With all this talk about the Windows 7 RC lately, we've seen a few questions asking, "So, how long will I actually be able to still use it, anyway?" Well, friends, your queries have been answered! Our buddies over at PCWorld are reporting that Microsoft has confirmed that the Windows 7 RC will be still active until June 1, 2010. This information was actually leaked about a month ago, but Thursday say the Redmond-based software giant confirm the news.To add to the lengthy amount of time the RC will be available, it was also confirmed that, "the RC release will be available at least through June 2009 and we're not limiting the number of product keys, so you have plenty of time." Very good news for those using it, with no intent to purchase the full version for a while (after it's released, of course). How is this compared to Windows Vista RC2? Well, users were allowed to use that for 8 months since it was made available, so 13 months is a hefty boost in terms of the timeframe.
In other news, Windows XP is still going to be available on netbooks for one year after Windows 7 is released. As you can imagine, it'll only be available to vendors selling the netbooks, so don't expect to be able to waltz into a store and pick up a fresh copy of the almost-8-year-old OS. According to ComputerWorld, "Windows-based systems accounted for more than 90% of all netbook shipments from November through January, according to market research firm NPD Group Inc, [thanks to XP]."
Mike Nash, the corporate vice president of Microsoft's Windows product management group, said that, "It's been a long time since we've had a version of Windows that will actually run better [than the previous version] on the hardware that most customers have." Nash didn't mention when exactly 7 would be released when asked, so it's anyones guess how long XP will truly be available for, but good news none-the-less.
What's the general consensus from you guys here at Neowin? Does Microsoft just need to kill off XP, or will having it still available keep netbooks buyers (and vendors) happy? Additionally, what do you think about the Windows 7 RC being available 13 months from now? Fire away!
This article seems to be mixing the expire date of WIndows 7 RC and the How long will the download be available date up ???
This article seems to be mixing the expire date of WIndows 7 RC and the How long will the download be available date up ???
cant you use the rearm trick to extend it another 3 months? (i cant remember the exact timeframe for this usually)
This article seems to be mixing the expire date of WIndows 7 RC and the How long will the download be available date up ???
That's strange, because my 7100 RC has a timebomb of 3/1/2010.
HOWEVER, the license says:
c. Term. The term of this agreement will expire on June 1, 2010. You have the right to use the software under the license terms of this agreement during this period. If you do not have a product key, you may need to reinstall the software every 30 days.
I just reread that, and what's funny is that last part about reinstalling every 30 days. haha
I have the RC from microsoft where do i find when it expires? (ps its not on the desktop)
computer>help>about windows
Actually I don't think they do. I got a leaked 7100 and an official 7100 from technet and windows fc (binary mode) shows that there are definite differences. I haven't had the SHA1 computed yet but I would say that they shouldn't match. OTOH when I did my test install the timebomb date even on the leak was March 1st 2010.
If you run 'winver' that should do it as well.
Sounds like you got one of the copies of the leak that were infected with a trojan. Beware! There were leaked ISOs that exactly matched the ones released by Microsoft yesterday.
Probably the most ignorant statement of the entire thread. After toying around with Vista II, er, I mean Windows 7, I can safely say I won't be using it for the foreseeable future, and neither will my family and most of my colleagues. Too bloated, too many things thrown in all directions and WAY too much unchangeable (hard coded) items in the UI (search bar, anyone?).
You can have your Vista part 2, but the rest of us are doing just fine on XP, and it will stay that way.
Once Win7's out, yeah, maybe.
I think Nash said it all with
Once Win7's out, yeah, maybe.
I think Nash said it all with
Pot, meet kettle.
XP can't die fast enough. That antiquated swiss cheese OS and all its holes are the main reason the malware of 2003 and on were as bad as they were.
Thank you very much for your help in testing the Windows 7 Beta. Your feedback is invaluable in helping make Windows 7 a high quality operating system. With your help, we have reached the next major milestone on the journey to Windows 7: the Release Candidate (RC).
-
Today (April 30) the RC is available to MSDN subscribers and TechNet Plus subscribers.
-
On Tuesday, May 5 (PST), the RC will be available to everyone via our Customer Preview Program. As with the Beta, the Windows 7 RC Customer Preview Program is a broad public program that offers the RC free to anyone who wants to download it. It will be available at least through June 30, 2009, with no limits on the number of downloads or product keys available.
So you don't need rush to make sure you get your copy. When you're ready to download the RC, it'll be waiting for you.
Commenting has either been disabled on this article or you are not logged in. Click here to login or register, its free!
Note: Anonymous commenting is disabled in order to keep the quality of responses to a high standard.