Tweaking Makes Windows 7 Ready For Free Trial Of All Versions
A popular newsletter has revealed that any version of the operating system Microsoft Windows 7 can be installed by tweaking the installation disk. This will give users an opportunity to try before actual buying and upgrading to the edition that’s more expensive.
As per Woody Leonard contributing editor of Windows Secrets newsletter, if a small text file is deleted from installation DVD of Windows then the users are free to install any of the five different editions. Leonard brought out step by step procedure in the previous week that took the users through the process on release to manufacturing Windows 7. Microsoft has sent this final build of the operating system to computer makers and to be distributed among IT developers and professionals.
Leonard states that to allow installation of any of the five editions, a file of the name “El.cfg” is to be deleted from installation disk. Microsoft documentation shows that “El.cfg” is a setup file of Windows that specifies which edition and license is to be used in the installation. For the same purpose in earlier versions Windows used “PID.txt” file.
Leonard further adds that if the user is having a physical installation DVD of Windows 7 then gBurner or ISO Recorder is to be used to convert DVD into file with extension iso. Deletion of El.cfg file is to be done and copy the .iso file to a new DVD for installing different versions of Windows 7.
The procedure to convert original installation DVD into one that is capable of installing all the five versions is very elaborate. Brain Livingston, editor of Windows Secrets stated that this is the only path that users have to follow to check various versions of Windows 7 before spending money.
In an interview Livingston added that corporate IT administrators have great interest in the trial of different versions of Windows 7. They will have no problem in putting Professional version on one system and Home premium on the other; allowing the group of employees to try before deciding the best for the organization.
This procedure also allows the users to try more costly versions of Windows 7 before deciding to pay for an Anytime Upgrade. Microsoft asks for $90 for an Anytime Upgrade from Home Premium to Professional but for that Microsoft does not allow any grace or trial period. The users are provided with key that in no time unlocks Professional once the user has paid the up-gradation amount to Microsoft.
The users after the launch of operating system in public beta form last year had reported that how deletion of “El.cfg” file could bring installation of your choice edition of Windows 7. Hence all that is said by Leonard for try-before-buy of various version of Windows 7 was not totally new or original. However he is the first to confirm that the same tactics still work in final build of Windows 7. The sale of Windows 7 is to start from October 22.