Microsoft releases public download of Vista

  • By Ina Fried, News.com
  • Posted Jun 8, 2006 9:54 am PT

Open beta test for software giant's new operating system now under way; company advises developers, tech workers, PC enthusiasts to participate.

From News.com

After months of limited testing, Microsoft late Wednesday made a beta version of its new PC operating system, Windows Vista, publicly available for download.

The company launched what it called its "Customer Preview Program," a testing period in which the software maker hopes millions of tech enthusiasts will kick the tires on the new operating system.

"Microsoft today kicked off the Windows Vista Customer Preview Program (CPP), providing the broadest access yet to pre-release test versions of Windows Vista," the company said in a statement. Microsoft is aiming to wrap up testing and development of Vista later this year in hopes of a broad launch in January. The company released Beta 2 last month to a more limited group of testers and had promised the broader test would come shortly.

The software maker is still cautioning that Vista is not ready for the average consumer, pitching the CPP as suited for developers and tech workers, as well as hardcore enthusiasts who don't mind a few bugs and have a spare machine for testing. Microsoft also recommends those interested in the CPP run its recently released adviser tool, which helps detect how Vista-ready a PC is.

Those interested in giving the new operating system a test-run can either begin the download process from Microsoft's Web site or pay a small fee to get the software on DVD.

Although Microsoft is looking for millions of testers, it has said it may cap the test program at some point.

100 Comments

  • timhen

    Posted Jun 12, 2006 12:52 pm PT

    Vista is cool and all, but I can't surf the web or use any of my other software.
    DON'T download vista if your going to use it for gaming and other things.

  • jsambeckwith

    Posted Jun 10, 2006 7:03 am PT

    Vista. Made of Jam.

  • Nuron_V

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 10:59 pm PT

    I've been running this for two days as a third OS on my PC.

    As far as I'm concerned gamespot should take this down as you currently cannot play games on it. World of warcraft runs at 1280x1024 with everything up at a respectable speed on XP, it judders along at 640x480 currently on vista and you can't adjust any settings. However its not surprising seeing as it is running beta directx with beta graphics drivers.

    One thing that is worth noting is that the system info screen now gives your PC a rating for games (IE mine got a 3). The theory being they will try to get games to have a number in the hardware requirements so it makes it simpler for nub muffins to by PC games. Anyone who works for a games store will be able to tell you how many peeps bought their copy of Sims2 back as it was faulty and didn't run on their Pentium 3 98se machine with rage 128 graphics.

    It is yet to be seen if microsofts promise of a gamers OS is true, we will have to wait and find out. Oh and there isn't anything wrong with the requirements it is designed to go on new PCs rather then old crappers, every new PC means the requirements so whats the problem? They have given it requirements for running it smoothly in a ViiV / Live kind of way, not requirements in the same way that XP will run on a 400mhz pc.....yes it will run but you will have to sit there for 45 minutes to open a word document. Its called progress.

    "AMD 64 3800+ 2 gigs dual channel DDR ram and a radeon 9550 256"
    grats on the processor and Ram...but why the hell did you bother even buying at 9550? you might as well not bother, go grab yourself a 6600gt, x800 gto or something, there are lots of last gen bargins about

  • ryanthegreat232

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 10:03 pm PT

    Wow i thouhgt i had a smoking PC. i built it myself last month. AMD 64 3800+ 2 gigs dual channel DDR ram and a radeon 9550 256....this OS eats half of that.....Flicking ridiculous!

  • zakkss

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 8:15 pm PT

    Thanks durbinlg, got to be the only useful post of the bunch. Good feedback.

    All the others are writing is "I'm going to download it / I'm not going to download it". Guess what, you don't care if joe24 will download it and they don't care if you do.

  • durbinlg

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 5:19 pm PT

    I've been running the beta since Wednesday night/Thursday morning, and it works pretty good. I have not encountered any bugs yet......yet. As for the games, I played Battlefield 2 this morning and it worked like normal, so no complaints here. Aero is a neat little touch and the little preview windows that pop up on the taskbar are freakin' great. Let's see what else happens...............

  • Paceydre

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 1:29 pm PT

    I'm planning on buying the Vista Ultimate edition...but like others....first I'm going to buy a new pc (with one or more DirectX10 vidcards).

  • correster

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 1:14 pm PT

    Vista looks pretty cool and my computer isnew so i can get it!!!

  • mareaper

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 9:57 am PT

    I'll skip on the Beta testing. I'll see how it turns out after the release. If it's any good then I'll consider building my next PC to run with it, but as I did with XP I'll wait a year before I actually get it because that's usually how long Microsoft takes to get all the little quirks in the OS patched before it's released.

    As for all the Mac fan boys who keep posting, the only reason OSX seems so rock solid on ur systems is that Apple controls both the hardware and the software so they can make sure everything works well with each other without and major problems. Microsoft does not ahve that advantage since they are making an OS for an open hardware platform where any number of hardware configurations are possible. Also Microsoft is trying to keep backward compatiblility with years of programs from their previous OS versions which can make things quite difficult. Notice how Apple drops support for past programs with each OS generation and will only support it sometimes through emulation, whereas Microsoft has the programs run without emulation. So sure because of all that your systems seems to have less issues but u also have a much more trimmed down OS that is not trying to do nearly as much or run on as many systems. Also the Mac is not a real option at all if you are a serious PC gamers since not all games have Mac versions.

    As fot he Linux people, I like linux too, I currently use Live-CD distros of Knoppix, Slax and Slax: Kill Bill Edition from time to time. For a gamer Linux is not much of an option yet because many games still do not have a Linux version. Another issues with Linux is driver support, since most hardware manufacturers do not have Linux drivers for their products. If the driver issue alone could be solved then Linux would probably be a better option for the general market. Till then it is still mainly just for the tech savvy.

    My real issue here from a gaming stand point is if the rumor about Direct X 10 being for Vista only is true. If it is then all PC Gamers will be forced to go Vista when they upgrade their Graphics Cards to DirectX capable hardware.

  • GoGreenRanger

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 9:52 am PT

    Eh...... Enter Lepoard

  • gt4freak1985

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 9:32 am PT

    Microsoft sent me an email telling me to beta test vista2 beta. 64bit vista is a dvd iso of 4.1gig and 32bit vista is 3.2gig. Its a massive download! The only thing I will have barely a hinge on is my ram. I have an Athlon64 3000, 1gig pc3200 ddr400, and a BFG Geforce 7800 GT OC pcixpressx16. I am not too worried. I am gonna install the beta one of my three hds along with xp to test it out hehe! Its only gonna take me about 1hr and 10 mins to download. I am getting the 32bit first, then the 64bit. If you want info on how it runs on the slightly above average gaming pc, i know i dont have a high end pc, but damn is it fast for a $800 build budget.

  • jester_gcr

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 7:59 am PT

    I'll wait untill most games won't run xp. It's really the only reason a moved up from 98 a couple of years ago.

  • maddemios

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 7:05 am PT

    Well, this is an article about Microsoft Vista. Wait until news appears on gamespot.com about Linux and Mac if you feel like praising the other operating systems.

    When it comes to the beta download, some things must be considered. There are most likely numerous people downloading the 5gig ISO from their servers.

  • Iron-Dragon

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 7:03 am PT

    A gig of RAM? I've got plenty for that but that seems awfully steep for an OS. Makes me wonder if this is coming out late in '07.

  • never-named

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 2:09 am PT

    I'm not getting Vista until Halo 2 comes out!

  • lewser5

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 12:42 am PT

    I would love to give this a try, but I doubt I will have the patience or time to test it.

  • Mobius007

    Posted Jun 8, 2006 9:25 pm PT

    seriously people waste lots of cash buying windows and macOS.. linux on the other hand is free and now adays it comes with a GUI (graphical user interface) which even 12yr olds can use.. u spend loads of time playing games, im sure it wouldnt kill you to spend 15mins infront of a linux system.. maybe even less with the GUI. vista wont be the last system you'll get ripped off by.. (^_^'' )

  • ElementalFire

    Posted Jun 8, 2006 9:05 pm PT

    128 megs of video memory? Yikes.

  • supercrap1

    Posted Jun 8, 2006 8:52 pm PT

    Even years after its release, XP still has too many bugs for me, so beta schmeta.

  • zakkss

    Posted Jun 8, 2006 8:14 pm PT

    Anyone tried playing games on Vista beta? How does that go?

  • Maquis_UK

    Posted Jun 8, 2006 8:03 pm PT

    Did I mention it's free? Linux that is...!

  • Maquis_UK

    Posted Jun 8, 2006 8:02 pm PT

    Wikipedia has an excellent test to check whick LINUX fits you best.. just search for Linux and the link to the test is at the bottom of the page. EASY!!! M$ is NOT the only option.

  • kingdeath08

    Posted Jun 8, 2006 7:05 pm PT

    i wont be downloading it or ordering the dvd. Im gonna wait for the final release. I dont feel like dealing with bugs. Its useless for gaming 2 so no ty

  • glhx1rush

    Posted Jun 8, 2006 6:09 pm PT

    YAY! Just ordered DVD, heck with downloading it...............

  • jce4ever

    Posted Jun 8, 2006 6:06 pm PT

    I've been running vista for a year now. With every update it gets better and better. I love vista so much

  • RuminaX

    Posted Jun 8, 2006 5:40 pm PT

    ---quote---
    EvilChckn
    haha... im not putting that crap on my mac
    -------------

    That's a little redundant man. If you're running a mac then it probably couldn't get much worse XD ^ ^'

  • Bizzar3

    Posted Jun 8, 2006 4:35 pm PT

    ....Vista beta has been out for some time already. it's pretty damn good, but i'll stick with XP.

  • soulknight63133

    Posted Jun 8, 2006 3:36 pm PT

    mrblah00- you're right, it would be nice if some people would check their facts before bashing. But "bashing" are for immature children. So just try to ignore them. But despite this, MS is getting a great turn out, alot of people are having a real hard time trying to download. The server must be VERY, VERY, busy!

  • gamerchikrpg

    Posted Jun 8, 2006 3:29 pm PT

    won't trust it until at least a few months after release....

  • jeebs213

    Posted Jun 8, 2006 2:45 pm PT

    isn't clicking Refresh fun you guys!?!

  • 1blackhearted1

    Posted Jun 8, 2006 2:21 pm PT

    I'll keep running XP 'till the comp dies

  • dukerav

    Posted Jun 8, 2006 1:47 pm PT

    Ill wait until there are a few good DX10 games out.

  • VINNY1988

    Posted Jun 8, 2006 1:41 pm PT

    micrsoft cant even keep the download site for vista up imagine how glitchy vista is

  • Kracka2205

    Posted Jun 8, 2006 1:36 pm PT

    I was gonna instal it as a second OS, but it says that you must upgrade your current OS and you cannot rollback if something is messed up. So I'm not downloading it. And I'm probably not gonna end up buying Vista. I 've started saving up for an iMac so that I will never have to deal with Microsoft again.

  • grnidbandit

    Posted Jun 8, 2006 1:34 pm PT

    yeah the beta test has too many bugs in it, looks like this is directed to window fanboys, I will wait until next year when i get a new PC with Vista Professional installed.

  • coolcool23

    Posted Jun 8, 2006 1:31 pm PT

    "Actually, you're the idiot. They can only patch XP so many times. Vista is based on new architecture that fixes everything that was wrong with XP. If they were as stupid as you then we'd never have security because they would keep patching the same flawed system forever."

    You mean like the security that microsoft promises us every single time? Usually its broken in a few months anyways and I expect it to be no different with vista. Especially if they still are trying to impliment that P2P system that they said they were going to do.

  • FourSwordsx4

    Posted Jun 8, 2006 1:31 pm PT

    I tried to download it, but the servers are full and the download will be like 3 hours for me...

  • orangebrat

    Posted Jun 8, 2006 1:29 pm PT

    I'm still trying to figure out the average age of some of the users here. These pointless "I'll pass" and "sticking with XP" and other similar posts are amusing.

  • mrblah00

    Posted Jun 8, 2006 1:25 pm PT

    "WHY DOESNT MICROSOFT FIX THEIR CURRENT OPERATING SYSTEMS BEFORE RELEASING NEW PIECES OF CRAP ???????? microsoft is a bunch of idiots"

    Actually, you're the idiot. They can only patch XP so many times. Vista is based on new architecture that fixes everything that was wrong with XP. If they were as stupid as you then we'd never have security because they would keep patching the same flawed system forever.

    "Another Windows OS, wonderful. Can't they ever stick with one or make one good enough to last longer then 3 years?? "

    You're an idiot as well. 3 years? XP was released in 2001. Thats 6 years once Vista actually comes out in 2007. Atleast get your facts straight before you try to bash something. It would also be comforting to know that Apple releases a new version of OSX almost yearly, and theres too many Linux versions to count. You're whining about Windows releasing too many versions when it takes 6 years for an update, good job.

  • goony2

    Posted Jun 8, 2006 1:08 pm PT

    Also, one feature of Vista is supposed to be direct access to system hardware without going through DirectX. This is supposed to increase gaming performance by "40%."

    They did this before - it was called DOS 6.22. There is a reason why Microsoft got away from this type of hardware access...

  • goony2

    Posted Jun 8, 2006 1:06 pm PT

    You can have all of the vaunted Vista "features" now on XP or even 2000, with free software downloads and good security practices. Well, except for the Aeroglass, but that's just window-dressing.

  • bulldog7

    Posted Jun 8, 2006 12:48 pm PT

    is this thing internet secure????

  • DELTAsnake

    Posted Jun 8, 2006 12:44 pm PT

    I'm having no luck.

    Dose anyone know if this build of Vista includes Xbox Live?

  • Xbox360gamer1

    Posted Jun 8, 2006 12:43 pm PT

    I personally would love to test,but I am waiting to get a new PC in a couple of months that is 100% Vista capable since my PC currently has 512mb RAM and intergrated video

  • kinglink2

    Posted Jun 8, 2006 12:43 pm PT

    yeaaa Free Vista, I can beta test.

    And then they ignore my input and continue to do things to annoy not only gamers but EVERYONE!..

    GO MORE MEMORY USAGE

  • tomagreen

    Posted Jun 8, 2006 12:39 pm PT

    nahhhhh

  • maddemios

    Posted Jun 8, 2006 12:38 pm PT

    Well for the beta, you need 15gigs HD space. I downloaded the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor, and I'm all set to go. The major problem I having right now is downloading it. You have to use live.windows.com, login using your passport.com/.net username verify the email address. In the process if anything happens to screw up you are not able to download the beta and you have to start the process over.

    When Vista is released in the market place I will most likely buy the 'Windows Vista Ultimate' product when it hits the market place. The 64 bit edition.

    Also, to anyone wanting to install the beta version, it is around a 5gig download and you have to burn the ISO to a writable DVD.

  • coolcool23

    Posted Jun 8, 2006 12:33 pm PT

    OK microsoft, now that you have relaeased the beta we need to be able to actually download it. i am actually really interested in Vista and will be getting the 64 bit edition.....if the servers will ever cooperate....

  • Willdyer10

    Posted Jun 8, 2006 12:31 pm PT

    The servers are jammed!!!!!! they are jammed up big time!!!! i want in!!!!!!

  • HaloMC90

    Posted Jun 8, 2006 12:22 pm PT

    I bought this as soon as I saw the article... thanks GS

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