Do You Want to Help Improve Windows Vista?

Windows Vista Customer Preview Program—RC1 Update

The final major pre-release of Windows Vista—Release Candidate 1 (RC1)—is now available through the Customer Preview Program (CPP). Customer participation and feedback are integral parts of our development process. If you decide to install and test RC1, thank you for being part of the Windows Vista team!

Note: This is beta code and should not be used in a production environment or on a primary computer in the home. RC1 is intended for developers, IT professionals, and technology experts to continue or begin their testing of Windows Vista. Before you decide to use RC1, you should feel comfortable with installing operating systems, updating drivers, and general PC troubleshooting. Some risks of using beta operating systems include hardware and software incompatibility and system instability. If you have concerns about installing this beta software on your computer, we encourage you to obtain the final release version of Windows Vista when it is available in 2007.

Access to the Customer Preview Program is limited. Once the program capacity has been reached, the program will be closed and no new orders will be accepted.

How to get started

Release Candidate 1 is available in three languages (English, German, and Japanese) and in 32-bit and 64-bit editions.

There are two ways to get Windows Vista RC1:

1. Order the DVD kit and have it shipped to your home or office.
2. Download the ISO file to your PC.
   (An ISO file is an exact representation of a CD or DVD, including the content and the logical format. Once you download the ISO file, you'll need to burn it to a DVD before you can install the software.)

To get started, please choose one of the following ordering options and select your country or region. Then we will ask you a few questions and register you for the Windows Vista Customer Preview Program. As a part of this program, you will receive an e-mail newsletter that will keep you up to date with information and tools to enhance your experience with Windows Vista RC1. (You can unsubscribe at any time through a link in the newsletter.)

If you registered for the Customer Preview Program with the release of Windows Vista Beta 2 in June, you do not need to register again for RC1. Please refer to the e-mail message sent in early September announcing the availability of RC1 for details.

Please read this important information before proceeding

• System requirements
  View system requirements and information on Windows Vista Capable and Premium Ready PCs.
• Release notes
  View the release notes for Windows Vista RC1 (available in English only).
• Upgrade limitations
  You may not be able to upgrade your installation of Windows Vista RC1 to the final, commercially available edition of Windows Vista. To upgrade, you will need to acquire the final edition of Windows Vista and you may have to do a clean installation.
• Time-limited software
  Windows Vista RC1 is time-limited, pre-release software that will expire on June 1, 2007.
• Beta support policy
  This is pre-release (beta) software distributed for trial and testing purposes only. Microsoft does not provide technical support for beta releases. Although formal support is not offered for this beta, we have provided newsgroups to help answer questions you may have related to the installation and use of Windows Vista RC1. To join or read postings in these newsgroups, please visit http://windowshelp.microsoft.com.
• 2007 Office System Beta 2 compatibility
  If you are using 2007 Office system Beta 2 be sure to download the 2007 Microsoft Office system Beta 2 Technical Refresh, the most recent update. (The Technical Refresh is required to use Office Beta 2 with Windows Vista RC1.)
• Installation limitations
  There are three installation scenarios for Windows Vista RC1:
  1. You can do a clean installation. This process will overwrite any data that you have on your hard disk or on your installation partition. The overwritten data will be lost and unrecoverable.
  2. You can upgrade an existing installation of Windows XP.
  3. You can upgrade an existing installation of Windows Vista Beta 2.



No other installation scenarios are supported. Upgrading to this beta from any other edition of Windows requires a clean installation, as described in option 1. In addition, once you install Windows Vista RC1, you cannot roll back to the previous operating system installation—you will either have to acquire and install the final released edition of Windows Vista or reinstall a previous edition of Windows. Before installing Windows Vista RC1 on any computer, please remember to back up all your files.

Upgrading from Windows Vista Beta 2
Please install any Critical Updates from Windows Update before upgrading from Beta 2 to RC1. Go to Start, All Programs, Windows Update, and click the "Check for Updates" button.

Note: Please close any open applications before beginning an upgrade. During installation, we recommend that you have an active Internet connection and choose Go online to get the latest updates for installation.

Order the Windows Vista RC1 DVD kit

Choose this option to have the Windows Vista RC1 DVD kit sent to your home or office. This option requires payment to cover DVD production, shipping, and handling costs. (Cost will vary by country based on local taxes and delivery charges.)

To start the order process, please select your country or region from the following list. (Shipping is only available to the countries and regions included in this list.)

Order Now Select your locationAfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArubaAustraliaAustriaBahamasBahrainBarbadosBelgium (Dutch)Belgium (French)BelizeBermudaBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBrazilBulgariaCameroonCanada (English)Canada (French)Cayman IslandsChileColombiaCongoCosta RicaCote d’IvoireCroatiaCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEstoniaEthiopiaFinlandFranceFrench GuianaGabonGambiaGermanyGhanaGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuatemalaGuyanaHaitiHondurasHong Kong (Chinese)Hong Kong (English)HungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIrelandIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJordanKenyaKuwaitLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaliMaltaMartiniqueMauritiusMexicoMonacoMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueNamibiaNetherlandsNetherlands AntillesNew ZealandNicaraguaNigeriaNorwayOmanPakistanPanamaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPolandPortugalPuerto Rico (English)Puerto Rico (Spanish)QatarRepublic of Rwanda ReunionRomaniaRussian FederationSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSan MarinoSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbia and MontenegroSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSomaliaSouth AfricaSpainSt Vincent & the GrenadinesSurinameSwazilandSwedenSwitzerland (French)Switzerland (German)Switzerland (Italian)TaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTogoTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurks and Caicos IslandsUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUruguayVenezuelaVietnamVirgin Islands, BritishVirgin Islands, U.S.YemenZambiaZimbabwe

Download Windows Vista RC1

Choose this option to download Windows Vista RC1. The download is an ISO file of Windows Vista RC1, which is about 3.0 gigabytes (GB) for the 32-bit edition or 4.0 GB for the 64-bit edition.

You will need:

• Broadband Internet connection (highly recommended)
• DVD burner and blank DVD media to convert the download into a bootable DVD that can be used to install the operating system

To begin, please select your country or region from the following list. Download times will vary based on your Internet connection speed. This table shows approximate download times at common connection speeds:

Download instructions

Once you complete the registration process, we will send you an e-mail message with download instructions and a link for accessing Windows Vista RC1 (ISO file) using a download manager. We recommend that you use the Download Manager, as it will let you resume the download if your Internet connection is interrupted.

Here's a summary of how to download, burn, and install Windows Vista RC1:

1. Download the ISO image file from the location indicated in the e-mail message you receive after registering, and save the file to your hard disk. (If the download ends prematurely, you can resume the download process from where you left off using the Download Manager.)
2. Using a DVD burner and software, burn the ISO image of Windows Vista RC1 to a new blank DVD. We recommend burning at the lowest speed supported by your DVD burner (1X or 2X) to ensure the highest quality. Most DVD-burning software will recognize an ISO file. If your software does not automatically recognize this format, refer to the software's Help file for instructions.
3. Insert the DVD on which you burned the software into the DVD drive of the computer on which you want to install Windows Vista RC1.
4. The installation process should start automatically. If it does not, run Setup from the DVD to begin the installation, and follow the step-by-step instructions that appear on the screen.

Tell us what you think

If there's something that you like or dislike in this pre-release edition of Windows, we want to hear from you. Please use this feedback form to share your opinions.

To help you explore Windows Vista, we have created a list of tasks for you to try. To access the list and provide feedback on your experience, visit the Windows Vista Scenario Voting site.