This is When You Will Get Windows 7 RTM

News
By Marcus Yam
published

Windows 7 RTM hitting many on August 6, 2009.

Microsoft is getting very close to hitting RTM with Windows 7. Things aren't quite finished yet, but Microsoft is keener than ever to let us know how things are going.

One of the biggest questions is when those working with Microsoft will be able to get their hands on the RTM, and answer to that is that is variable, but most close partners should get it by August 6 – some sooner, some later, depending on who they are.

The key points from the Windows Team Blog are:

  • ISV (Independent software vendor) and IHV (Independent hardware vendor) Partners will be able to download Windows 7 RTM from Microsoft Connect or MSDN on August 6.
  • Microsoft Partner Program Gold/Certified Members will be able to download Windows 7 RTM in English through the Microsoft Partner Network (MPN) Portal on August 16th. By October 1st, the remaining languages will become available to download.
  • Microsoft Action Pack Subscribers will be about to download Windows 7 RTM in English starting August 23rd. By October 1st, the remaining languages will become available to download.
  • OEMs will receive Windows 7 RTM software images beginning approximately 2 days after we officially RTM, as a little time is required to release and distribute these images. This will allow them to begin preparing images for new PCs to ship with Windows 7 on them. We know our OEMs are excited for Windows 7 and we can’t wait to hand them the final RTM bits!
  • If you are a Volume License (VL) customer with an existing Software Assurance (SA) license you will be able to download Windows 7 RTM in English starting August 7th via the Volume License Service Center (VLSC). The rest of the languages for Windows 7 RTM should be available within a couple of weeks after that.
  • Volume License customers without a SA license will be able to purchase Windows 7 through Volume Licensing on September 1st as we announced last week at WPC09.
  • IT Professionals with TechNet Subscriptions will be able to download Windows 7 RTM in English on August 6th and remaining languages by October 1st.
  • Developers with MSDN Subscriptions will be able to download Windows 7 RTM in English on August 6th and remaining languages by October 1st.
  • Beta testers will not automatically receive a free copy of Windows 7.
  • Windows 7 will be in retail stores and shipping on new PCs starting October 22nd. If you pre-ordered Windows 7, it should be delivered sometime around the October 22nd timeframe (depends on the retailer).
Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam served as Tom's Hardware News Director during 2008-2014. He entered tech media in the late 90s and fondly remembers the days when an overclocked Celeron 300A and Voodoo2 SLI comprised a gaming rig with the ultimate street cred.
16 Comments Comment from the forums
  • neon neophyte
    considering we have use of windows 7 right now, for free. im not tooooooooo excited about the official release.

    HOWEVER. it will be nice to see all the prebuilt systems and laptops (especially laptops) using windows7, with all their power saving crap involved.

    i say this because i was looking at getting an acer timeline. 3810TG actually. the downer is it comes with windows vista, and can obtain 8 hours of use with it. i read a couple places people installed windows 7 and lost 4 hours of use time. (seems maybe slightly exagerated.) the reason is, the os that is built into the laptop has several power saving features specific to that laptop. itll be nice to see those implimented into windows 7.

    or maybe i could just turn aero off. i bet that would solve the mysterious 4 hour difference.
    Reply
  • Bullheaded67
    Nice! I can have it downloaded and start upgrading PCs on the weekend. I have said it multiple times here but if you have more than a couple of PCs and use Microsoft products you should get a Technet subscription.
    Reply
  • FrozenGpu
    How does the technet subscription work, does it mean that for $350-ish I get full access to how ever many copies of the OS I need, or what exactly?
    Reply
  • ckthecerealkiller
    FrozenGpuHow does the technet subscription work, does it mean that for $350-ish I get full access to how ever many copies of the OS I need, or what exactly?
    It's like $350 bucks and allows you to download unrestricted copies and use them as you need.
    Reply
  • Shadow703793
    FrozenGpuHow does the technet subscription work, does it mean that for $350-ish I get full access to how ever many copies of the OS I need, or what exactly?You can get up to 5 keys which you can use on up to 5 systems.
    Reply
  • cjmcgee
    ckthecerealkillerIt's like $350 bucks and allows you to download unrestricted copies and use them as you need.
    For evaluation purposes only, and they can only be used by the license holder. Using them for production or for personal use is a violation of the license agreement. MSDN subscription is similar; you can download and install as many copies as you want but only for development and testing purposes by the license holder.
    Reply
  • chrisv815
    I can't see how they are ready to release this. I have been using RC 7100 64bit and its buggy as all hell. I am getting random reboots every hour at least and lockups. I didn't have as many issues with the beta.
    Now I realize its a driver somewhere, but my stuff is all new and if the drivers aren't stable how can you release this to a retail box where noobs will install and not know what to do? only MS.
    Reply
  • neon neophyte
    chris, the releases are hit and miss with different hardware, while one version could work for you, the next might not. meanwhile, i may have the exact opposite results.

    your best bet is to find a revision that works well on your machine, and stick with it for awhile. ive updated my revision several times, and a couple times, it definately made my machine less stable. BSODs were very common on a couple of revisions for me.

    (7100 was stable on one of my machines, while being constantly BSODing on another.)
    Reply
  • ben850
    Available around October 22nd? I don't know if that is that is acceptable.
    Reply
  • Bullheaded67
    cjmcgeeFor evaluation purposes only, and they can only be used by the license holder. Using them for production or for personal use is a violation of the license agreement. MSDN subscription is similar; you can download and install as many copies as you want but only for development and testing purposes by the license holder.
    Actually that's not entirely true. Most of the software comes with Retail licensing which allows however many installations per the key type. For most OS's it is generally 5 installs per key. You can get additional keys if needed. The license for these are the retail agreement that everyone uses - only for your use, you can't rent it or sell it, etc.

    Microsoft can also label software as evaluation only - then the license would not allow you to use the software in a production environment. I have never heard of someone's non-work office home environment called a production environment but I am sure some here would love to argue the point.

    Reply