Microsoft resumes Windows 7 test downloads

Microsoft Corp launched downloads of the public test version of its new version of Windows on Saturday, after a one-day delay due to overwhelming demand.

The "beta" launch of the highly anticipated update to Microsoft's Windows franchise was to began on Friday, but the company had to halt downloads to add more servers.

A Microsoft spokesman said on Monday that the company did not yet have a tally of how many copies of the program have been downloaded.

However, it has eliminated its limit of 2.5 million copies for the first two weeks of availability, to allow more people to get a copy.

Microsoft, the world's biggest maker of software, has said Windows 7 would incorporate touch-screen technology and allow users to more easily personalize the system. It promised more user-friendly features, such as a new taskbar that previews all open windows from a single application by hovering over the program's icon.