Windows 7 beta can be 'risky'
Users seem to be lapping up Microsoft’s just-released
operating system Windows 7 beta. In fact, the software giant suspended the
previous 2.5 million download limit after its servers were overwhelmed by users
trying to download the operating system.
However, installing the beta can be risky, unless one is really tech-savvy.
Microsoft itself has warned users, "It can be glitchy” and “there's a
chance of losing files.”
Here's why and how the Windows 7 beta can be a risky proposition for
not-so-geeky users.
* Beta software tends to be buggy. Also, the programme will expire in about six
months (August 2009), while the for-sale versions of Windows 7 aren't expected
until late this year or early next. So users must revert to Windows Vista, XP
or some other alternative.
* It may have glitches, so don't use a PC you need every day, warns Microsoft
on its site.
* The new OS may be vulnerable to malicious attacks. Downloading Windows 7 from
unofficial sources online could be a risky venture according to security vendor
Fortify.
Rob Rachwald, Fortify's director of product marketing, reckons that there is no
easy way of authenticating that early builds widely available for download have
not been tampered with by hackers, which could have "customized" the
download to their own advantages.
He added, “Reports suggest that a pirate version of an early build of Windows
7, which is under alpha test with developers, is available for file-sharing on
the Internet. Given the low level at which this operating system installs on a
PC, we recommend users give the version a very wide berth because of the
associated security risks”
* Unknown issues may arise. As says Microsoft on its site, "You're
(almost) flying solo: you'll need to troubleshoot problems yourself and call on
other Beta testers for their know-how."
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