Windows Vista Public Beta / Microsoft Office Public Beta
IMPORTANT!
With the release of MSDN Windows Vista Beta
2 and Microsoft Office Beta Experience Special Edition I just wanted to
remind folks again that you should NEVER install either of these BETAS
on your main computer. BETA means test and I can assure you that there
are going to be a lot of bugs and programs that do not work or won't
work properly.
You'll be reading about the Windows Vista
Public Beta everywhere on the Web from now until the first of next year.
You'll be tempted to try it. We urge you to not to install this Beta on
your primary machine (the one you rely on day in and day out).
Installing this Beta on your primary machine could render some of your
current programs useless and could damage your current operating system
and cause a loss of data. If you want to try Windows Vista Public Beta,
install it on a secondary machine - one you do not rely on and one you
can quickly format and reinstall Windows should you have serious
problems.
If you are BETA testing on a secondary computer, be sure you are
reporting problems as this is the purpose of BETA.
For those thinking of installing on a secondary computer, keep in mind
the minimum system requirements are very high and probably much more
then most computers are capable of. The download itself is 3.5 GIG
These are the bare minimums updated by Microsoft today (minimum means it
will run but you will not be able to use many of the advanced features):
A modern processor (at least 800MHz1).
512 MB of system memory.
A graphics processor that is DirectX 9 capable.
15 GB free hard drive space
Here are recommended minimums to be able to use Windows Vista
Premium:
1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor1.
1 GB of system memory.
A graphics processor that runs Windows Aero2.
128 MB of graphics memory.
40 GB of hard drive capacity with 15 GB free space.
DVD-ROM Drive3.
Audio output capability.
Internet access capability.
(remember to use the premium features your
computer must AT LEAST meet the minimums above)
If you install Vista BETA be sure you Evaluate Your Current PC by being
sure to Run the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor beta to help get your PC
ready for Windows Vista
Here is what Microsoft explains:
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.
We hope this helps those of you who are thinking of testing VISTA or any
Beta.
We remind you again: DO NOT
INSTALL BETA SOFTWARE ON YOUR MAIN COMPUTER - ESPECIALLY BETAS LIKE
OPERATING SYSTEMS AND MICROSOFT OFFICE. DOING SO CAN RENDER SOME OF YOUR
CURRENT PROGRAMS USELESS AND MAY DAMAGE YOUR CURRENT OPERATING SYSTEM OR
OFFICE INSTALLATION. IT'S TEMPTING - BUT DON'T DO IT. ALWAYS USE A
SECONDARY COMPUTER TO TEST SOFTWARE -NOT THE COMPUTER YOU RELY ON
EVERYDAY.
