All Three Windows 8 Preview Builds Expiring Soon

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All three preview builds of Windows 8 -- Developer, Consumer and Release -- will expire in less than a month.

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Kevin Parrish
Kevin Parrish
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.

43 Comments Comment from the forums
  • memadmax
    Win8 Expired on my computer the day after I installed it >_>
    Reply
  • mayankleoboy1
    Two hour rebooting is not a problem. I hardly use it for 20 mins, just toremind myself how utterly Metro sucks on desktop
    Reply
  • -Jackson
    "Maybe that two-hour rebooting will eventually push stubborn beta users into forking out cash before time runs out on the discount."
    Nah, I'll just go back to using Win7 :P
    Even after giving it a chance, the OS is still a little sour for me. Not to mention USB 3.0 won't work on it since there aren't any Win8 USB 3.0 drivers for my motherboard!
    Along with the fact that searching for stuff is simply just easier on Windows 7 x)
    Reply
  • phatboe
    I have the Win 8 x64 CP version installed but I have not booted it in months, I wonder how it stands now, having not used it in a while. I have zero interest in it at all over my Win 7 pro x64 + Linux OSes. The new UI is absolutely useless for me on my desktop with a mouse+keyboards+no-touchscreen display.
    Reply
  • aoneone
    Bahaha Steve Ballmer is going to be fired. ^_^ I'm so glad I didn't bother wasting my time with Windows 8. Sigh... I knew it would crash and burn and it probably is worse than Vista. Anyways~ Happy holidays! hehe
    Reply
  • 11796pcs
    Those who insist in using the preview builds after the expiration date will see their computer rebooted every two hours, similar to the way Microsoft handles unactivated copies of other Windows releases.

    Unactivated Windows 7 computers don't reboot every two hours, they just shower you with messages to activate.
    Reply
  • LukeCWM
    Take advantage of the speed and features, and if the UI bothers you, install Stardock's Start8.

    I installed it a week and a half ago. Everything works, the upgrades to the File Explorer and Task Manager are great, and the OS is crazy fast. I'm giving myself another week to get used to the Modern UI, and if it doesn't happen, I'll happily shell out the $5 to Stardock.

    Three years ago, I passed up a $20 upgrade from Vista to 7. I didn't need it since all of my drivers and programs worked without problem, and I just didn't see the need. But then I grew to depend on the subtle UI upgrades in 7 while at work, and it became frustrating to continue using Vista at home. You may not feel like you want Windows 8 now, especially if everything is working in 7, but do you really think two or three years from now you'll still be happy with 7 over 8?

    Just an opinion from someone who was skeptical, who made sure he could switch back to Windows 7 if he changed his mind, but then grew to appreciate the other aspects of Windows 8. Two thirds of the bad things I hear about Windows 8 just aren't true, and the other third are a matter of preference, which you can change for $5. I just don't understand the blind negativity towards this. For $40, I think it is smart. And for $15, I think it is a no-brainer.
    Reply
  • Belardo
    I want to hear the latest reports from Steven Sinofsky about how well Win8 is doing in the real world.

    Steven Sinofsky? Hello?

    Maybe Ballmer can find him.
    Reply
  • jakes69
    same here, I was skeptic about installing Window 8 at first...but after a week or so usage I'm loving it. There are always something I dislike about every OS...Window 8 is no different.
    Reply
  • halcyon
    Win 8 is fine (I was way skeptical too). I got Start8 and it works better than perfect...but its not really necessary for me any longer. ...but for $5? There's no longer any excuse...at least not until the end of January.
    Reply