More Windows 7 Downloads

Gosh! There’s so much hype and hoopla surrounding yesterday’s Windows 7 launch that I’m almost disinclined to add to the clutter myself. But hey: a guy’s gotta blog, so there’s plenty of interesting new stuff going on around this “big event” to provide grist for the mill. So far my favorite fluff coverage item is a snapshot of Linux father Linux Torvalds squatting in front of a big Windows 7 display in a Japanese high-tech outlet giving the thumbs-up sign (he’s in Tokyo to attend the Japan Linux Symposium, apparently).

But enough fluff, already. There were no less than 21 items released to the Microsoft Download Center yesterday, and at least three of them relate to Windows 7 and may therefore bear download and inspection. Here goes:

• A revised Windows licensing fact sheet, that adds Win7 coverage to Windows 2000, Windows 95, Windows Vista, and Windows XP.
• The Windows 7 Training Kit for Developers, which includes presentations, hands-on labs, and demos designed to help developers get up to speed on building Win7 compatible applications (I’m not sure, but I think this is a final release of a beta that’s been out for months).
• The Windows 7 Product Guide: a PDF (62 MB) or XPS (30.5 MB) version of the color, glossy MS Windows 7 intro, with a detailed tour of the new OS’s capabilities, interface, and design features (140 pp)

A few other potential items of interest amidst the plethora of recent downloads include:

• Installation Instructions and Release Notes for Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode: pretty much self-explanatory, but the Download Windows XP Mode page now offers access to the final version, instead of the release candidate. Those already running Windows XP Mode are advised to uninstall the RC or beta version and download and install this version instead (be sure to back up your VHDs and ancillary files first, and you can run them inside the new version without a hitch).
• A new version of the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer 2.1.1 is available, modified to also work with Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.

Lots of new stuff to look at, and some of it actually interesting and/or informative, too. Enjoy!