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Windows 7 Beta Release ... Huge Failure - Back up on Saturday ... Apology on Monday
Update: Saturday January 10th 1:00 PM eastern time.
Site is back up .. Key acquired ... all is right with the world.
Update 2: Monday January 12th 9:00 AM. Microsoft Apologizes - 2.5 million key limit removed!
"I know many of you had issues with the Windows 7 beta site of the last 24 hours," Brandon LeBlanc, a Windows communications manager, wrote in a blog post. "As you may have noticed the download site has been up and running smoothly since this morning. That said, we apologize for the inconvenience that it caused some of you."
Friday January 9th
OK, to start with there wasn't a clear statement on when the Windows 7 Beta was going to be released or which website to go to to get it.
So at 9:00 AM I started watching the site http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/default.aspx . The site was not available for quite a while ... and then came up with the message Windows 7 Beta available for public download the afternoon of January 9th. Geez ... they couldn't be a little more specific ... like eastern time or pacific time or zulu time?
I trudge on ... checking the site every few minutes ... Noon eastern time passes, 1:00pm comes and goes ... 2:00 PM slides on by ... I'm getting excited now as 3:00 PM approaches .. so pacific time ... that makes sense right ... NOPE - 3:00 PM passes and I'm still checking the site every few minutes ... ARGHHH!
I keep plugging away and around 6:00 PM eastern time I notice a message on the web page:
Thanks for your interest in the Windows 7 Beta. The volume has been phenomenal—we're in the process of adding more servers to handle the demand. We're sorry for the delay and we'll re-post the Beta as soon as we can ensure a quality download experience.
Now I assume those guy's and gal's at Microsoft are pretty smart .. and they have tons of servers right ... and its not too hard to add servers so I decide to keep trying ... because I'm been doing this since 9:00 AM this morning and I'll be damned if I'm going to quit to have the beta come back up an hour later and the 2.5 million keys be gone when I try again tomorrow. 7:00PM ...drags by ... then 8:00 slowly ticks past ... What .. is the server guy on vacation? 9:00 PM and I'm starting to get a little testy ... at 10:00 PM I'm burning holes in the shape of an X in the custom Windows 7 T-shirt I made for the occasion with my cigarette. 11:00 PM ... yep you guessed it still no love from Microsoft.
I mean they could have said something ... like come back tomorrow at noon pacific ... instead of leaving me hanging with false hope ...
I went over to Friendfeed to see what my mentors had to say .. Paul Thurrott (my favorite tech person) was strangley quiet after his initial post about the beta availability ... Chris Pirillo posted about the fail and posted a link for the direct download of the beta http://www.lockergnome.com/griffin/2009/01/09/windows-7-public-beta... . Thanks Chris, but what we really want is an official release with the key that's good thru August and not just the 30 day "no key" beta.
Now its 2:17 AM Saturday and NO the Beta is still not there. I'm throwing in my Mahalo towel and giving up for the night!
Paul Thurrott, I know you're a pretty laid back guy... but I truly hope to hear you rant at least a little on the next Windows Weekly about this whole debacle.
I've run the PDC Beta for a while. I like it.
Yeah I know Beta 1 is free ... I already have the the Beta 1 from a direct link.
My concern is there are only 2.5 million keys and from the results yesterday its apparent they will disappear quickly ... that's what caused the "traffic jam" Friday and my complaint is about Microsoft's handling of information ...
"available the afternoon of January 9th" caused part of the problem and the vague follow up of "we'll re-post the Beta as soon as we can ensure a quality download experience" continued it.
Site is back up .. Key acquired ... all is right with the world.
Update 2: Monday January 12th 9:00 AM. Microsoft Apologizes - 2.5 million key limit removed!
"I know many of you had issues with the Windows 7 beta site of the last 24 hours," Brandon LeBlanc, a Windows communications manager, wrote in a blog post. "As you may have noticed the download site has been up and running smoothly since this morning. That said, we apologize for the inconvenience that it caused some of you."
Friday January 9th
OK, to start with there wasn't a clear statement on when the Windows 7 Beta was going to be released or which website to go to to get it.
So at 9:00 AM I started watching the site http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/default.aspx . The site was not available for quite a while ... and then came up with the message Windows 7 Beta available for public download the afternoon of January 9th. Geez ... they couldn't be a little more specific ... like eastern time or pacific time or zulu time?
I trudge on ... checking the site every few minutes ... Noon eastern time passes, 1:00pm comes and goes ... 2:00 PM slides on by ... I'm getting excited now as 3:00 PM approaches .. so pacific time ... that makes sense right ... NOPE - 3:00 PM passes and I'm still checking the site every few minutes ... ARGHHH!
I keep plugging away and around 6:00 PM eastern time I notice a message on the web page:
Thanks for your interest in the Windows 7 Beta. The volume has been phenomenal—we're in the process of adding more servers to handle the demand. We're sorry for the delay and we'll re-post the Beta as soon as we can ensure a quality download experience.
Now I assume those guy's and gal's at Microsoft are pretty smart .. and they have tons of servers right ... and its not too hard to add servers so I decide to keep trying ... because I'm been doing this since 9:00 AM this morning and I'll be damned if I'm going to quit to have the beta come back up an hour later and the 2.5 million keys be gone when I try again tomorrow. 7:00PM ...drags by ... then 8:00 slowly ticks past ... What .. is the server guy on vacation? 9:00 PM and I'm starting to get a little testy ... at 10:00 PM I'm burning holes in the shape of an X in the custom Windows 7 T-shirt I made for the occasion with my cigarette. 11:00 PM ... yep you guessed it still no love from Microsoft.
I mean they could have said something ... like come back tomorrow at noon pacific ... instead of leaving me hanging with false hope ...
I went over to Friendfeed to see what my mentors had to say .. Paul Thurrott (my favorite tech person) was strangley quiet after his initial post about the beta availability ... Chris Pirillo posted about the fail and posted a link for the direct download of the beta http://www.lockergnome.com/griffin/2009/01/09/windows-7-public-beta... . Thanks Chris, but what we really want is an official release with the key that's good thru August and not just the 30 day "no key" beta.
Now its 2:17 AM Saturday and NO the Beta is still not there. I'm throwing in my Mahalo towel and giving up for the night!
Paul Thurrott, I know you're a pretty laid back guy... but I truly hope to hear you rant at least a little on the next Windows Weekly about this whole debacle.
I've run the PDC Beta for a while. I like it.
Yeah I know Beta 1 is free ... I already have the the Beta 1 from a direct link.
My concern is there are only 2.5 million keys and from the results yesterday its apparent they will disappear quickly ... that's what caused the "traffic jam" Friday and my complaint is about Microsoft's handling of information ...
"available the afternoon of January 9th" caused part of the problem and the vague follow up of "we'll re-post the Beta as soon as we can ensure a quality download experience" continued it.
Add a Comment
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Comment by toddlorensinclair on January 10, 2009 at 10:14am - Key success at 1:00 PM Saturday January 10th.
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Comment by toddlorensinclair on January 10, 2009 at 8:47am
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I've run the PDC Beta for a while. I like it.
Yeah I know Beta 1 is free ... I already have the the Beta 1 from a direct link.
My concern is there are only 2.5 million keys and from the results yesterday its apparent they will disappear quickly ... that's what caused the "traffic jam" Friday and my complaint is about Microsoft's handling of information ...
"available the afternoon of January 9th" caused part of the problem and the vague follow up of "we'll re-post the Beta as soon as we can ensure a quality download experience" continued it.
Thanks Greg De Santis for the update on when we may expect to see it again!
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Comment by MattTS on January 10, 2009 at 8:27am - Download the BETA from the direct links, install it with the 30 day limit, once the key is released (most definitely within the 30 day period) activate. Be glad you're getting it for free.
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Comment by andrew g on January 10, 2009 at 8:16am - you should be happy its free
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Comment by Greg De Santis on January 10, 2009 at 1:36am -
I have downloaded both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions from:
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/324/1050324/windows-7-beta-direct-download-links-from-volesoft
These are the Microsoft TechNet download links. Technet and MSDN had this on January 9, 2009. But for the common folk Windows 7 Beta 1 is supposed to be released January 13, 2009
Here are some news sites that are a little different that what others have seen so far:
http://windows7center.com/windows-7-news/windows-7-beta-1-to-be-released-on-january-13/
http://windows7center.com/windows-7-news/final-windows-7-beta-public-download-available-on-january-9th/
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Comment by Gordon Keenan on January 10, 2009 at 1:31am -
Why not do what everyoen else has done who wanted the software fast? I have had it installed for a week now, give or take a day, and the version "I" have is the very same version everyone else is trying to download. The bandwidth being taken up by the world tryign to get a BETA must be incredible, so rather than write up a negative report, why not just take the attitude of being liek many others who will have to wait until things get sorted out, and at the end of the day its a BETA and your not going to lose out on much if you had to wait another week.
Its just being impatient that has caused you all the problem!
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