Microsoft Announces Windows 7 RC, Upgrading from XP Not an Option
Windows 7 Beta 1, Build 7000, the one that Microsoft is still allowing people to download and test is a thing of the past. Details on Build 7025 of the next iteration of the Windows OS have already been leaked out thus marking the move to post-Beta and Microsoft has even come out to announce that the next release will be a Release Candidate (RC), not a second Beta.
“The next milestone for the development of Windows 7 is the Release Candidate or “RC”. Historically the Release Candidate has signaled “we’re pretty close and we want people to start testing the release, especially because all the features are done.” The obvious question is that we know the Pre-Beta was October 28, 2008, and the Beta was January 7th, so when is the Release Candidate and RTM? The answer is forthcoming. We are currently evaluating the feedback and telemetry and working to develop a robust schedule that gets us the right level of quality in a predictable manner,” says Steven Sinofsky.
After Windows 7 Release Candidate there will be Windows 7 RTM (Release to Manufacturing) and the business milestone known as GA (general availability – this is when the operating system will be made available to the general user either as a full packaged product or pre-installed on a PC). Rumor on the web (Microsoft’s Swedish Partner) has it that the RC will drop in April, while the RTM will surface later in October, 2009. Please note that these dates refer to Microsoft partner releases, meaning that the general user may get to test Windows 7 RC and RTM at a later date. On the other hand, expect these Windows 7 builds to leak to torrent sites as previous versions have.
Users that have decided to skip Vista and wait for Windows 7 are undoubtedly eagerly awaiting the availability of the final version of this OS – unfortunately for them, upgrading from XP to 7 is not an option; it is possible to upgrade, but only from Vista to Windows 7. Microsoft will offer a lower priced version of Windows 7 to XP users, but you will have to perform a clean install (so don’t forget to backup your data ).
“The next milestone for the development of Windows 7 is the Release Candidate or “RC”. Historically the Release Candidate has signaled “we’re pretty close and we want people to start testing the release, especially because all the features are done.” The obvious question is that we know the Pre-Beta was October 28, 2008, and the Beta was January 7th, so when is the Release Candidate and RTM? The answer is forthcoming. We are currently evaluating the feedback and telemetry and working to develop a robust schedule that gets us the right level of quality in a predictable manner,” says Steven Sinofsky.
After Windows 7 Release Candidate there will be Windows 7 RTM (Release to Manufacturing) and the business milestone known as GA (general availability – this is when the operating system will be made available to the general user either as a full packaged product or pre-installed on a PC). Rumor on the web (Microsoft’s Swedish Partner) has it that the RC will drop in April, while the RTM will surface later in October, 2009. Please note that these dates refer to Microsoft partner releases, meaning that the general user may get to test Windows 7 RC and RTM at a later date. On the other hand, expect these Windows 7 builds to leak to torrent sites as previous versions have.
Users that have decided to skip Vista and wait for Windows 7 are undoubtedly eagerly awaiting the availability of the final version of this OS – unfortunately for them, upgrading from XP to 7 is not an option; it is possible to upgrade, but only from Vista to Windows 7. Microsoft will offer a lower priced version of Windows 7 to XP users, but you will have to perform a clean install (so don’t forget to backup your data ).
