30-day trial?

[CAM]

I heard from ArsTechnica that Windows 7 had a 30 day trial before you had to activate it. Where do we obtain the trial copy from? I want to install it then buy the full Home Premium licence when it is released as my XP install is sending me nuts.

 

No torrent or cracking suggestions please. Those are not only against forum rules but I prefer keeping my software installs legit. I even force myself to use OpenOffice.

 

EDIT - Info from here: http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2009/08/how-to-use-windows-7-for-free-for-120-days-legally.ars

Edited August 21, 2009 by CAM

[FN-GM]

Download the Release candidate then you will have allot longer than that. Google it.

[CAM]

Won't that mean a second re-install?

[SC-UK]

The RC is no longer available anyway is it?

 

It would mean another reinstall.

[EduTech]

you just don't type in a product key that gives you 30 days and then you submit the product key within 30 Days.

[russdev]

Well you have 4 months with a little known secret.

 

This works on XP, vista and windows 7

 

 

 

How to extend Win7's trial to a full four months

 

In a nutshell: If you install Windows 7 and don't enter an installation key, the 30-day activation clock starts. To see how many days you have left, click Start, right-click Computer, and choose Properties. At the bottom of the dialog under Windows Activation, you'll see the number of days left in your trial period.

 

When that number gets perilously close to zero, you can extend the free period another 30 days via the following steps:

 

Step 1: Click Start, All Programs, Accessories. Right-click Command Prompt and choose Run As Administrator. Enter your administrator password.

 

Step 2: Type the following command and press Enter:

 

slmgr -rearm

 

Note the space after slmgr and the hyphen in front of rearm.

 

Step 3: Restart Windows 7.

Once the OS restarts, the Properties dialog described above will indicate that Windows 7's activation grace period has been reset to a full 30 days.

 

You can run the -rearm trick a total of three times. If you perform a -rearm at the end of each 30-day period, you end up with 120 days of full, unfettered Windows 7 use without having to supply an activation key in the interim.

[powdarrmonkey]

There's always been a grace period - thirty days, fifty executions of Office, etc.

[russdev]

@powermonkey

 

Not sure if that post was aimed at me but if so yes always been 30 days but as said you can extend it beyond 30 days to 4 months by using the command above.

 

Russ

[powdarrmonkey]

@powermonkey

 

Not sure if that post was aimed at me

 

Not at all, I just meant that all MS activations have a reasonable grace period.

[russdev]

Not at all, I just meant that all MS activations have a reasonable grace period.

 

Arr sorry I reread it made more sense its Friday leave me alone

 

Russ

[FN-GM]

You can get the RC until 20th October

[SC-UK]

You can get the RC until 20th October

 

You can get the key until then but you can no longer download the ISO unless you have a MSDN subscription or something like that.

[FN-GM]

Someone on here will have one they are willing to share...

[somabc]

Let me google that for you

[CAM]

OK thanks for the info. I was hoping that MS had made it available as a download from their site somewhere (especially given the recent shift to digital downloads for distribution recently with software). Makes a trial kinda pointless if no-one can get it!

 

I'll go with the RC idea or wait. I'm guessing though the RC might start to get security holes in it?

[chrisredfield93]

hmm i guess this dont exist can anyone host this, not askin for a key only a trail