Download Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Beta

Microsoft has released the first public beta version of Windows Server 2008 R2. The beta is from this page downloadable for 64bit systems only. The R2 version of Windows Server 2008 can be seen as the server variant of Windows 7 and includes improved support for virtualization and new management tools. Testers are given the opportunity to try this version of Windows Server 2008 through August 1. After this date, the operating system can no longer be used. Below is a portion of the release notes quoted:

Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 will be the next version of the Windows Server operating system from Microsoft. Building on the features and capabilities of the current Windows Server 2008 release version, Windows Server 2008 R2 allows you to create solutions that are easier to plan, deploy, and manage than previous versions of Windows Server.

This software is for evaluation and testing purposes. Evaluating any version of Windows Server 2008 R2 Beta software does not require product activation or entering a product key. Any edition of Windows Server 2008 R2 Beta may be installed without activation and evaluated for an initial 30 days. If you need more time to evaluate Windows Server 2008 R2 Beta, the initial 30 day evaluation can be extended to August 1st (at which time the OS will become inoperable) by entering the product key below for your selected edition.