The CEO announced that a nearly final "beta" test version of Windows 7 will be available Friday for regular PC users to download and tinker with.

The new operating system — which could be available for purchase on PCs within a year — uses much of the same underlying technology as its predecessor, the much-maligned Vista. But Windows 7 aims to resolve many problems PC users had with Vista. For instance, Microsoft pledges to make it easier to install peripheral devices and to have the software pump out fewer annoying warnings and notifications.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28549936/

Downloads are limited to 2.5 million, so be quick if you want one

I'll be waiting at 7am Oz time!

Anyone found the download link ?
Yahoo's cache reveals a link to http://www.microsoft.com/windows/win...-download.aspx but that refers to technet

lol @

I used Technet to nab mine yesterday along with the patch, sorry.

Assuming you can get it to load, the link is at http://www.microsoft.com/windows7

servers are overloaded ... didn't expect anything else

There are ways legal of doing it, you just need to know the shortcuts to within MS that bypass the 'offline' main pages.

My local forum guys found a way and it's also detailed here:
http://www.neowin.net/news/main/09/0...ember-to-patch

I managed to get both 32bit & 64bit keys and the OS all from MS - no dodgy torrents etc

You just need to make friends with the F5 refresh key but don't be too quick to refresh as you might 'refresh away' a valid key!

I've been trying to download it since yesterday, can't seem to get past 300-500Mb .
Can't get a key either
Ah well, it's not like I have time to realy test it, damned exams

wait a few days, then retry, you're not missing much

probably, but it's always fun to test new stuff