Microsoft announced earlier this week that it will make a time-limited version of Windows 7 Enterprise edition available to IT professionals who don’t otherwise have access to the RTM version of the software. The 90-day trial is available for download and requires registration to get the full value of the 90-day trial.

Windows Drivers Will Need To Be Reinstalled

Once the 90-day trial window has expired, the software will shut down and reboot every hour. For downloaders who don’t register, the shutdown routine will begin 10 days after the version is initially downloaded. In addition, once the OS is locked out, users will have to perform a clean install, including all Windows 7 drivers and applications to restore the full function of the OS.

Aside from being time-limited, the free download offer is also time-limited. Microsoft will make the Windows 7 Enterprise trial version available only until March 31, 2010, or until its designated number of licenses have been distributed. The Windows 7 Enterprise software is the fully functional version of the release package that was distributed to Volume Licensing users and those with Software Assurance agreements.

In all, the Windows 7 Enterprise trial is a good deal for IT professionals who need to evaluate and test Windows 7, or who need to ensure that the new OS version will work with specific drivers or applications. The 90-day test window is generous enough to ensure that any specific problems with your proposed driver and software load will become apparent, and may even provide enough time for hardware vendors to produce compatible drivers to replace older or non-compatible ones.

If Microsoft wanted to go all out on testing for Enterprise customers, it would also provide a test version of the Windows 2008 server. A seat-limited 2008 Server edition would enable Enterprise users to determine how well the combined 2008 Server/Windows 7 combination will work in the enterprise environment. After all, it was the mismatch between Windows Vista and the heavily used Windows Server 2003 that made Windows Vista largely unattractive to the enterprise crowd. Microsoft assures that the new Server 2008 and Windows 7 combination resolve the most unpleasant issues, including those involving Active Directory. By providing a complete enterprise test environment, Microsoft would go a long way toward alleviating the fears of Enterprise that prevented Vista from being widely adopted.

In all, it’s clear that Microsoft expects a win from Windows 7 and is pulling out all the stops – at least for 90 days – to ensure that the right people have access to its latest Windows release.

Photo Credit: Pablo Korona, via Flickr