Microsoft has opened up the beta programme for its forthcoming Windows Vista to the general public

Windows Vista Beta 2 Customer Preview Program is now available to download

Microsoft launches Windows Vista public beta

Latest version of Windows available to download

Written by Carl Taylor

vnunet.com, 08 Jun 2006

Microsoft has opened up the beta programme for its forthcoming Windows Vista to the general public.

The Windows Vista Beta 2 Customer Preview Program is available to download from the company's website or can be ordered on DVD.

The Beta 2 version was released to developers at the WinHEC conference at the end of last month.

Microsoft is warning that the operating system is still in development and " should not be used in a production environment or on a main machine in the home ". The software is also time limited and will cease to function after 1 June 2007.

The download version is only suitable for users with a fast internet connection; the 32-bit version is 3.5GB, while the 64-bit version weighs in at 4.4GB.

The pre-release software is Windows Vista Ultimate edition, which is the most feature-packed version of Vista.

To get the most out of Vista, Microsoft recommends running it on a 1GHz PC with at least 1GB of RAM and a 128MB graphics card capable of running the Aero graphical interface.