Since 12:00PM yesterday, Microsoft opened it’s doors to the official Windows 7 Beta, allowing the many Windows 7 users who had pirated their copy to have a legitimate key to continue their testing.
Microsoft underestimated the demand for the operating system and the Windows 7 download site was subsequently subjected to crashes and invalid file requests.
If you visit the official Windows 7 download page now, you will get the following error:
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.
Never fear, there is a still a way to grab your download and your key.
To download Windows 7, you don’t need a key, you can grab the files directly using the links below:
You can leave that downloading whilst you attempt to get a key to activate the system.
Head over to TechNet Downloads, click the “Sign In” link and let everything load. From there, in the same window, make sure you Copy and Paste the following link:
32-Bit key : https://www.microsoft.com/betaexperience/scripts/gcs.aspx?Product=tn-win7-32-ww&LCID=1033 (Remember, Copy and Paste!)
64-bit key : https://www.microsoft.com/betaexperience/scripts/gcs.aspx?Product=tn-win7-64-ww&LCID=1033 (Remember, Copy and Paste!)
Update: To stop any confusion, the key will work on either version that you downloaded, you don’t need to wait for a 32-bit or 64-bit specific key.
You need to be signed in, you should get a page with the following information:
If you have this page, you are on the right track. Now, you just need to keep refreshing the page until you get through to the Product Key stages. To aid this process, I suggest you install the “Check4Change” Firefox Addon which will refresh the page at whatever interval you wish and alert you when the page does change.
This method may change as Microsoft changes it’s servers, it doesn’t hurt to try.
