Microsoft is no longer providing Windows 7 Beta as a download for just anyone. If you want to test the next version of the operating system, you are going to have to be a member of MSDN or TechNet or have access to the ISO files from an unofficial source.

The Microsoft Windows 7 Beta Web site does not offer any real explanation as to why you can no longer download the beta. Personally, I think the more feedback the better, but that’s just a personal preference and belief.

The editorial staff at TechRepublic has installed Windows 7 Beta on several test PCs, and we will continue to poke around and report what we find. It would be so much more informative, however, if the TechRepublic community joins the discussion to tell us all what you like and don’t like about Microsoft’s next operating system.