If you haven’t downloaded the Windows 7 RC, you still can (as of this writing).
Microsoft has extended the download cutoff date until 20 August 2009.
Where to Download Windows 7 RC
To download Windows 7 RC click here.
There are two ways you can install the RC: on a virtual machine or directly on a bootable hard drive.
The download is in ISO format. If installing on a virtual machine, you can load the ISO image to the virtual CD drive and install from there.
If installing directly to a hard drive, you must burn the ISO image onto a DVD.
You will need a key to validate the Windows 7 RC. This is provided to you as part of the download process.
You could run Windows 7 as the main operating system on your computer. It seems to be perfectly stable and usable. I don’t really recommend this however.
Come March 2010, the Windows 7 RC installation will reboot itself every two hours. It will stop working completely on 1 June 2010.
Microsoft does not want you to upgrade from RC to final version, and has taken steps to prevent this. Although the upgrade prevention can be circumvented, this may not be in your best interest.
For these reasons, I suggest you install the RC version of Windows 7 on a partition of your primary computer, or on a secondary computer, to make absolutely sure that you do not suddenly loose productivity.
You will be able to install the Windows 7 RC up until it expires in March 2010, but you do need to grab the download now while it is still available.
What questions does this raise for you?
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