"WINDOWS 7 ENTERPRISE TRIAL"--

HOW TO TRY "WINDOWS 7" FOR FREE

OBJECTIVE AND DESIRED RESULT:

Download and try the "Windows 7 Enterprise" operating system for free, using available computer hardware. When the time-limited copy of "Windows 7 Enterprise Trial" expires, you can then use one of several strategies to revert back to your original copy of "Windows..".

DETAILS AND TACTICS:

You can download a trial copy of "Windows 7 Enterprise" at

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/cc442495.aspx?ITPID=wtcpgs.

This top half of this Web page looks like this:

The bottom half of this Web page looks like this:

According to the Wikipedia page at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_7_editions,

"Windows 7 Enterprise" has the same features as "Windows 7 Ultimate".

Most home and small/medium-sized business users of "Windows 7" will be using "Windows 7 Home Premium" or "Windows 7 Professional".

Microsoft's official list of the features in the various editions of "Windows 7" is located at http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/products/compare. The features that are only available to "Windows 7 Ultimate" and "Windows 7 Enterprise" will rarely be of any interest to home and small/medium-sized business users of "Windows 7". Don't worry about which version of "Windows 7" you will be trying out, you can ignore the extra features that are part of "Windows 7 Enterprise" and concentrate on the "Windows 7 Home Premium" and/or "Windows 7 Professional" features after you install the "Windows 7 Enterprise" free trial.

After you select either the 32-bit version or the 64-bit version at the bottom of the page,

you will arrive at a Web page whereupon you either have to log in with your existing "Hotmail" or "Windows Live" account or you have to create one:

After you get past this page, you finally arrive at a page where you have to give them some information:

Start filling in this online form.

When you get to the "What occupation describes you?" question, you have to answer with one of the correct answers.

The correct answers are:

IT Manager

IT Worker

Developer

Non IT Manager

The incorrect answers are:

Consumer

Student

Tech Enthusiast

Other

If you answer with an incorrect answer, you get the following unfriendly notification:

Click on the "Continue" button at the bottom of the form.

A second online form will be displayed.

Fill in this online form also.

Click on the "Continue" button at the bottom of this form.

Click on the yellow notice at the top of the next Web page that is shown.

Click on "Run Add-on" in the popup context menu to install the "Download Manager" from Akamai Technologies.

If an "Internet Explorer - Security Warning" is shown, click on its "Run" button.

Click on the yellow notice at the top of the next Web page that is shown.

Click on "Install this Add-on for All Users on This Computer.." in the popup context menu to install the "Download Manager" from Akamai Technologies.

Click on Allow if an "Internet Explorer Security" box is shown.

A "Save As" box will be displayed.

Change the "Save in:" field to "Desktop" by using its drop down arrow button:

Click on the "Save" button.

An *.iso file that represents the installation DVD for "Windows 7 Enterprise" will be downloaded to the Windows "Desktop" of your computer.

ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FOR INSTALLING

THE "WINDOWS 7 ENTERPRISE TRIAL"

After you download your free trial copy of "Windows 7 Enterprise", you have to decide where you want to install it.

You probably should not install the "Windows 7 Enterprise" directly onto any existing Windows computer, since the "Windows 7 Enterprise trial" does not provide with you with a way revert back to the original version of Windows when the "Windows 7 Enterprise trial" expires.

Strategy 1:

If you have a spare computer to install the "Windows 7 Enterprise trial" into, then it will be a good safe place for you to install into.

Strategy 2:

If you have a spare hard drive for an existing computer, you can install "Windows 7 Enterprise trial" onto the spare hard drive. After installing "Windows 7 Enterprise trial" onto the spare hard drive, you then have to switch between your current version of "Windows" on your regular hard drive and the "Windows 7 Enterprise trial" on your spare hard drive.

There are two methods to switch between hard drives for any single computer:

Method 1 for Strategy 2:

Switch the SATA cable, eSATA cable, or IDE cable from one drive to the other drive. Then, switch the power cable from one drive to the other drive.

Method 2 for Strategy 2:

Use a drive swap tray to switch between your regular hard drive and the hard drive that contains the "Windows 7 Enterprise trial".

Lots of companies make drive swap trays for IDE hard drives.

"Vantec" makes "EZ Swap" drive swap trays for SATA hard drives. See http://www.vantecusa.com/en/product/pro_list/62

and http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=vantec+ez+swap

Strategy 3:

Use "Acronis True Image Home.." or "Macrium Reflect Free" to temporarily store your existing copy of Windows on an external hard drive. Then install the "Windows 7 Enterprise trial" over your current copy of Windows. When the "Windows 7 Enterprise trial" expires, use the "Restore" or "Rescue" media CD of "Acronis.." or "Macrium.." and the image backup files on the external hard drive to restore your original copy of Windows:

Step 1:

Use drive imaging software "Acronis True Image Home.." or "Macrium Reflect Free" to back up your existing Windows computer to an external hard drive.

Step 2:

Download and install the "Windows 7 Enterprise trial" onto your existing Windows computer.

Step 3:

Evaluate the "Windows 7 Enterprise trial" for 90, 180, or 600 days.

During this evaluation period, do not install any commercial software that requires "activation" since you will lose any such software when you get to "Step 4".

Step 4:

After the "Windows 7 Enterprise trial" expires, use the "Rescue Media" or "Restore" Cd of Acronis.. or Macrium.. to boot up your computer and restore the image that you made in "Step 1". You will now be back to the original operating system that you had back in "Step 1".

Strategy 4:

You can install the "Windows 7 Enterprise" as a "virtual machine" also known as a "guest operating system" into either "Oracle VM VirtualBox" or "VMware Player 3.1". These two amazing free software applications can be installed into either Windows or Linux computers. Using "..VirtualBox" or "VMware Player 3.1", you get a virtual computer inside an existing computer and you will not need a separate physical computer or separate physical hard drive for installing "Windows 7 Enterprise trial".

At the present time, we recommend that you use "VMware Player 3.1" instead of "..VirtualBox".

"VMware Player.." gives you more reliable control over physical/actual USB devices compared to "VirtualBox..". "VMware Player.." gives you more reliable control over physical/actual devices such as IDE or SATA-connected DVD/CD and hard drives compared to "VirtualBox..". "VMware Player.." provides you with a configurable virtual network router which allows you do set up or deny file and printer sharing between multiple virtual machines and between virtual machines and the host computer. "VirtualBox" does not allow file and printer sharing between virtual machines. "VirtualBox" does not allow file and printer sharing between virtual machines and the host computer. To download "VMware Player 3.1" for Windows, go to

http://downloads.vmware.com/d/info/desktop_downloads/vmware_player/3_0

In order to download "VMware Player 3.1" from this site, you have to either log in with your existing "VMware account" or register for one, if you do not already have one. "VMware accounts" are free.

Our step-by-step instructions for installing "Windows 7 Enterprise trial" as a "virtual machine" guest operating system inside "VMware Player.." is available at

http://aztcs.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win7intovmware/win7intovmware.htm

Our step-by-step instructions for installing "Windows 7 Enterprise trial" as a "virtual machine" guest operating system inside "Oracle VM VirtualBox" is available at

http://aztcs.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win7intovirtualbox/win7intovirtualbox.htm

YOU CANNOT INSTALL "WINDOWS 7 ENTERPRISE TRIAL" INTO AN EXTERNAL USB OR FIREWIRE HARD DRIVE

During the installation of "Windows 7 Enterprise trial", you arrive a "Where do you want to install Windows?" screen:

If you try to get the "Windows 7 Enterprise trial" installation wizard to install into an external USB or Firewire hard drive, you get the following notification: