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I would like to install Win 7 on some machines as a test and see how it works out for the other people to install it.

But is it true that Oct 22 is the earliest possible date to install the official version?

Given the RTM date being July 22, the date Oct 22 seems so far away -- it is 3 months earlier that MS could have sold it.

Anybody know why that is, and any way to install the official Win 7 earlier? During the days of Win XP, people can actually go to Best Buy and buy an XP machine about 1 month before the CD/DVD version of XP was sold in stores. thanks.

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I'd say allowing 3 months to produce millions of copies of anything, especially in multiple languages, and having them ready for distribution is quite reasonable. – John Gardeniers Sep 23 '09 at 4:05
Not only are there the logistics of production, but hardware manufacturers and software partners need a little bit of extra time to finalise drivers/compatible software on the RTM version. Given that for Vista, they had a minimum of 3 months before the consumer release, and many devs still couldn't get working drivers out for launch day. And when this happens, MS get the blame and not the driver publishers... – CJM Sep 29 '09 at 9:32
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5 Answers

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Anyone can download the Windows 7 Enterprise RTM 90 day trial as of September 1, 2009. It has a built in product key and requires activation within 10 days of use. After 90 days the operating system will shut down every hour. Read the FAQ for further details.

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...only if you are a partner or a technet/msdn subscriber or a SA customer. – CJM Sep 29 '09 at 9:29
@CJM No, it is for anyone. Yes, the website is hosted under TechNet, but anyone can download the trial from the link I provided. All you need is a Windows Live ID. – cowgod Sep 29 '09 at 18:40
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up vote 7 down vote

If you have an MSDN or TechNet subscription, or are a Microsoft Certified Partner it has been available for several weeks now. Other than that I'm not aware of any legal means of getting it.

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If you meet these qualifications you probably already have license keys for full versions. If you are a MS Partner that doesn't license Win 7 for some reason you can get a 90 day trial from technet here technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/… please note that you must be a technet, msdn subscriber, or partner to qualify. – MDMarra Sep 23 '09 at 1:25
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up vote 1 down vote

When Microsoft decides to release it, you can install it :)

You may be able to pre-order form a place like Newegg or Amazon. Not sure on that, though.

You can play with the Release Candidates now, though.

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And MS has already released Win7 to those that MS has a relationship with (MSDN, ...). – Richard Sep 23 '09 at 9:12
that's handy :) ..Guess that measn you have to have that relationship, which sitll goes back to what I said :) ..I remember having MSDN access in school. It was nice – warren Sep 23 '09 at 9:52
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up vote 1 down vote

If you have a legal copy of Windows RTM 7, there is no reason why you cannot install and test Windows 7. That's the whole point of having an MSDN subscription, to test Microsoft products in a timely manner.

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up vote 1 down vote

If you have a legitimate copy (either by grabbing it from TechNet or MSDN, or by getting it at a promotion such as The New Efficiency, or the MS Windows 7 House Party events) you are entitled to install it. There is nothing in the EULA that says that the product may not be installed prior to October 22nd.

The only stipulation is that you have a legitimate license, and stick to the terms of your EULA.

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