I think many of us have been abusing the F5 key on our keyboard for the past few hours. The Windows 7 Beta was supposed to launch at the afternoon of Jan 9 (Pacific Time) but the server load was too much for Microsoft’s servers to handle. So according to Microsoft,

Due to very heavy traffic we’re seeing as a result of interest in the Windows 7 Beta, we are adding some additional infrastructure support to the Microsoft.com properties before we post the public beta. We want to ensure customers have the best possible experience when downloading the beta, and I’ll be posting here again soon once the beta goes live. Stay tuned! We are excited that you are excited!
- Brandon LeBlanc, The Windows Blog

However, for those who haven’t yet visited any tech forums or tech sites, there’s hope for you! The ISO image of Windows 7 Beta is available for download direct from Microsoft’s website. Click here to download the 32-bit version and here to download the 64-bit version. It’s not a direct download file, so you do need an ISO image burning software to burn it onto an empty DVD. Some computers come with it, so use that. If not download ImgBurn for free here.

The next step now is to get a product key. I’ll list the most common step to get a product key now since the servers are down, but I am not sure whether you’ll be able to get it if you didn’t sign up for the Beta earlier on. So here are the steps:

1. Go to http://technet.microsoft.com.
2. Click “Sign in” at the top right hand corner, and sign in with your Windows Live ID.
3. At the same page, point your mouse to the Address bar in your browser.
4. Paste the following address into your Address bar:
   For 32 bit version: https://www.microsoft.com/betaexperience/scripts/gcs.aspx?Product=tn-win7-32-ww&LCID=1033
   For 64 bit version: https://www.microsoft.com/betaexperience/scripts/gcs.aspx?Product=tn-win7-64-ww&LCID=1033
5. You’ll most probably get a error page with the message, “The site is currently experiencing technical difficulties, please check back in the next business day”.
6. Hit F5 repeatedly until the it gets you to the product key page.

Apparently, some people can get to that page in Step 6, while some of us (like me) have been trying for hours. So to stop you from staring at the computer screen, there are two Firefox plugins that will help you auto-refresh, and notify you once that page in Step 6 appears. You can try Check4Change or use the method I’m using now by using Greasemonkey. This forumer did a good job in explaining the steps of configuring the Greasemonkey script.

I also heard that the 32 bit and 64 bit product keys are interchangeable, and can be used for up to 10 computers. So people, share the love! If you are only using it on one computer, share it with others!

Also, I heard that Microsoft’s releasing about 50 million product keys once the servers are up and running again. This, despite they saying it’s capped at 2 million or something. True or not? I’m not sure.

Once I got the product key, and get Windows 7 up and running, I’ll post a full review here. To whet the appetite of those who are still waiting for the product key, you can:

• Visit the official Windows 7 website.
• Hanker the Windows 7 team at their official blog.
• Visit this non-Microsoft related Windows 7 site for great articles.
• Get some sleep while the C4C/Greasemonkey script is running.
• Install Windows 7, and start using it (you can use it for 3o days without a key!)

Till then, happy waiting!