Windows 10 beta now available to download—time to test the new Start menu

Microsoft released a technical preview of Windows 10 this morning, and it's available for download here.

System requirements are a 1GHz or faster processor, 1GB of RAM for 32-bit systems or 2GB for 64-bit systems, 16GB of free hard disk space, and a Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with a WDDM driver. In other words, anything that's capable of running Windows 8.1 can be moved to Windows 10. You can upgrade to the Windows 10 preview from either Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1.

It's free, as long as you sign up for the Windows Insider Program with a Microsoft account. The 32-bit download is 3.16GB while the 64-bit one is 4.10GB. Although Microsoft makes a version of Windows for ARM devices, the preview is x86-only. The preview will expire on April 15, 2015, with Microsoft releasing the final version of the OS sometime after that.

Although anyone can download the preview, it isn't really intended for everyone. "Remember, trying out an early build like this can be risky," Microsoft wrote. "That's why we recommend that you don't install the preview on your primary home or business PC. Unexpected PC crashes could damage or even delete your files, so you should back up everything." Microsoft intends to get feedback from users during the beta period to improve the version it releases commercially.

The PC's recovery partition cannot be used to go back to your previous version of Windows after installing the preview, but it is possible to reinstall the previous version from a DVD or USB recovery drive.

Windows 10 puts the Start menu back where it was before Windows 8, and it adds features designed to make it easier to resize windows and switch between applications. A new Continuum feature, not available in this preview, will help users move seamlessly between the operating system's tablet and desktop modes.