No More Windows 7 RC Downloads After Aug 20

By published

Get it while the getting is good!

With Windows 7 having gone final and been released to manufacturing, playing with the release candidate does seem a little old hat – but it's also free. So, if you're still on the fence about Windows 7, or you're wondering what all the fuss is about, you have until this Thursday to download a copy of the RC.

"Just a reminder that you have until this Thursday, August 20th 2009 to download the Windows 7 Release Candidate," wrote Stephen L. Rose in the Windows Team Blog. "After that date, you will still be able to register your product and get registration keys but, the media will no longer be available for download."

We're certain that the majority of you curious about Windows 7 may have already given it a spin, but if you haven't and you have a spare machine around not doing very much, we highly recommend you take advantage of this free trial period.

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.
24 Comments Comment from the forums
  • xaira
    anyone who was going to get it has gotten it already
    Reply
  • rooket
    I'm already seeing hardware issues with windows 7, thought it'd be better than this but I can't really complain because I know how to get everything working fine on my old machine, just have to put in a sound blaster so I can get sound. Microsoft's onboard drivers for soundmax don't even work at all.
    Reply
  • apache_lives
    i call it "vista sister" - i still get the EXACT same minor issues with 7 as i do with vista (hardware/device manager x flashes with mouse over etc), and my creative sound card that works with vista laggs with windows 7 (creatives problem not so much windows 7 but odd at that)

    what i do like is the xp mode :D
    Reply
  • dextermat
    I hate trials; ive applied for it but when i saw that you had to reinstall xp or buy win 7 full price after a certain date, i decided not to install..

    The worst part about trials like that it they usually tell you what YOU WILL HAVE TO DO AFTER YOU,VE INSTALL IT witch is a real pain in the neck.

    How many times have i been trick into installing a trial. Don't worry i've used their contact us and told them how i felt about trials

    Reply
  • chrisv815
    good but their sound card drivers SUCK
    and manufacturers are saying wait until Oct for new drivers.
    pretty lame
    Reply
  • apache_lives
    chrisv815good but their sound card drivers SUCKand manufacturers are saying wait until Oct for new drivers.pretty lame
    I take it were talking about Creative? iv given up on them
    Reply
  • Boxa786
    If you dont already have it, then go for it, like 99% of those using RC/RTM, those MINOR issues can/have a workaround.

    Dextermet, wow you sad person or wot, pick up a dictionary and then learn the meaning of 'trial software', dont blame MS for giving you a FREE key.

    LOL at your complaint, seriously, dont like a TRIAL, then buy the real thing when it comes out instead. ALL trial softwares, let me repeat that ALL TRIAL softwares, hang on I dont think you quite got it, ALL TRIAL SOFTWARE RUNS OUT AFTER A SET DATE! I trust this will help to get in to your head?

    All other trials last for about 1 month, or even less and they DO NOT give full features as part of their trials, yet MS chose to give the FULL PACKAGE, including all the extra's like Virtual PC, full features of their highest package aka Windows Ultimate, Windows Media Centre, etc etc.

    Im sure MS will take your concerns seriously, NOT!
    Reply
  • matt87_50
    sorry to go all MS defensive, but creative sound drivers SUCK! they have the worst driver support i've ever seen! its not windowses fault if your creative sound card doesn't work properly. a more worrying trate of windows 7 was it download an update for my onboard network via windows update that DIDN'T WORK! I though the hardware had broken at first, had to roll back the driver, which to their credit was painless.
    Reply
  • hemelskonijn
    dextermat: you can just use a spare hard drive or create a partition for windows 7 leaving your windows xp section alone and saving files to a location both systems can reach so you can run 7 without the need for a reinstall after the thing stops working in other words your being a stubborn n00b.

    Boxa786: your going the other extreme and i guess its even worse but what is to expect from some one writing half his post in caps ? ... The trial versions of software are so you can try it out before you buy it or if you don't like the trial you know you wont have to buy the full version.
    If you dont like the trial and are still moronic enough to buy it you should be shot in one knee and fed to domestic cats in an airtight box made out of lima beans.
    Specially if you really believe an RC edition is a trial.
    Reply
  • mdk2000
    I've been using windows 7 RC for over three months now, very stable and no issues. I have it loaded on two custom systems, one with a quad 6600 and Asus commando mother board and EVGA 8800GT, the other a i7 Core 950 with the ASUS P6T and the EVGA 285 Video card, a Dell 1705E notebook and the HP DV7 with 2.8GHZ processor.
    Reply