RSSConfirmed: Windows 7 RC to the public on May 5
By Scott M. Fulton, III | Published April 25, 2009, 6:52 PM
Leaving not much time for folks to stew in the rumors over the latest "leaked" builds (plural) numbered 7100 of the Windows 7 release candidate -- one of which may have been legitimate -- Microsoft decided late Friday night to officially confirm that May 5 is the official public release date for the Win7 RC.
"I'm pleased to share that the RC is on track for April 30th for download by MSDN and TechNet subscribers. Broader, public availability will begin on May 5th," wrote Microsoft's Brandon LeBlanc in a corporate blog post late yesterday.
News of the public release comes as disseminators of the real Build 7100 discovered the existence of a virtualization envelope that may enable at least the Ultimate SKU of Windows 7 to run applications meant for older versions of Windows. This may be how the company executes its transition plan to a fully 64-bit platform.
Looking forward to this coming out, as I got the product key's but didn't get the DVD ISO's burned in time: Dead Hard Drive + Microsoft's Download Cut-Off Point = No Beta for Me :-(. It'll be good to see how it does against Vista. Had XP for too long now, but I don't like the sluggishness of Vista (I don't have the best of Hardware, but can't afford the best!). Hopefully 7 will be more efficient on low-end hardware, or alternatively low-end hardware will get faster!
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|If Vista performance, file operations, usability etc didn't suck pre-SP1, it wouldn't have the negative rep it does. Many like me tried it, didn't like it, and happily went back to XP. I'm looking forward to W7 coming right out of the gate running well. That is the main difference in the end.
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|I am currently testing Windows7 Beta, and I await the next release. Now, as far as replacing Vista for Windows7, I don't think that will happen here. I enjoy Vista and will Upgrade to each version as time goes on. IMHO, I think that Windows7 is merely a scaled down version of Vista with a splash of Mac OSX thrown in. Furthermore, I have many friend's and client's running Vista with no problem, and the only gripe that I had heard was that it couldn't run the lower-end HP InkJet Printers. Nevertheless, Windows7 will be fine for those who would want to get away from XP but they should find the version of Vista that could work with them.
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|A computer with 2GB of RAM runs Windows 7 as fast as a computer with 8GB of ram runs Vista. Aside from the much slower speed, Vista is the most reliable and secure non beta version of Windows available.
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|Agreed. Vista is very slow, but it's very stable. Not as stable as other OSes, but it's the most crash-resistant OS Microsoft has ever produced. So there's that.
It's still the least secure OS in a support phase, but if you stay off the internet and never accept any media from friends or family, then you'll enjoy a slow and stable $300 OS experience.
Score: -1
|ignorance, they name is Gibletses...
Vista SP1 performs on par with XP.
Vista, by default, is more secure than XP, regardless of the state of your connection by virtue of UAC, the 2003 server core and user-policies alone.
Vista does not cost anywhere *near* $300.
Any more BS you'd like to spew?
Score: 2
|Eeh actually...
Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate with Service Pack 1...$319
Then...
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic with Service Pack 1...$199+TAX
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1...$239+TAX
Prices from BestBuy.com
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|Retail:
Amazon: $249.
MWave: : $227
OEM: $185.
Idiots do, and always will, pay more.
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|Being ignorant is not the same as being idiotic.
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|True.
Those who have money to throw around and just don't care? Ignorant.
But if 200 vs 300 is a major concern to you (enough to whine about it on some forum..), and you don't research easily available means of getting it for *under* that 200? You're an idiot. :)
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|so is the release candidate an "upgrade to vista or winxp" or is it a "standalone" and "how long will the activation last"?
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|It will upgrade Vista (not that I would suggest it) and can also be installed as a standalone.
Expires March 1, 2010.
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|t.u.
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|"Fix me": Tuesday, May 5
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|(Via Win7Vista forums)
They have indeed leaked.
These are the build-strings and sizes. If you torrent this, double-check both.
7100.0.090421-1700_x86fre_client_en-us_Retail_Ultimate-GRC1CULFRER_EN_DVD.iso (2.36 gigabyte)
7100.0.090421-1700_x64fre_client_en-us_Retail_Ultimate-GRC1CULXFRER_EN_DVD.iso (3.05 gigabyte)
(Via Paul Thurott's(sp?) SuperSite and poking about MSFT's site)
So far the only big change I have heard of from the beta was the removal of "Guest Mode" (sort of a DeepFreeze-ish mode that made the account static, not allowing the account to make *any* changes to the system), but this is available as a download for XP and Vista now (as SteadyState) and should be available for Win7 as well when it is released. Probably just decided against bundling it to avoid competition issues.
(Via Neowin forums)
Oh, and the beta keys work fine for the moment. Apparently MSFT either isn't planning on disabling them for the RC or hasn't gotten around to it yet (as it hasn't been officially released yet).
Score: -3
|Good lord, fatty....get a life. *laughing*
You can mod me down as much as you want and it will be just as pointless.
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|OK, even I don't get what the crazy down-rating was about. A leak announcement. Do we have Technet zealots lurking here now? Geeziz.
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|only bad thing is SteadyState as it currently is does not Support 64 bit. However if they are going to do some virtulization why not have the "guest" only have acess to the virtual and when it logs out or reboots it is a clean slate. (virtual non persistant)
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|That could very well be why they pulled it from the RC. There may have been some issues on the x64 release and they want feature-parity.
...or not. Who knows...
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|mm ive had windows 7 since january its so awesome
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|i have been waiting for the RC entirely too long now :P can't wait to throw it on my PCs...as much as i like Vista, i'll be ditching it for the RC and waiting for 7 to retail :D
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|I hear ya (minus the liking Vista bit). Will definitely be looking for an 'Orbit30' torrent of this on the Green Demon when I get home tonight.
Heard that upgrade from the beta is possible, but I'll definitely be doing a clean install. Tried it from the previous beta to a newer build and my index scores went down dramatically (clean install of the same build fixed it...odd stuff)
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|I can recall when you were telling us that Vista was a great OS and that its detractors didn't know a computer from a microwave oven. Now you say 7 is going to be the answer to a sailor's dream.
My belief in your forecast is so strong that I'm moving to SuSE. I'll be losing a great deal, but I'll at least get off Microsoft's never ending merry-go-round.
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|Is this the same PC-Tool that just last week was saying how the users of PirateBay (and all other such sites) were an abomination to mankind? But, when it's convenient for him to do so, goes out and gets an illegal copy of Win 7 RC? If this is not true and you have a legal copy, my mistake. If this is true, I'm looking forward to the justification (there is always one). I always liked the one where the person said, "Hey, this is me!"
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|*laughing*
I am a Microsoft Partner (I would have it in 4 days anyway). It will be publicly available (to anyone) on the 5th. It is not a retail product.
Take your pick. ;-) I can't really even give you an 'E' for effort on that one.. You didn't even try.
@ robmanic44
Do I look like I care what OS you use? Really? Methinks you're suffering another one of your trademark delusions again. Hit the meds, take a nap...mmmkaay?
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|so because you are a microsoft partner that gives you the right to circument the system and release to those partners by days and nab a pirated copy just so you can be the first kid on the block with the new toy?
in that case, i was gonna buy the cd anyway, I just didnt want to wait for the delivery service to bring it to my door.
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|SIlly Rob, don't you know? Vista isn't wonderful any more because now Microsoft has a new product, and the latest and greatest is always good and the old things are always bad. Especially when you make money fixing all the new problems and incompatibilities. So sayeth Lord Ballmer and Saint Bill, hallowed be their names.
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|@eunich
No, it doesn't. :) But I did it anyway. Ya know what? I didn't claim it was right, or justified. Neither did I try and make some elaborate yet absurd claims of "freedom fighting", "sticking it to the man", or that it "cost too much", or that "they were mean".
I simply didn't feel it was a big deal since it would be available to me in 4 days anyway.
Now...tell me: How much of that music, movies and software apps are going to be freely available to the "entitled" crowd in 4 days, hmmm?
Right.
Ya want to tell me it's wrong? Speaking to the choir, there boy. I just don't try and convince people it's "for a cause". It ain't...it's just because I wanted it 4 days early. :D
*laughing*
Hell, I wouldn't even argue with folks about piracy if they just admitted, "I do it because I want free stuff..." At least then they'd not be trying to fool themselves or anyone else by spreading asinine BS about how justified they are.
"in that case, i was gonna buy the cd anyway, I just didnt want to wait for the delivery service to bring it to my door."
Tell me, genius: How much is that CD? How much is the RC going to be? Yeah, thought so... You people come up with *the* stupidest arguments I have *ever* had the pleasure of ridiculing.
But by all means...keep 'em coming.
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|MS does not care who downloads betas or RC, both are going public for anyone to try, gez. besides gives them free press and many a tester
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|You look like a person who is very reckless with the truth. Actually, you take it out in the street and kick the s*** out of it.
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|Heh... "reckless with the truth"....
What, another black and whitey? Can't be against the stupid justifications for piracy while dabbling in it a little (but at least realizing that it's a failure on *my* part and not trying to justify it to anyone else)?
Piracy sucks... it also sucks that I am an impatient SOB when it comes to waiting for the public release of free stuff. Sucks, but hey... I admit it. Try to get any of the "freedom fighters" or whiny entitled cry-babies here to admit that they aren't heroes, but suckers for free stuff.
Truth comes in many flavors...sounds like it's *your* flavor I take to the street and kick the sh** out of.
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