Windows 7 Release Candidate Now Available

May 1, 2009 by tcgames

Microsoft has a lot riding on the upcoming release of its new operating system, Windows 7, and it’s doing everything possible to insure that the software gets a favorable reception — including effectively giving it away for free for the first year.

Starting Thursday, MSDN and TechNet subscribers can download the official release candidate for testing. The general public will be able to get downloads beginning May 5. The RC version of Windows 7 will not expire until June 1, 2010.

There were some initial reports that demand for the RC software was so heavy that Microsoft’s servers failed under the load, and visitors were greeted with the message “We’re sorry! The page you were expecting to see has been removed or is unavailable.” By early afternoon, however, the servers were back up and running.

Almost Perfect?

The release candidate is considered by Microsoft to be a “near-finished” product, with only minor changes likely before to the official Windows 7 release late this year or early next year. According to company representatives, the milestone means the software is ready “for partners to develop new applications, device drivers, and services, and ready for IT pros to evaluate Windows 7 and examine how it will operate in their environment.”

“Listening to our partners and customers has been fundamental to the development of Windows 7,” said Bill Veghte, senior vice president for the Windows business at Microsoft. “We heard them and worked hard to deliver the highest-quality release candidate in the history of Windows.”

Microsoft says more than 10,000 companies have signed up for access to development tools designed to help existing software and hardware work with Windows 7.

Home Run Needed

It’s a little difficult to reconcile Microsoft’s earnings last quarter of $13.65 billion with its palpable sense of urgency over the success of Windows 7. But there is no…

Source

Share and Enjoy: