Actually I already have a dual boot XP & Vista system and I won't replace either with a 7 beta because, if nothing else, it expires in august. Also I'm not sure I trust a beta OS because I know how complicated and important OSes are. I don't want it screwing up my computer. All of my important stuff is on a secondary drive. I have a relativly free partition on my primary drive which is where my OSes are but the free partition is only 14.6 gb. Will that be enough? What is the typical install size. Otherwise I know that my computer is powerful enough to run it just fine because I think it does great with Vista. I'll eventually go through all of the posts here. I'm not in a hurry to put it on & right now I'm too busy.

I don't want it screwing up my computer. All of my important stuff is on a secondary drive.

You should NEVER test beta software on a system you are not prepared to lose!

Originally Posted by Digerati

You should NEVER test beta software on a system you are not prepared to lose!

I have another decent, although older, computer I recently got but it only has 512 mb of ram. I haven't yet looked to see if I can upgrade the ram. I'm guessing that that is too low. It has an older nVidia AGP graphics card & a 1.8 gHZ P4. Also it doesn't have a dvd drive. I probably won't be able to add one because most of the case, except for the side door, is rivited to the frame. That makes no sense to me.

I probably won't be able to add one because most of the case, except for the side door, is rivited to the frame.

Access through the side should be all you need, assuming you can remove the drive bays.

I'll repost the Microsoft recommended specs from an earlier post:

Download the Windows 7 Beta

Download the Windows 7 Beta
New to beta testing? Here's what you need to know:
You'll need some technical skills, like knowing how to:

Burn an ISO file to make an install DVD (A good example of what we mean by “technical”)

Install Windows (of course)

Backup and restore your PC (There's a chance of losing files, so it's a good idea to do a backup of anything you want to save.)

Set up a network

It can be glitchy—so don't use a PC you need every day.

Minimum recommended specs call for:

1 GHz 32-bit or 64-bit processor

1 GB of system memory

16 GB of available disk space

Support for DirectX 9 graphics with 128 MB memory (to enable the Aero theme)

DVD-R/W Drive

Internet access (to download the Beta and get updates)

And yes, like anything tech-related, these specs could change.

Some product features of Windows 7, such as the ability to watch and record live TV or navigation through the use of "touch," may require advanced or additional hardware.

You'll need a system recovery disk (and know how to use it).

You're [almost] flying solo: you'll need to troubleshoot problems yourself and call on other Beta testers for their know-how.

It's a two-way thing—Beta testing is about feedback so our developers can fix bugs and hear what appeals to the people who use our products daily. Please tell us what you think.

Watch the calendar. The Beta expires on August 1, 2009. To continue using your PC, please be prepared to reinstall a prior version of Windows or a subsequent release of Windows 7 before the expiration date. (See installation instructions.)

To learn more about the Windows 7 Beta, see Frequently Asked Questions.

Also today was to have been the download deadline but it has been reported that a two week extension has been issued.

Microsoft extends Windows 7 beta download deadline

Originally Posted by Digerati

Access through the side should be all you need, assuming you can remove the drive bays.

I've checked. The hard drive is screwed into the bay from both sides. I'm assuming that it is the same for the cd drives but I'll check. both external bays are occupied. maybe I can set my dvd drive on the bottom of the computer temporarily. What about the ram & graphics. The graphics card is an geforce 2 series AGP model. 512 mg of ram. I'm sure thats not enough.

Why do you say not to put it on a computer I'm not prepared to lose? Could it mess up the hardware or corrupt the files? Corrupt the other OSes? Has that happened with 7?

The hard drive is screwed into the bay from both sides.

Then the bay must be removable, if the other case side panel is not.

Why do you say not to put it on a computer I'm not prepared to lose?

Because it is a beta release - it is expected to still have bugs and other problems. No, it would not mess up hardware - as in making it forever unusable. But it sure could mess up your drivers to hardware, or something else may go wrong that wipes out all your data, downloaded program, etc.

I will give the same advice for Win7 as I did for Vista - I recommend it be install on new hardware and not on old systems designed over 10 years ago - which applies to any PC designed for XP.

The bays are also rivited to the case but I found out that one the drives is a dvd-rom so now I feel foolish. This is a ridiculously designed case. I don't think that they want anyone to do anything interesting with it other than ram & cards. It is a conpaq though but this is the worst designed one I've seen. I've only been able to remove the side panel & the front.

Also I can upgrade memory to 1 gb but graphics card has only 64 mb memory however I can replace that. The problem will be the drivers. There aren't any vista drivers available for that model. Also the processor speed is sluggish for xp. I don't think that I'll be able to use this but I don't have anything else to use except my primary computer.

Well - it sounds like an "entry-level" system from a major discount retailer. That's not a criticism because those computers connect 10 of millions of families around the world to information. Families who otherwise would not be able to afford a computer. And millions were bought for kids for school. I would not know how to put a value on either of those, but it's huge. And more so when you consider the Internet may be their only source of information not filtered by their government, if they risk seeking it out.

Rivets are used during assembly of these computers because it costs a lot less to assemble with rivets. Rivets are cheaper than screws and the riveting greatly automated. Assembly with screws requires greater human interaction with expensive tools. The cost to assemble the best cases goes higher as labor costs go higher to give us all sorts of drive mounting options, fan options, easy access, etc.

You can drill them out but you must ensure not one metal filing gets anywhere near the motherboard or other open circuitry. Not fun. Then get a good case - with lots a large fan options and removable, washable air filters. I like Antecs.

If your power supply is riveted too, forget it - it was likely barely adequate when new anyway, and they don't get stronger over time. Invest in a good supply from a name brand. It will make your expensive motherboard, CPU, RAM, and graphics card happy.

I do all that I might as well get a new computer & I don't want to (or need to) do that just to play with windows 7 when it'll expire in august. Maybe I'll just put it on the open partition on my primary computer. How large does it install at?