Microsoft Cleans Open Source From Windows 7 Tool

Microsoft has posted a new version of a free designed to install Windows 7 on netbooks without a DVD drive, because the original version broke an open source licence.

The free Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool (WUDT), was introduced in October to allow netbook users with no optical drive to install the operating system, but had to be removed from the Microsoft Store in November, because a third-party contractor had improperly used open source code in its build.

Microsoft posted a revamped version of the tool on CodePlex.com, its open source software project hosting repository. on 9 December, nearly a month after it had been removed. The tool allows Windows 7 to be ported onto netbooks, many of which do not feature DVD drives, by taking an ISO image and creating a bootable USB device from which the operating system can be installed.

According to Microsoft, the download tool now falls under the umbrella of GNU General Public License Version 2 (GPLv2). Microsoft previously admitted that the original version of the program violated GPLv2.

“I am pleased to announce that Microsoft today released the Open Sourced Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool (WUDT) under GPLv2,” Peter Galli, open-source community manager for Microsoft’s platform strategy group, said in a statement published on Port25, which bills itself as a communication portal for the open-source community within Microsoft. “The testing and localization took longer than we expected, but the project is now hosted on CodePlex.com, Microsoft’s Open Source software project hosting repository.”

While the WUDT page still exists on the Microsoft Store, the “Add to Cart” link is missing; instead, the tool can be downloaded from the Microsoft Store here with instructions here.

“While the user experience of the tool will be the same as before, the install involves additional steps,” Galli added. Certain WUDT files have now been separated “for clarity as they are separate programs under different licensing terms.”