Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC) Build Information

As we know Windows 7 RC has been released to Connect, TechNet and MSDN subscribers.

Following is some important information about this RC build, which you should know:

File Size:

32-bit (x86) version – 2.47 GB

64-bit (x64) version – 3.2 GB

Product Key:

Windows 7 Beta Product key will not work in RC build. So you’ll need to obtain a new Product key which is available in your account page.

Expiry Date:

Windows 7 RC will expire on March 1, 2010. At this time the system will reboot every two hours. The license of windows 7 RC will expire June 1, 2010.

Installation:

You can either upgrade from a Windows Vista system, or do a custom (clean) installation of Windows 7 RC. Windows 7 Beta users will need to do a custom (clean) installation.

Windows XP users will also need to do a custom (clean) installation.

Bug Report:

Since its an RC build, the Launch UI for the Feedback Tool has been removed but its still there. If you really want to provide feedback, you can run the Feedback Tool by using following command:

rundll32.exe FeedbackTool.dll,ShowWizard

You can also create a shortcut on Desktop for it.

You should only use the Feedback Tool for reporting:

• Issues that prevent installation or upgrade
• Any issues that involve corruption or data loss
• Security issues
• Regressions from Beta (Things worked in beta but do not work now)
• Any application or device issues that would prevent you from using Windows 7 as your primary OS.
• Reproducible crashes or hangs (issues that you cannot reproduce will be captured by CEIP Telemetry)

Public Release:

Microsoft will release the same RC build to public on 5th May on Microsoft Download Center. There will be no download limit.