Microsoft banks on erasing Vista fallout

In case you missed the announcement, Microsoft released a beta version of its Windows 7 operating system as a free public download last month.

To make sure it received due attention, Microsoft's chief executive, Steve Ballmer, used his keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to make the event known.

You can't help but get the feeling Microsoft is rather desperate to have someone - anyone - care about its next big release. It has every right to worry. Vista has done untold damage to Microsoft's reputation and, subsequently, its bottom line. If Vista had been any less disastrous, it's unlikely the Redmond software giant would have had to shed 5000 jobs globally.

Now it's stuck with the unenviable task of winning back consumer confidence in its hero product. Even at the best of times that's a tough ask but now that the economy has gone pear-shaped . . . well, let's just say Vista is a renovator's delight.

So it's with a refreshing sigh of relief we find Windows 7 stacks up pretty well so far in the early beta stage. A great deal of effort has gone into addressing most of Vista's shortcomings, including making it run faster.

And despite literally being only half-baked, Windows 7 is shaping up to be a solid offering from the software veteran - quite possibly its best work yet. It looks more slick, runs more smoothly, isn't as intrusive or annoying and doesn't bury features as deeply as Vista.

However, if the global fallout from the economic crisis worsens at the end of the year, when Windows 7 is expected to be released, it may be irrelevant how good the operating system is. Microsoft may well come up with its best Windows ever at the worst possible time.

If you feel up to the task of installing a beta operating system without any official support, Windows 7 is certainly well worth a look. You can grab a copy of it at microsoft.com/windows7. You'll need a Windows Live ID such as a Hotmail account to register for the download. You'll be given an activation key with which to install the operating system. The 2.5GB file you download is a DVD image file, so you'll need the appropriate software and a DVD burner to create the install disc.

In the meantime, you can read all about what to expect in Digital Life.