News

Microsoft to end Windows 7 RC downloads Aug. 15

Windows 7 Beta begins auto-rebooting July 1

By Gregg Keizer

June 23, 2009 03:46 PM ET

Computerworld - Microsoft will turn off the Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC) tap on Aug. 15, the company said today.

"The [Release Candidate] download program closes August 15. After that, you won't be able to get the download, but you can still install the RC and get a key if you need one," Microsoft employee Stephen Rose said on a company blog today.

Microsoft launched Windows 7 RC, the final public preview of the upcoming operating system, on May 4. At the time, Microsoft said that the RC would be available at least through July, a change from its policy earlier in the year, when a download cap on the beta overwhelmed the download servers on opening day.

Windows 7 will hit retail and debut on new PCs on Oct. 22, Microsoft has said.

The release candidate will not expire until June 1, 2010, although it will begin automatically shutting down at two-hour intervals starting March 1, 2010.

Rose reminded users of Windows 7 Beta that they face those auto-shutdowns much sooner. "You need to move to the RC and fast," he said. "Starting July 1, the Beta will start to reboot every 2 hours and [it will] expire Aug 1."

Microsoft panicked some Windows 7 Beta users last month when it mistakenly told them that the auto-rebooting would start June 1.

Users can download Windows 7 RC at this Microsoft site, where they can also obtain a product activation key.

Windows 7

More in Windows Center

Read more about App Development in Computerworld's App Development Topic Center.

Comments ()

Additional Resources

WHITE PAPER

Forrester Consulting - Optimizing Users and Applications in a Mobile World

Solving application issues over the WAN requires careful consideration. Based on their independent research, Forrester Consulting offers recommendations on how to tackle application performance issues, insufficient bandwidth and the inability to quickly restore users in a disaster.

Read now.

WHITE PAPER

Enter the Security KnowledgeVault

Security is not an option. This KnowledgeVault Series offers professional advice how to be proactive in the fight against cybercrimes and multi-layered security threats; how to adopt a holistic approach to protecting and managing data; and how to hire a qualified security assessor. Make security your Number 1 priority.

Read now.

WHITE PAPER

Cut Communications Costs Once and for All

New IP-based communications systems are being deployed by small and midsized businesses at a rapid rate. Learn how these organizations are enabling faster responsiveness, creating better customer experiences, speeding office or mobile interactions, and dramatically reducing existing communications costs.

Read now.

Top Stories

Free Insider Guide

Excel 2010 Cheat Sheet: Register for this Computerworld Insider Cheat Sheet and gain access to hundreds of premium content articles, guides, product reviews and more.

App Development White Papers

The Keys to Distributed & Agile Application Development: How leading firms are winning with strategies for efficient application development, without relying on co-location.
Overcome Top 7 Admin Challenges of Active Directory: As Active Directory's role in the enterprise has drastically increased, so has the need to secure the data. Gain insight on creating repeatable,...
Insiders Can Ruin Your Company. Take Action.: Did you know that 80 percent of threats to an organization come from the inside? The threat from insiders is often overlooked in...
Top Solutions and Tools to Prevent Devastating Malware: Custom malware frequently goes undetected. According to Forrester Research, the best way to reduce risk of breach is to deploy file integrity monitoring...
Streamline Compliance and Increase ROI: Streamline, simplify, and automate compliance related activities; especially those that impact multiple business units. This white paper from NetIQ, outlines solutions that will...

App Development Webcasts

Reduced TCO for Communications Applications with New Oracle SPARC Servers: In this webcast learn how Oracle's new SPARC T4 servers and SPARC Supercluster deliver the security, performance, and scalability required for 4G network...
Optimizing Networks for the Cloud: Join guest speaker, Rohit Mehra, IDC Director of Enterprise Communications Infrastructure, to explore current trends, discuss best practices for optimizing Data Center and...
Apps QuickStart Series Part 2: Designing and Deploying SQL Server on VMware vSphere: Download this webcast to learn about the design considerations for virtualizing SQL workloads, performance and scalability information and high-availability options, as well as...
Apps QuickStart Series Part 1: Designing and Deploying Exchange 2010 on VMware vSphere: Download this webcast to learn the virtual hardware design considerations for Exchange 2010, deployment using the building block approach, options for high-availability and...
Customer Spotlight: How IPC The Hospitalist Company Implemented Oracle on VMware: Have you been looking to hear about customer's experiences with the new VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager product? View this webcast to learn...