Izašao Windows 7 RC (Release Candidate)

Catch 22: 


Neće biti sastavni deo Windows 7 RC, ali će moći da se posebno preuzme besplatno sa interneta. ...

Microsoft is "advertising" the upcoming release by leaking betas almost every week -- and will soon do the same with release-candidate builds.

barum:...Mislim da ipak stiže ugrađen 30. aprila...

Paul Thurrott provides an in depth description of the feature:

XP Mode consists of the Virtual PC-based virtual environment and a fully licensed copy of Windows XP with Service Pack 3 (SP3). It will be made available, for free, to users of Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions via a download from the Microsoft web site. (That is, it will not be included in the box with Windows 7, but is considered an out-of-band update, like Windows Live Essentials.) XPM works much like today’s Virtual PC products, but with one important exception: As with the enterprise-based MED-V (Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization) product, XPM does not require you to run the virtual environment as a separate Windows desktop. Instead, as you install applications inside the virtual XP environment, they are published to the host (Windows 7) OS as well. (With shortcuts placed in the Start Menu.) That way, users can run Windows XP-based applications (like IE 6) alongside Windows 7 applications under a single desktop.

Is the Release Candidate feature-complete?

Yes. Rumors that Microsoft is holding back a secret feature or radical change in the Windows 7 user interface are unfounded. Although it’s possible that Microsoft will add some new desktop backgrounds or screen savers, what you see in the Release Candidate is what you’ll get when the product is released. Microsoft’s work from now until then is in fixing the last round of bugs, most of which will be related to OEM configurations and hardware support.
Back in early March, I spotlighted some of the visual changes in Windows 7 that you’ll see in the Release Candidate (see “A sneak peek at the Windows 7 Release Candidate”).
In addition, Microsoft has announced that it will release a custom version of Virtual PC with a licensed copy of Windows XP SP3 and make the combination available as a download for licensed users of the business editions of Windows 7 (Professional and up). This add-on, (called Windows XP Mode) will not be included with the release candidate, nor will it be part of the final RTM product.
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When will the RC be officially available for download?

Participants in the technical beta program are scheduled to get access to the RC bits on or before April 30. If you have a TechNet or MSDN subscription, you will be able to sign in using your credentials and download the RC code beginning April 30. The public download site is set to go live on May 5.

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Can I install the Windows 7 release candidate over an earlier beta release?

That depends. If you use the setup files as distributed, you will be blocked from upgrading over any build prior to 7077. That includes the beta release (build 7000) and most leaked interim builds from April 4 or earlier. There is a workaround, however, which I’ll document in a follow-up post.

Can I upgrade my existing copy of Windows XP?

No. The XP-to-7 upgrade path is not officially supported. Microsoft has advanced deployment tools to assist with XP migrations in enterprise settings, but for the RC you’re better off using the Windows Easy Transfer utility to copy your data and settings to external storage, then restore it (and reinstall your programs) after performing a clean install of Windows 7.

Can I upgrade my existing copy of Windows Vista?

Yes, with some caveats. First, you must have Windows Vista Service Pack 1 installed; the original (RTM) release of Vista can’t be upgraded. In addition, you can upgrade only within the same processor family: Vista x86 to Windows 7 x86, and Vista x64 to Windows 7 x64. You cannot upgrade an x86 machine to x64 or vice-versa. An upgrade installation preserves user accounts and passwords, Windows settings, installed programs, and data files but might replace some device-specific drivers with generic Windows 7 versions. In my tests, Vista upgrades have worked very well across the board. That’s not surprising, given that Windows 7 is based on the same core platform and the same driver model as Windows Vista.

Can I install Windows 7 in a virtual machine?

Virtual machines have their uses, and all of the virtualization platforms I looked at currently support Windows 7 as a guest OS. One major caveat is that virtualized hardware does not offer support for Aero graphics and thus doesn’t give a true picture of the desktop experience. VMs also don’t support direct connections to some hardware devices such as TV tuners. VMs are ideal for testing software compatibility and creating simulated networks.
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Can I choose which edition to install?

The release candidate image is configured to install Windows 7 Ultimate Edition. If you want to choose a different edition, copy the installation files to a different location, delete the Ei.cfg file from the Sources folder, and then run setup from that location.

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Do I need a product key?

Technically, no. At the end of the installation process you’ll be prompted to enter a product key. If you leave this box blank, setup will continue and your copy of Windows 7 will work with no restrictions. You will have to enter a valid product key before activating.

I have a product key from the Windows 7 beta. Can I use it on the Windows 7 RC?

Yes, in my testing product keys acquired as part of the beta program work just fine for clean installs and upgrades.

Do I have to activate my installation?

By default, Windows 7 will activate automatically three days after you install it. You can disable automatic activation during setup by clearing the check box below the product key box. If you do not activate at the end of the 30-day grace period, you can continue to use the RC, but you’ll have to put up with nag screens and a forced black background. You can reset the 30-day grace period up to four times, using the same technique that works with Windows Vista.

How long can I use the Release Candidate?

The software will stop working on March 1, 2010, which should be long after the official release is available. You must either uninstall the RC or replace it with a licensed copy of the final RTM code before then.

You have a limited time to test Windows 7. To avoid functional interruption, you must rebuild your test machine with a valid version of your previous Windows operating system before the RC software expires. Windows will notify you that the expiration process is beginning, and two weeks later your PC will begin shutting down every two hours. The beta expires August 1, 2009, and bihourly shutdowns will begin July 1, 2009. The RC will expire June 1, 2010, and bihourly shutdowns will begin March 1, 2010. In both cases, you’ll have to rebuild your test PC to restore the operating system and reinstall all your programs and data.

30 April 2009 17:03 GMT / By Chris Hall
Acer has confirmed that Windows 7 will be available pre-loaded on their new all-in-one Z5600 PC from the 23 October 2009, not by the end of January 2010 as Microsoft has been previously suggesting.

Although some rumours have put the OS' release closer to the end of 2009, Microsoft has yet to officially confirm that the software will be launched sooner than the 3-years-after-Vista timescale.

Acer also confirmed to us that any Vista-based models purchased in the 30 days prior to this date will be eligible for Microsoft's free upgrade programme.

"23rd October is the date the Windows 7 will be available. There is a 30 day upgrade time so that customers don't wait to buy a new computer, so if you buy during that 30 day period, you'll get a free upgrade to Windows 7", Bobby Watkins, Acer's UK MD told Pocket-lint.

Talking about their new all-in-one model, the Z5600 PC, specifically designed for Windows 7, the company revealed that the Asus Eee Top rival, will actually be shipping at the end of September to be in stores for people to "touch and feel"

Ivan Dimkovic: Btw,

Upravo sam aktivirao RC - definitivno istice 2-gog Marta 2010 (a ne Juna, kako se pricalo)

By David Meyer ZDNet.co.uk
Posted on ZDNet News: Apr 30, 2009 7:34:33 AM

Microsoft made the first release candidate of Windows 7 available for free download on Thursday. In an unprecedented move for the company, the software will run on a user's PC for more than a year.

Windows 7 RC1 can be downloaded now by MSDN, TechBeta and TechNet subscribers, and the general public will be able to download it on May 5. There is no limit to how many copies can be downloaded. The software will run until June 1, 2010, in what a Microsoft marketing manager described to ZDNet UK as a "try before you buy" scenario.
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