Microsoft names Windows 7 RC release date

Geoff Spick
20 April 2009, 2:29 PM

Microsoft is monkeying around with its various websites again, suggesting the release date of the final-ish version of Windows 7 is close.

With the original release date of the Windows 7 Release Candidate erring toward late May, its good news that a new posting on the Microsoft Partner site (Partner registration required - Firefox not supported if you wish to sign up) confirms that the date will now be the 5th of May, or around then to allow for last minute hitches. A good couple of weeks earlier than expected.

Partner with Microsoft, but not with Firefox

The update did state that the RC could be downloaded "now" on the Technet (a Windows Live and TechNet membership subscription required) site. However, this has not been updated since the middle of February and all the refreshing in the world hasn't changed that over the weekend. The update continues, "However, you can download Windows 7 RC starting May 5, 2009" which is good news for testers and those companies looking to migrate from Vista as quickly as possible.

A public release candidate will probably follow shortly after, allowing us great unwashed to enter the fray and find all those remaining hardware and software problems that the current mass of testing has yet to uncover. Requests to interview the Windows 7 team to get a sense of how the final stage of development has been going have been turned down by Microsoft with a polite "At this time we are unable to setup interviews for this." message.

So, put a tentative pencil mark on your calendars and prepare for testing to find out how the near-as-dammit final code will work in your environment and to find what, if any, late-breaking changes have been made to the OS.

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SLi (New user):

Marked on my calendar... =)

20 April 2009, 3:59 PM (4 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

SLi (New user):

Marked on my calendar... =)

20 April 2009, 3:59 PM (4 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Aubrey (New user):

woot.

I must have missed the in-depth APC article on the Ubuntu 9.04 RC actual (as opposed to rumoured)release - it happened last week, by the way. It is free and required no EULA or registration. Some great new features, very fast and it works on everything I have installed it on (although the dog did have to be rebooted afterwards and is very slow if you have more than 7 apps open at once)

20 April 2009, 4:09 PM (4 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

BrownieBoy (User):

Quoting Aubrey:
It is free and required no EULA or registration

I don't like the way that Ubuntu imposes a three application limit for its cheap versions and then expects to pay through the nose for a version that's actually useful. I, for one, am not falling for such a shabby trick.

(Yes, that *is* a joke!)

21 April 2009, 9:26 AM (4 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Tin (User):

5th of May you say... Sounds good. My home box's install of the beta is feeling due for a reinstall, so this is good timing. I'm also hoping they fixed some of the annoying little weirdnesses, but not really expecting much.

20 April 2009, 4:18 PM (4 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Phred (New user):

Quoting Tin:
I'm also hoping they fixed some of the annoying little weirdnesses

Yeah, like network file transfers timing out and having to re-try after a reboot, USB devices not completing file transfers, and unmounting without a reboot, if you do it correctly, to name a couple of problems I'm experiencing.

21 April 2009, 9:26 AM (4 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Tin (User):

Yep... Oddly enough, all issues I reported to MS in the Vista Beta...

21 April 2009, 11:33 AM (4 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

McBanjo (New user):

Quoting Tin:
My home box's install of the beta is feeling due for a reinstall

Yes, 7's still a beta, but this has to be the biggest existing annoyance for any Windows user. Every 6 months you pretty much have to reinstall to fix all these quirks that pop-up on your system over time. I'm still going strong on my two year old Leopard partition, and this is across several different machines. No clogged registry and no hidden garbage.

21 April 2009, 2:25 PM (4 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Raindog (New user):

Quoting McBanjo:
but this has to be the biggest existing annoyance for any Windows user. Every 6 months you pretty much have to reinstall to fix all these quirks that pop-up on your system over time.

Do what? Who told you this, the guys at the Genius Bar? Do you wanna buy a bridge?

Quoting McBanjo:
I'm still going strong on my two year old Leopard partition

I can quote you copies of Win95 still going on their original install.

Yes I'd love Windows to have the stability of my Nix installation, but your quoted 6 months is a massive exaggeration for anyone other than schoolboy down-loaders.

21 April 2009, 2:50 PM (4 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

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Microsoft names Windows 7 RC release date

Microsoft is monkeying around with its various websites again, suggesting the release date of the final-ish version of Windows 7 is close.

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SLi (New user):

SLi (New user):

Aubrey (New user):

BrownieBoy (User):

Tin (User):

Phred (New user):

Tin (User):

McBanjo (New user):

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Raindog (New user):

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