All About Microsoft

Mary-Jo Foley

MSDN, TechNet subscribers start downloading final Windows 7 bits

By Mary Jo Foley | August 6, 2009, 11:21am PDT

Summary: Just a quick update to yesterday’s Windows 7 availability post: Around 1 p.m. ET on August 6, Microsoft posted for download the final Windows 7 bits, as expected, for MSDN and TechNet subscribers. Windows Server 2008 R2 subscribers have one more week to wait for their RTM bits.

Just a quick update to yesterday’s Windows 7 availability post: Around 1 p.m. ET on August 6, Microsoft posted for download the final Windows 7 bits.

Today, they are available for MSDN and TechNet subscribers; tomorrow volume licensees with Software Assurance contracts can download them. Unsurprisingly, I’ve seen a few reports of slow download times, but so far Microsoft’s servers seem to be holding.

(Guess the famed Chkdsk memory-leak bug didn’t “derail” the Windows 7 launch, after all.)

Meanwhile, if you’re still struggling to understand whether you’ll need to do a reinstall of your Windows apps when moving to Windows 7 or can do an in-place upgrade, my colleague Ed Bott has (re-)crafted a handy Windows 7 upgrade chart that should help.

Next week marks the start of when Windows Server 2008 R2 customers will be able to download the final RTM (release-to-manufacturing) bits of Windows 7’s server-side complement. MSDN and TechNet subscribers can download the RTM server side bits starting Friday, August 14.

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Microsoft Developer Network, Microsoft TechNet, Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Windows, Operating Systems, Software, Mary Jo Foley

Mary Jo has covered the tech industry for more than 25 years for a variety of publications and Web sites, and is a frequent guest on radio, TV and podcasts, speaking about all things Microsoft-related. She is the author of Microsoft 2.0: How Microsoft plans to stay relevant in the post-Gates era (John Wiley & Sons, 2008).

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RE: MSDN, TechNet subscribers start downloading final Windows 7 bits

homeioy82-24353643231178644135454771775432 Updated - 11th Nov

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I'm getting the bits right now

NonZealot 6th Aug 2009

50-100KBs at a time. I'll let you know in 7-17 hours how well it went. happy

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Are you for real.

Intellihence Updated - 6th Aug 2009

I already downloaded my files. 1.5 MBps range. Wi-Fi on an Apple
iMac, sure is something.

iMac

2.66 GHz. Intel Core 2 Duo

2 Gb 1067 MHz. DDR3

Current Operating Systems

Mac OS X Leopard 10.5.8

Windows 7 with XP MODE via Virtual PC

Mandriva Linux 2009

I do recall many at REDMOND stating that APPLE hardware was the
best candidate for the job.

Snicker, Smirk. JEER's (^: :^)

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Why the snickering?

NonZealot 6th Aug 2009

I do recall many at REDMOND stating that APPLE hardware was the best candidate for the job.

Snicker, Smirk. JEER's (^: :^)

I obviously agree with you so I'm not sure why you are snickering.

I actually think that MS should be pushing people towards buying Macs. The profit margin on a retail copy of Windows is far greater than what MS gets from an OEM! happy

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That's not snickering...

Hallowed are the Ori 10th Aug 2009

... that's a Leopard Stalking out Beyond The Vista, choking on 7's dust.

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RE: MSDN, TechNet subscribers start downloading final Windows 7 bits

djmik 6th Aug 2009

C'mon baby. Download faster! I started mine at home through an RDP session so it will be there waiting when I get home wink

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Downloading 1 of 6 versions of Windows 7 dvd's ?

SPTech Updated - 6th Aug 2009

(downloading now) Seems like SIX 32 bit DVD versions and FIVE 64 bit DVD versions?

BUT...

The byte count is the SAME for each 32 bit version DVD, (except for "enterprise"). The byte count is also the same for the 64 bit DVD's (except for "enterprise"). Just the crc's are different for each DVD.

So no multi version DVD for Windows 7?

I am hoping this crc difference is because of embedded serial numbers, not SIX SEPARATE DVD VERSIONS!!

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I think it's one config file difference between DVDs

LeoD 6th Aug 2009

There's a config file which tells the installer which version to install. (If it's deleted then the installer asks, at least with the leaked Ultimate build as per reports.)

So, ignoring 32-bit vs 64-bit, I think all the DVDs have the same code beyond that one config file.

Can't say for sure yet as I'm still waiting for my Win 7 Pro iso to download from MSDN, which is getting slower and slower due to the server load.

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You are probably right....

SPTech 6th Aug 2009

... but I won't know till I get my hands on the DVD's! 50% done... zzzzzzzzz

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Tip: Download from the "top downloads"

honeymonster Updated - 6th Aug 2009

Those downloads are "akamized" - they are blasting through at my connection - I'm getting the FULL 20MBit/sec bandwidth.

I already have 3 full images - the rest are all at 70%.

Akamai is truly amazing!

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Slowest Technet download ever!

woodp@... 6th Aug 2009

30-50KB/sec over here ... At this rate, I won't
have my one DVD until tomorrow some time ...

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Yep use top downloads..

sjaak327 6th Aug 2009

Yep, I used the normal download manager, and queued ultimate X64 and X86, and at first I was getting 1.5mbps, but when it hit around 50 percent it went down, and the X64 was at 80 percent, when I tried the top download using akamai, and got the x86 in about 25 minutes, and then also downloaded the x64 in about 30 minutes, stopped the other download manager, and also downloaded the language packs in no time.

Great.

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Just out of curiosity...

Hallowed are the Ori 10th Aug 2009

... if they can make the DL available to some, why not to all who have purchased it?

I mean, there was an option to pre-order a downloadable version of 7 last month, and if the bits are ready to go, as they seem to be, why do end-user downloaders have to wait until October 22?

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Because TechNet/MSDN subscribers are a smaller audience

de-void-21165590650301806002836337787023 10th Aug 2009

It takes time to prep & test the world-wide network of machines necessary to electronically deliver a multi-GB download.

The MSDN/TechNet audience are smaller than the global marketplace, are generally pretty tech savvy compared to your typical PC user and are the ideal guineapigs for testing out the infrastructure before opening up the firehose for the unwashed masses to drink from!

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RE: MSDN, TechNet subscribers start downloading final Windows 7 bits

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