The OS coverage this week will mostly be about Apple’s upgrade coming out this Friday, but here’s a good tip for Windows users who are planning on trying out Windows 7: you can reset the 30 day trial period 3 times, for a total of 120 days. Although it’s not an official “feature,” Microsoft has announced that they don’t care if customers take advantage of it.

Here’s how it works:

Windows Secrets, the website that first alerted the web community to the activation loophole, has issued instructions for the “rearming” process. Users must first pull up a command line by going the Start menu, selecting All Programs, then Accessories, then Command Prompt.

Once the Command Prompt appears, users must type “slmgr -rearm”, without the quote marks. Once the computer is rebooted, the activation calendar will have been reset to zero, giving users another 30 days of free use.

“Windows 7 ‘free for first 120 days’, says Microsoft” [Telegraph via Oh Gizmo!]
“Use any version of Windows 7 free for 120 days” [Windows Secrets]

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