Microsoft: Please Don't Upgrade Win 7 Beta to RC
Are you running Windows 7 Beta and can’t wait to upgrade to the Release Candidate? Microsoft would like you not to do that.
Are you running Windows 7 Beta and can’t wait to upgrade to the Release Candidate? Microsoft would like you not to do that.
In the latest Engineering Windows 7 blog post, the developer team is imploring those currently running the beta to not upgrade to the Release Candidate when it is available, but instead either go back to their previous Vista install if possible, or a completely fresh install.
The Windows 7, sympathizing with current users of the OS, wrote, “We know that means reinstalling, recustomizing, reconfiguring, and so on. That is a real pain. The reality is that upgrading from one pre-release build to another is not a scenario we want to focus on because it is not something real-world customers will experience.”
While this is a clear inconvenience for current users of Windows 7 beta, the purpose of releasing the operating system to testers is for exactly that -- testing. Data on how Windows 7 behaves during an upgrade from the beta to the RC is largely useless to Microsoft since that’s not an activity that would be common for the final product. Data regarding the upgrade from Windows Vista to Windows 7, however, is hugely important.
“A big part of the beta process is making sure we get as much ‘real world’ coverage of scenarios and experiences as possible and monitor the telemetry of those experience overall,” wrote the Windows 7 team. “One of the most challenging areas to engineer is the process of upgrading one release of Windows to another. When you think about it, it is the one place where at one time we need to run a ton of code to basically ‘know’ everything about a system before performing the upgrade.”
For the betterment of the Windows 7 final experience, the team implored, “As an extended member of the development team and a participant in the Beta program that has helped us so much, we want to ask that you experience real-world setup and provide us real-world telemetry.”
Before current users of the beta let out a heavy sigh at the task they may be faced with, Microsoft realizes that people own PCs rather than other platforms because it gives them freedom of choice. For this reason, Microsoft is detailing method that will permit the upgrade of the beta to the RC when it is released. Although it’s not recommended, and Microsoft warns of some “oddities” that may crop up after a beta upgrade, it’s there if the user must have it. Read about the procedure here.
Kudos to Microsoft for both respecting the its current testers and looking after the quality of Windows 7 final.
They want to test the upgrade process, and most of the userbase won't be upgrading from Win7.
They want to test the upgrade process, and most of the userbase won't be upgrading from Win7.
1.) It's not really newsworthy and seems more like someone submitted this article just to meet a deadline or a quota. *snicker*
2.) Beta -> RC will be a rare occasion. Microsoft has millions and millions of customers, and maybe 0.000001% are running the beta. Yeah, I totally made that number up. But you know what I mean, guys.
Additionally, users CAN change data in a .ini to allow the RC to upgrade from the beta versions.
deltatux
Wait, can you upgrade from 7000 straight to RC without reinstall, just a upgrade?
I ain't got no legit vista to go to, and the only reason for me to use XP is for a dual boot on the extremely rare programs that won't run on 7.
I understand, but personally they'll see another 7000-7070+ soon.
What programs dont work on windows 7 that work on xp?? Ive had everything work in compatibility mode. All the games, websites and everything.
Then you should not be a Beta Tester.
So... Something is only news, when it doesn't make sense? Did you really think that comment through?
Our database program at work doesn't run on Windows 7. I even get an error message that says there is a known issue and it won't work when I started the install. What's funny is we are running MICROSOFT Navision.
The problem is, I have two partitions on a single drive, and I made the mistake of installing Windows 7 on my second partition (that already had some stuff on it) instead of on a separate drive. Now I have to move my data to a second physical hard drive, uninstall Windows 7 beta, move the data back to the partition, then reinstall the RC to another drive. Ok so I could keep the data on the separate drive and install the RC to the secondary partition to save a step, but it's still quite a bit of trouble.
Then again, it's my own stupidity that got me in this situation in the first place.