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windows-7-rc posts

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows

Get your Windows 7 RC downloads while they last (offer expires Aug 20)

Windowsby Brad Linder Aug 19th 2009

Windows 7 Jumplist
Haven't gotten around to downloading your copy of the Windows 7 Release Candidate yet? Well you'd better hurry up. Tomorrow is the last day to download the pre-release version of the operating system.

You don't need to install or activate the release candidate this week. You'll still be able to get a product key. But the download links will go away later this week. The official ones anyway.

Of course, the full version of Windows 7 will be available on October 22nd, so you may wonder if there's even any point in installing the RC now. But here's the thing: It doesn't expire until June 1st, 2010. In other words, you can still use the release candidate for another 10 months free of charge while deciding whether you want to shell out the money to purchase a full copy. Of course, this is all in the name of helping test the product and provide feedback for Microsoft to improve the operating system.

There is a catch. Starting on March 1st, if you're still running Windows 7 RC your computer will automatically shut down every two hours as a gentle reminder that your time is running out. But the only other way you're going to get to spend the next 10 months with a free operating system is to download one that's, you know, really free. Like Ubuntu, Mandriva, or PCLinuxOS.

Tags: release-candidate, windows-7, windows-7-rc

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows

Windows 7 RC users will be able to install Windows 7 Upgrade discs

Windowsby Brad Linder Jul 11th 2009

Windows 7 box
Today's the last day to pre-order Windows 7 Upgrade discs for half off. But Microsoft almost always offers upgrade discs for existing Windows users for a lower cost than the full install discs. So even if you don't get your order in today, you can probably save a few bucks by ordering Windows 7 Upgrade instead of the full version. The question is: will you be able to install it?

Microsoft has already stated that Windows Vista and Windows XP users would be able to use the upgrade discs. But this week the company also confirmed that those of you who have been using Windows 7 RC will also be able to upgrade to Windows 7 final using the upgrade discs.

There is a catch. While the Windows 7 installer won't overwrite your files, it will copy all of your existing data to a folder labeled WINDOWS.OLD, which means that you won't be able to run most applications without reinstalling them. But at least you won't lose your documents in the upgrade process.

Now here's the bigger catch: While you won't need to downgrade from Windows 7 RC to Vista or XP in order to install Windows 7 final the first, time, you will need to install one of those operating systems and activate it first if you want to do a clean install in the future. Because the Windows 7 upgrade disc will only work with an activated version of Windows. That means you'll need an activated version of Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7 RC to start with or the disc will be useless.

Tags: windows-7, windows-7-rc, windows-7-upgrade

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft

Windows 7 Beta shuts down today. Repeatedly (time to upgrade to RC)

Windowsby Brad Linder Jul 1st 2009

Windows 7 Beta
So you downloaded the first beta version of Windows 7 when it was released to the public in January. You installed it on a separate partition on your Windows XP, Vista, Linux, or OS X box played around with it for a little while and then forgot about it. You never got around to installing the Windows 7 release candidate that came later.

Well, let me tell you what will happen the next time you boot up Windows 7 Beta. You'll be able to use your computer for about 2 hours and then it will restart. Microsoft built a little time bomb into the beta to remind users to upgrade or remove the operating system. Subtle, not so much. Effective? Yes. Annoying? Definitely.

If you want to keep using a free version of Windows 7, it's time to upgrade to Windows 7 RC. But there's a time bomb on the release candidate as well. Starting on march 1st, 2010 it will begin restarting every two hours as well, and come June 1st, 2010 it'll just stop working. But since Microsoft will begin shipping the full version of Windows 7 on October 22nd of this year, you should have plenty of opportunity to upgrade by then.

In the meantime, Microsoft is essentially letting you run (and test) Windows 7 for a year and a half for free. Just remember to download Windows 7 RC by August 15th.

Tags: windows-7, windows-7-beta, windows-7-rc

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft, Beta

Windows 7 RC downloads only available through August 15th

Windowsby Brad Linder Jun 23rd 2009

Windows 7 beta
If you've been using an early build of Windows 7 beta and haven't upgraded to the Release Candidate yet, you'll probably want to do that by next week. Starting on July 1st, anyone still using Windows 7 Beta will have to put up with their computers rebooting every hour. The beta will expire altogether on August 1st.

Meanwhile, the download program for Windows 7 RC closes on August 15th. You don't necessarily need to install the release candidate by that point, but you will need to download it by then.

It's not surprising that Microsoft is flipping the off switch soon. The company is on track to launch the retail version of Windows on October 22nd, and it's gong to be a lot easier to convince people to buy the software if they can't get it for free.

Tags: windows-7, windows-7-beta, windows-7-rc

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft, Beta, Windows x64

Download the Windows 7 RC from Microsoft now!

Windowsby Lee Mathews May 5th 2009

Never mind the torrent trackers, Microsoft's official download links for the Windows 7 release candidate are now live!

At this point, the downloads are still moving along at a good pace (560K/s in my case). Don't forget what happened last time, though. The surge of Beta downloaders proved to be too much for Microsoft's servers and caused downtime and slow transfers for some users.

The good news is that you'll have plenty of time after the initial rush to get your hands on the official DVD ISOs. Microsoft announced yesterday that download links will be available through July 2009.

Both the 32 and 64-bit version are available now in five languages: English, French, German, Spanish, and Japanese. You'll need to sign in with your Windows Live ID and fill out a brief form first, unless you already did so for the Beta. In that case, your previous details should be pre-filled.

Just make sure to uncheck the subscription boxes if you don't want Microsoft bulletins showing up in your inbox. After that you'll be presented with your product key and two buttons - one for your download and one for installation instructions.

And don't forget - as I mentioned on a previous post, there's no need to burn a DVD if you've got USB hard drive handy.

Also worth noting: While the RC won't expire until June 1, 2010 your system will begin shutting down every two hours starting March 1. It's Microsoft's way to "encourage" you to install an RTM version which ought to be out by that time.

Good luck, and happy downloading!

Tags: windows-7-rc

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft

Windows 7 system requirements: You can probably run it

Windowsby Brad Linder May 1st 2009

Windows 7
Microsoft has made the release candidate of Windows 7 available to TechNet subscribers, and next week the company is expected to let the general public download and install the pre-released operating system. While Windows 7 won't be officially released until later this year (most likely), it's not expected to look dramatically different from the release candidate.

And that means if you can run the release candidate on your computer you can probably run the final build. So what does it take to run Windows 7 RC? Not much:
  • 1GHz 32-bit or 64-bit processor
  • 1GB of RAM
  • 16GB of disk space (or 20GB for 64-bit users)
  • DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver
If you want to use Windows XP Mode (which lets you run Windows XP programs), you'll need at least 2GB of RAM and 15GB of additional storage space as well as a CPU that supports hardware virtualization.

The system requirements aren't actually much higher than those for Windows Vista. The difference is that all versions of Windows 7 will run well on machines with the minimum specifications, whereas the higher end versions of Vista really worked best on machines with more RAM and better video cards. A large part of the difference is due to the fact that Windows 7 was designed to run on slower systems such as netbooks, which are the fastest growing segment of the PC industry.

Tags: system-requirements, windows-7, windows-7-rc

Filed under: OS Updates, Security, Windows, Beta, Windows x64

Some Windows 7 RC torrents infected with trojan

Windowsby Lee Mathews Apr 28th 2009


We've said it before, and it bears repeating: if you're going to download Windows 7 torrents, play it safe. Frank Fontaine posted the above screenshot to the NeoWin forums a few days ago which show just why it's so important.

Some of the Windows 7 RC ISO files appearing on trackers have a nasty little surprise inside, which you can see in the Avast alert window above.

Granted, the infected file should only cause problems if you are trying to do an in-Windows upgrade of your existing Windows 7 Beta install. That's something Microsoft has advised against anyway, and in this case it could end up infecting your system with the trojan.

While I'm sure more savvy users aren't surprised by this development, it's an important reminder about the dangers of installing unfamiliar software.

What's the best course of action? Sit tight and wait for the official release, of course. It's only a few days away (May 5th). If you're determined to get a torrent early, it might be a good idea to do a Twitter search and see if you can find users talking about a clean download.

[via SlashGear]

Tags: trojan, virus, windows-7-rc

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Office, Microsoft, Beta, Windows x64

Windows XP Mode coming to Windows 7, could be a game-changer

Windowsby Lee Mathews Apr 25th 2009

One big strike against Vista was the fact that some programs which worked just fine in Windows XP just wouldn't run properly. Not even after playing with compatibility mode options. Microsoft has, however, come up with a brilliant solution for Windows 7 that could do wonders for Windows 7 enterprise adoption.

Dubbed XP Mode (XPM), the new feature should make Vista-esque program incompatibilities little more than a bad memory.

So how does it work?

First, systems will need to be running a CPU that supports processor-based virtualization. Windows 7 Pro, Enterprise, and Ultimate licensees will receive access to download a fully-licensed Windows XP SP3 Virtual PC environment from Microsoft. Unlike Virtual PC, though, it's not a standalone virtualization program. Once installed, XP Mode works behind the scenes and allows programs to run seamlessly alongside native Windows 7 apps.

And yes, that means even outdated programs like Internet Explorer 6 that some businesses still depend on for their daily operations will run just fine on Windows 7. According to Paul Thurrott, Microsoft claims nearly 100% compatibility with current Windows XP applications in XPM.

Microsoft needs Windows 7 to be a winner in the enterprise. Apart from cost, compatibility concerns are a huge factor for administrators considering an upgrade path. XP Mode might just squash that concern, which only leaves the final Windows 7 pricing structure.

We'll see how aggressive Microsoft is on that front as the RTM approaches.

Tags: virtualization, windows-7-rc, xp-mode, xpm

Filed under: Windows, Microsoft, Beta

Windows 7 RC scheduled for release next week

Windowsby Brad Linder Apr 24th 2009

Windows 7 RC
A leaked copy of the release candidate for Windows 7 may have hit the gray areas of the internet this morning, but Microsoft isn't quite ready to distribute the OS to the general public. The company is very close to being ready though.

In a blog post this morning, the Windows 7 team announced that the release candidate is on track for an April 30th release to MSDN and TechNet subscribers. The general public will be able to download and install Windows 7 RC on May 5th.

If you have a beta version of Windows 7 it won't expire immediately. But if you want to keep testing the pre-release version of the next version of Windows for free, you might want to take the RC for a spin. Microsoft has been working hard on bug fixes and changes since the first Windows 7 beta was released in January. At one point, Microsoft was receiving a new note from the "send feedback" feature in Windows 7 beta every 15 seconds.

Tags: windows-7, windows-7-rc

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft, Beta, Windows x64

Windows 7 RC (7100) out early on torrent trackers

Windowsby Lee Mathews Apr 24th 2009


While the partner page Microsoft put up a few days back announcing the availability of the Windows 7 RC turned out to be another minor slip-up, the results in Mininova's index are a bit more real.

You guessed it - the Windows 7 RC build (7100) has been leaked. Unlike previous builds where the leak started with a single poorly-seeded torrent, this time there are no fewer than four torrents - two each for x86 and x64 versions. The two strongest already have more than two hundred seeders.

Over at Windows 7 News, they've posted a gallery of new screenshots from the RC. Visually not much has changed, so don't expect to see anything Earth-shattering.

Once again, the enthusiastic Windows 7 testing community has decided to ignore Microsoft's warnings about downloading unofficial ISOs from non-Microsoft sources. If you'd prefer to play it safe you don't have much longer to wait - the real deal is supposed to be here on May 5th.

Update: Loking for some reassurance before downloading? A number of people - including our pal Long Zheng - are saying this is the real deal.

Tags: windows-7-rc

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Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft, Beta, Windows x64

Windows 7 RC to be released publicly on May 5

Windowsby Lee Mathews Apr 18th 2009

Ok gang, it looks like we may finally have an honest-to-goodness release date for the Windows 7 RC: May 5, 2009.

A page has been posted on Microsoft's partner portal which tells MSDN and Technet subscribers that they can download the RC now, though that doesn't appear to be true just yet. Clicking through to the downloads page still only displays the Windows 7 Beta downloads.

It could turn out to be another gaff like the one last month. However, there's no screwy publication date this time, so it may just be that the partner downloads are due in the very near future. The page includes another reminder that the RC is not a finished product and restates that the goal is to both showcase what's coming in Windows 7 as well as continue real-world testing.

There's been speculation that the RC build may include a significant change to the Windows 7 UI in order to generate some added excitement. We'll have to wait patiently to find out if that's true, but no doubt there will be screenshots or an ISO leak soon after the download is made available.

If you missed out on the beta and aren't excited about downloading an unofficial file via some torrent site, you'll soon have the chance to get your hands on a genuine Microsoft download once again.

[via NeoWin]

Tags: windows-7-rc

Filed under: OS Updates, Microsoft, Beta

Microsoft on upgrades from Windows 7 beta to RC: Please don't

by Brad Linder Apr 8th 2009

Windows 7 upgrade tweak
Millions of people around the globe have downloaded and installed beta versions of Windows 7. And soon Microsoft will be launching a release candidate which offers new features and bug fixes. But the company's not making it easy to upgrade from Windows 7 beta to the Windows 7 release candidate.

And there's a good reason for that: When the company releases the full version of Windows 7 most people aren't going to be upgrading from a pre-release version. They'll be upgrading from Windows Vista or performing a fresh install. (Microsoft has already said there will not be an easy upgrade path from Windows XP). And the whole point of putting out betas and release candidates is to test software in real-world conditions.

In a blog post, Microsoft's Windows 7 team is encouraging beta testers who plan to upgrade to the release candidate to revert to Windows Vista before upgrading, or to do a fresh install of the new release candidate. The team acknowledges that this will be a real hassle for anyone that has started to use Windows 7 beta as their primary operating system. But that's what you get for treating beta software as if it were a finished product. It isn't.

In the blog post, Microsoft does offer instructions for upgrading from an existing Windows 7 build to a newer version. But it requires tweaking some system files and there's absolutely no guarantee that the process will go off without a hitch. In fact, it sounds likely that you will experience some problems if you go this route, and Microsoft has no plans to figure out how to fix these errors because this isn't the usage scenario the company expects real world users to follow.

[via CNet]

Tags: upgrades, windows-7, windows-7-beta, windows-7-rc

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft, Windows x64

Technet publishes Windows 7 RC release doc from the future

Windowsby Lee Mathews Mar 26th 2009


I could swear it's still March, but according to a Technet post I'm either very wrong or Microsoft has learned how to manipulate the flow of time. A document showing a publication date of May 2009 has appeared and reveals new information about the upcoming Windows 7 release candidate.

While the date reads May, there's no confirmation of the actual release date. It makes sense that the page's publication would coincide with the release, but since this looks like a slip up there's no cause yet to assume that previous reports had pegging the RC as coming on April 10, 2009 are wrong.

In the release, Microsoft states that the RC will be available at least until the end of June and there will not be a limit placed on the number of product keys. Testers will be able to run the RC for a full year, until its expiration on June 1, 2010. The download will be available in five languages: English, German, Japanese, French, and Spanish.

Don't get too excited by the download selectors at the bottom of the page. They don't work yet - obviously the time slip is only document-related and doesn't affect ISO files.

update: the page as been pulled down, but my screenshot is here if you're interested. [TwitPic]

Tags: microsoft, windows-7-rc

Windows 7 RC build 7048: it's all about personalization, baby!

by Lee Mathews Mar 9th 2009


Apart from implementing some of the previously announced changes in post-beta Windows 7 builds, Microsoft has clearly set their sites on providing a desktop environment that users can customize six ways from Sunday.

Don't take the title too literally: build 7048 has definitely received plenty of attention under the hood. In my normal computing tasks, build 7048 feels more stable even more usable as an everyday OS. However, most of the updates aren't very obvious. Subtle changes appear here and there, for example:
  • the glow on your taskbar button staying put when you mouse onto a taskbar thumbnail
  • the increased number of items you can pin to your taskbar
  • the start orb is slightly clearer and its glow is brighter
  • Send Feedback links no longer appear in window title bars
  • a slightly cleaned up Control Panel
One small but very welcome addition is that your Downloads folder can now be added to your panel via start menu customization. Prior to making this change, getting the folder on your list was far too cumbersome and required editing the registry.

Read more →

Tags: 7048, windows-7-rc

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Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft, Beta

Up next for Windows 7: A release candidate

Windowsby Brad Linder Jan 31st 2009

Windows 7
You know that beta version of Windows 7 that's been floating around for a few weeks now? Yeah, turns out it's the last beta you're going to get. Because the next version of the operating system will be a release candidate. That means there will be no Windows 7 Beta 2.

This isn't the first time Microsoft officials have stated that there would be just a single beta. But I believe it is the first time it's been said since the beta was released to the public.

It's not clear at the moment when the release candidate will be available, or if it will be released to the public or just a group of private beta testers. But the step after that will be getting the final build of Windows 7 in the hands of manufacturers. Officially this all means Microsoft is on track to ship Windows 7 in early 2010, but I wouldn't be surprised if it happened this year.

[via ZDnet]

Tags: windows-7, windows-7-beta, windows-7-rc

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