia, there’s a leaked copy of Windows 7 beta floating around, and if you aren’t the type to “break the law” and check it out yourself, the folks at Tech Cast News have made for you a picture-laden walkthrough of the installation process and some of the OS’s new features, including Alt+Tab doppelganger Aero Peek, the icon-only Taskbar interface, and the Smart Folder-esque Libraries. Overall, they found the beta a major improvement over Vista and predict the final release will put Microsoft in consumers’ good graces again. Here’s hoping that apparent January beta release comes to fruition so we can sweep that other OS under the rug a little bit faster.

Update: Looks like Tech Cast News is down, standby for innovative Ballmer-based conspiracy theories.

Update 2: … and it’s back!

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Windows 7 beta tested, photo’d, deemed ‘massive improvement’ over Vista originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Dec 2008 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows 7 beta ISO leaked to internet, world

In case you hadn’t heard: delicious, beautiful, mind-bending Windows 7 — apparently slated for a beta release in January — has leaked and is now available. That is, if you’re willing to, you know, break the law and download the ISO that’s floating around on BitTorrent trackers all over the place. The good news here is that the leak is apparently a quite stable, newer beta version (build 7000) than previously spied (6801). We wouldn’t know, of course (we try to walk the straight and narrow), but let us know if you’ve got your hands on it… how’s it treating you?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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Windows 7 beta ISO leaked to internet, world originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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