Vista gets out of PC sync and available for download

Microsoft has dropped a feature from Windows Vista that would have allowed people running the new operating system to keep data synchronized among multiple PCs.

The software maker said quality concerns were behind the decision to drop the feature, which allowed people to keep files up-to-date across multiple Vista machines.

"While PC-to-PC sync is a great feature that improves productivity and collaboration we don't have it at the quality level our customers demand," Microsoft said Wednesday in a statement.

Microsoft has just released the first public version of its new OS, Vista. It's called Windows Vista Beta 2 and it's a preview of Windows Vista Ultimate - "the most comprehensive edition of Windows Vista". Ultimate is one of a reported six different versions of Vista that will eventually be released.

The Beta 2 is of course aimed at developers and here are the download links:

Windows Vista Beta 2 x86 or x64 | Direct Link (x86)
Windows Vista Beta 2 German x86 or x64 | Japanese x86 or x64

Be warned though, these are (obviously) very hefty downloads - around 3 GB. You'll also need a key to run Vista Beta 2 - and here is the information to do that. For all the official details, here's the official Microsoft webpage and the Preview Program blurb:

"We invite you to be among the first to experience the clarity that Windows Vista can bring to your world. The Windows Vista Customer Preview Program makes a pre-release edition of Windows Vista Ultimate broadly available to the public for the first time.

Note: This is beta code and should not be used in a production environment or on a main machine in the home. Beta 2 is intended for developers, IT professionals and technology experts to continue or begin their testing of Windows Vista. Before you decide to use Beta 2, you should feel comfortable with installing operating systems, updating drivers, and general PC troubleshooting. Some risks of using beta operating systems include hardware and software incompatibility and system instability. If you have concerns about installing this beta software on your computer, we encourage you to obtain the final release version of Windows Vista when it is available in 2007.

If you decide to install Windows Vista Beta 2, we would like to thank you for taking the time to test the product. Your feedback is an integral part of our development process. Thank you for being part of the Windows Vista team!"

Thanks MSBlog, Scoble and Neowin for the news.