Windows Vista: Customer Preview Program

Do you want to help improve Windows Vista?
Windows Vista Customer Preview Program
We invite you to be among the first to experience the clarity that Windows Vista can bring to your world. The Windows Vista Customer Preview Program makes a pre-release edition ofWindows Vista Ultimate broadly available to the public for the first time.
Note: This is beta code and should not be used in a production environment or on a main machine in the home. Beta 2 is intended for developers, IT professionals and technology experts to continue or begin their testing of Windows Vista. Before you decide to use Beta 2, you should feel comfortable with installing operating systems, updating drivers, and general PC troubleshooting. Some risks of using beta operating systems include hardware and software incompatibility and system instability. If you have concerns about installing this beta software on your computer, we encourage you to obtain the final release version of Windows Vista when it is available in 2007.
If you decide to install Windows Vista Beta 2, we would like to thank you for taking the time to test the product. Your feedback is an integral part of our development process. Thank you for being part of the Windows Vista team!
How to get started
This Beta 2 release is now available in three languages (English, German, and Japanese) and in 32-bit and 64-bit editions.
When you register for the Customer Preview Program you will receive the Beta 2 release plus Windows Vista Release Candidate 1 (RC1) — the next major pre-release of Windows Vista — when it is available later this year. The information on this page pertains to both Beta 2 and RC1.
The Customer Preview Program is available in a limited quantity both through download and DVD kit ordering. Once the allotted quantity has been reached the program will be closed and no new orders will be accepted.
There are two ways to get Windows Vista Beta 2:
Order the DVD kit and have it shipped to your home or office. Download the ISO file to your PC
(An ISO file is an exact representation of a CD or DVD, including the content and the logical format. Once you download the ISO file, you’ll need to burn it to a DVD before you can install the software.)
To get started, please choose one of the ordering options below and select your country or region. Then, we will ask you a few questions and register you for the Windows Vista Customer Preview Program. As a part of this program, you will receive an e-mail newsletter that will keep you up to date with information and tools to enhance your experience with Windows Vista Beta 2. (You can unsubscribe at any time through a link in the newsletter.)
Please read this important information before proceeding
System Requirements
You can view system requirements and information on Windows Vista Capable and Premium Ready PCshere. Release Notes
You can view the Release Notes for Windows Vista Beta 2here (available in English only). Upgrade limitations
You may not be able to upgrade your installation of Windows Vista Beta 2 (or RC1) to the final, commercially available edition of Windows Vista. To upgrade you will need to acquire the final edition of Windows Vista and you may have to do a clean installation. Time-limited software
Windows Vista Beta 2 (and RC1) is time-limited, pre-release software that will expire on June 1, 2007. Beta support policy
This is pre-release (beta) software distributed for trial and testing purposes only. Microsoft does not provide technical support for beta releases. Although formal support is not offered for this beta, we have provided newsgroups to help answer questions you may have related to the installation and use of Windows Vista Beta 2 (and RC1). To join or read postings in these newsgroups, please visithttp://windowshelp.microsoft.com. Antivirus support
As part of a sensible approach to helping prevent malware, Microsoft recommends that you use an antivirus application with Windows Vista Beta 2. Information about available antivirus programs can be found on theMicrosoft Security At Home website. Installation limitations
There are two installation scenarios for Windows Vista Beta 2 (and RC1): You can do a clean installation. This process will overwrite any data that you have on your hard disk or on your installation partition. The overwritten data will be lost and unrecoverable. You can upgrade an existing installation of Windows XP.
No other installation scenarios are supported. Upgrading to this beta from any other edition of Windows requires a clean installation, as described in option 1. In addition, once you install Windows Vista Beta 2 (or RC1) you cannot roll back to the previous operating system installation—you will either have to acquire and install the final released edition of Windows Vista or reinstall a previous edition of Windows. Before installing Windows Vista Beta 2 on any computer, please remember to back up all your files.
Note: Please close any open applications before beginning an upgrade. During installation we recommend you have an active Internet connection and choose to “Go online to get the latest updates for installation.”
Order the Windows Vista Beta 2 and RC1 DVD kits
Choose this option to have the Windows Vista Beta 2 and RC1 DVD kits sent to your home or office. This option requires payment to cover DVD production, shipping, and handling costs. (Cost will vary by country based on local taxes and delivery charges.) The Beta 2 DVD kit will be shipped soon after you place your order; the RC1 DVD kit will be sent to you when it is available later this year.
To start the order process, please select your country or region from the following list. When you order please try to use a shipping address that will not change for the next few months to ensure you will receive the RC1 shipment. (Shipping is only available to the countries and regions included in this list.)
Order Now
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Download Windows Vista Beta 2
Update as of June 9, 12:00PM PST:
We are experiencing extremely high download demand at this time. The wait time to start the download is very long and many customers may be unable to access the download site. To guarantee participation in the Customer Preview Program (to receive both Beta 2 and RC1) we recommend you use the DVD kit order option above.
Choose this option to download Windows Vista Beta 2. The download is an ISO file of Windows Vista Beta 2, which is about 3.5 gigabytes (GB) for the 32-bit edition or 4.4 GB for the 64-bit edition.
You will need:
Broadband Internet connection (highly recommended) DVD burner and blank DVD media to convert the download into a bootable DVD that can be used to install the operating system
To begin, please select your country or region from the following list. Download times will vary based on your Internet connection speed. This table shows approximate download times at common connection speeds:
Connection speed:
Connection type:
Approximate
download time:
32-bit edition (3.5 GB)
3.0 mbps
Fast Cable/DSL
4.5 hours
1.5 mbps
T1
9 hours
768 kbps
Cable/DSL
18 hours
256 kbps
Cable/DSL
54 hours
64-bit edition (4.4 GB)
3.0 mbps
Fast Cable/DSL
5.5 hours
1.5 mbps
T1
10.5 hours
768 kbps
Cable/DSL
21 hours
256 kbps
Cable/DSL
64 hours
Before proceeding, please read the update above regarding high download demand.
Download Now
Select your location Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Aruba Australia Austria Bahamas Bahrain Barbados Belgium (Dutch) Belgium (French) Belize Bermuda Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Bulgaria Cameroon Canada (English) Canada (French) Cayman Islands Chile China Colombia Congo Costa Rica Cote d’Ivoire Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Estonia Ethiopia Finland France French Guiana Gabon Gambia Germany Ghana Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guatemala Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong (Chinese) Hong Kong (English) Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kenya Korea Kuwait Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Mali Malta Martinique Mauritius Mexico Monaco Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Namibia Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Zealand Nicaragua Nigeria Norway Oman Pakistan Panama Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico (English) Puerto Rico (Spanish) Qatar Republic of Rwanda Reunion Romania Russian Federation Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia San Marino Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Somalia South Africa Spain St Vincent & the Grenadines Suriname Swaziland Sweden Switzerland (French) Switzerland (German) Switzerland (Italian) Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Togo Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turks and Caicos Islands Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Venezuela Vietnam Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, U.S. Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Other   
Download Instructions
Once you complete the registration process, we will send you an e-mail message with download instructions and a link for accessing the Windows Vista Beta 2 (ISO file) using a download manager. We recommend that you use the download manager as it will let you resume the download if your Internet connection is interrupted. (You will receive another e-mail message when RC1 is available.)
After completing the download, you will need to burn the ISO file to a DVD. This means you’ll need a DVD burner with appropriate software. If you are unsure if your DVD burning software will support burning an ISO file, please refer to your DVD burning software program and search “Help” for instructions on creating a disc from an ISO file. If you are still unsure about burning your own DVD, ordering the Windows Vista Beta 2 DVD kit might be a better option for you.
Here’s a summary of how to download, burn, and install Windows Vista Beta 2:
Download the ISO image file from the location indicated in the e-mail message you receive after registering, and save the file to your hard disk. (If the download prematurely terminates you can resume the download process from where you left off using the download manager.) Using a DVD burner and software, burn the ISO image of Windows Vista Beta 2 to a new blank DVD. We recommend burning at the lowest speed supported by your DVD burner (1X or 2X) to ensure the highest quality. Most DVD burning software will recognize an ISO file. If your software does not automatically recognize this format, refer to the software’s “Help” section for instructions. Insert the DVD on which you burned the software into the DVD drive of the computer on which you want to install Windows Vista Beta 2. The installation process should start automatically. If it does not, run Setup from the DVD to begin installation and follow the step-by-step instructions that appear on the screen.
Tell us what you think
If there‘s something that you like or dislike in this pre-release edition of Windows, we want to hear from you. Pleaseuse this feedback form to share your opinions.
To help you explore Windows Vista, we have created a list of tasks for you to try. To access the list and provide feedback on your experience, visit theWindows Vista Scenario Voting site.
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