Windows 7 Release Candidate: FAQ

Windows 7 is the next version of the Windows client operating system. This version incorporates hundreds of improvements based on your feedback. It works the way you want: it's responsive, reliable, and runs smoothly. It starts and shuts down faster, and is designed to make your battery last longer. Plus, it's really easy to connect to things you care about—from people to printers. You'll also be able to do everyday things faster, from getting around the desktop and managing open windows, to finding files and programs, and using the web. We hope you love it, because it's got your fingerprints all over it.

Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC) is a pre-release version of Windows 7, our next client operating system. When you use the RC, your PC sends information to our engineers to help them check the fixes and changes they made based on Beta tests. It takes hundreds of Microsoft engineers around the world to create each new release of Windows—but only you can help us perfect it.

The RC is a full-featured edition, similar to Windows Vista Ultimate. This is important to keep in mind, because the Windows 7 you eventually buy or use at work may be a different edition with different features than what you find in the RC.

The RC is free and will be available at least through July 2009. However, because Microsoft isn't providing technical support for the the RC, we strongly recommend that only experienced computer users sign up. How experienced? At minimum, you should be comfortable backing up a computer, formatting a hard drive, burning an ISO file to DVD, and installing an operating system from scratch. You should also be comfortable troubleshooting problems on your own.

Yes. While the RC is stable and has been thoroughly tested, it's not the finished product. Your computer could crash and you could lose important files. So please back up your data and please don't test the RC on your primary home or business PC.

Other problems you might encounter include:

• Software that doesn't install or work correctly, including anti-virus or security programs

• Printers, video cards, or other hardware that doesn't work

• Problems accessing corporate or home networks

• Files may become corrupted

Bottom line: Please carefully balance the risks and rewards for you of trying out the RC before you install. To see the kinds of risks we're talking about, review the known issues in the Release Notes before you install the Windows 7 RC.

This is a very important question. The Windows 7 Beta will expire on August 1, 2009 and the RC will expire on June 1, 2010. To avoid interruption, you'll need to rebuild your test machine using a valid version of Windows before the software expires. Windows will notify you that the expiration process is beginning, and two weeks later your PC will begin shutting down every two hours. (Learn more about installing Windows.)

Test version:		Starts shutting down every two hours:	Expires:
Beta		July 1, 2009	August 1, 2009
RC		March 1, 2010	June 1, 2010

If you are running the Windows 7 Beta, you'll need to back up your data (preferably on an external device) and then do a clean installation of the Windows 7 Release Candidate. After installing Windows 7, you will need to reinstall applications and restore your files. If you need help with the installation process, please see the Installation Instructions.

Yes. If you're running Windows Vista, you can install Window 7 RC without having to back up and reinstall your programs and data. But to be on the safe side, please do back up your data before you start.

If you are running Windows XP, you'll need to back up your data (preferably on an external device) and then do a clean installation of the Windows 7 Release Candidate. After installing Windows 7, you will need to reinstall applications and restore your files. If you need help with the installation process, please see the Installation Instructions.

When you install the final version of Windows 7, you'll need to do a clean installation. So plan on backing up your data then reinstalling your applications and restoring your data.

Here are complete instructions on how to uninstall the Pre-release version of Windows 7 and revert to a previous genuine operating system.

Both the 32 and 64 bit versions of Windows 7 RC are available in five languages: English, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish. These language versions are available in most locations worldwide. (Note that Microsoft is unable to offer some products in markets due to the U.S. Government’s rules on export controls. Please click here for more details.)

For the RC build, French and Spanish replaced Hindi and Arabic. For the Beta build, we picked Hindi and Arabic for Globalization (Engineering) tests. We needed to ensure certain features were tested for world-wide functionality, and Hindi and Arabic help us test a number of language-related features

You help just by using it. That's because the Windows 7 RC automatically reports crashes and bugs to Microsoft over the Internet. The information sent in automatic reporting is called "telemetry." Our engineers updated Windows 7 based on Beta test results. During the Release Candidate phase, they use the telemetry data to verify that the fixes and changes they made are working correctly.

When you run Windows 7 RC we'll collect information in case we need to contact you about Windows 7 RC. We will also collect automated reporting feedback from PCs running the OS to help collectively analyze issues and file bug reports where appropriate. For a complete explanation of what we'll collect and how we'll use it, please read the Windows 7 RC privacy statement.

Your feedback during the Beta process was very helpful. The "Send Feedback" feature isn't in Windows 7 RC, because we're at a later stage of the software development process. With this release, we're focused on verifying that all the changes and fixes we made based on the Beta tests and feedback are working correctly. We do that by gathering the automatically generated information (called telemetry) that your PC sends us when you use Windows 7 RC. Telemetry provides information about when your computer hangs, crashes or has performance issues, and it lets us know what applications or devices you were using when you experienced problems. It is important that we get this data from thousands of different hardware configurations in order to complete Windows 7. This will help us confirm that the fixes we included based on Beta feedback work on a wide range of hardware, and identify any new problems.

We greatly appreciate all the feedback we received during the Beta test process. Our engineers used feedback and the telemetry data automatically sent by testers PCs to pinpoint the changes we needed to make for the Release Candidate. Here's a detailed look at how the engineers used the Beta feedback. While we weren't able to incorporate all of the feedback in Windows 7, we will use it as we plan future versions of Windows.

These are the Microsoft minimum hardware recommendations for systems that will be running the RC. These recommendations are specific to this release and are subject to change.

Windows 7 RC system requirements:

• 1 GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor

• 1 GB RAM (32-bit) / 2 GB RAM (64-bit)

• 16 GB available disk space (32-bit) / 20 GB (64-bit)

• DirectX 9 graphics processor with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

Note: Some product features of Windows 7, such as the ability to watch and record live TV or navigation through the use of "touch," may require advanced or additional hardware.

Internet Explorer 7, Internet Explorer 8, and Firefox support the Windows 7 RC download experience. Please note that Internet Explorer 8 users behind a proxy server should use the automatic configuration for their proxy server for the best download experience.

The hardware setup we're recommending for the RC is meant for average computing tasks, such as web browsing and word processing. If you plan to play games or run other hardware-intensive programs, you might need to test the RC on a more powerful computer.

It might also be possible to run the RC on a less powerful system than the one we recommend, although we can't guarantee the results.

If the download is interrupted, you'll find an icon on your desktop that you can click on to restart the download. It'll pick up where it left off.

See the Installation Instructions for instructions.

A product key is a long sequence of letters and numbers that's used to activate the RC and ensure your copy is genuine. (See Activating Windows: frequently asked questions.)

When you download the RC, you'll be given a product key. (See Installation Instructions.) Be sure to use the product key to activate the RC within 30 days, or you'll start getting persistent reminders to activate. Your product key will work for up to three separate computers, so if you want to install the the RC on another PC, you can re-use the same key.

If you lose your product key, you can easily find out what it is online. Just go back to the Download page and begin the download process again. You'll be asked to enter your Windows Live ID, and then you'll see the product key you were originally issued. You can then use this product key to activate your software—you don't need to download the operating system again.

If you have an installation disc, and need a product key, you can get one right away online. Go to the Download page and begin the download process. You'll be asked to enter your Windows Live ID, and register. Then you'll get a product key. You can then use this product key to activate your software—you don't need to download the operating system again.

No. Microsoft doesn't offer technical support for pre-release software, including the Windows 7 RC.

But we've created an online forum where you can ask questions and get answers from other testers.

This is a very important question. The Windows 7 Beta will expire on August 1, 2009 and the RC will expire on June 1, 2010. To avoid interruption, you'll need to rebuild your test machine using a valid version of Windows before the software expires. Windows will notify you that the expiration process is beginning, and two weeks later your PC will begin shutting down every two hours. (Learn more about installing Windows.)

Test version:		Starts shutting down every two hours:	Expires:
Beta		July 1, 2009	August 1, 2009
RC		March 1, 2010	June 1, 2010

Sorry, no.

Sure! For highlights, see What's new in Windows 7.

Device Stage is a new technology. When you connect your PC to a device that's compatible with Device Stage, you can see a picture of the device which makes it easy to see what you're trying to do with the device—whether it's sharing files between your PC and the device, or just checking the battery level.

Windows XP Mode for Windows 7 gives small- to medium-sized businesses a way to get the benefits of Windows 7 and still use many older Windows XP productivity programs. It uses virtualization technology, such as Windows Virtual PC, to create a Virtual Windows XP environment. That way, you can run your older programs as if you were using a Windows XP-based PC.