Microsoft has shipped off the final build of Windows 8 to manufacturers, and on October 26th you’ll be able to buy a new copy of Microsoft’s latest operating system, or buy a new computer with it preloaded.
But if you can’t wait to try it, Microsoft is offering a free 90 day trial of Windows 8 Enterprise. You can download it today.
Windows 8 Enterprise is basically what you get when you take Windows 8 Pro and add some business-friendly features including Windows To Go, which lets you install Windows 8 on a bootable USB flash drive, and enhanced security and networking features.
For the most part, it’s the same operating system that will probably ship with most computers you find in stores later this year, complete with the new Windows 8 Start Screen, gesture support, and Windows Store for third party apps.
Microsoft is offering free trials of 32-bit and 64-bit versions in a variety of languages.
The trial version will expire after 90 days and you can’t upgrade from the trial version to a full version of Windows 8 — you’ll have to do a clean install. So I wouldn’t recommend using this on your primary work machine, but it does provide a way to take the final version of Windows 8 for a spin a few months before it goes on sale.
via The Verge