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March 26th, 2009

Microsoft accidentally confirms Windows 7 RC coming in May

Posted by Mary Jo Foley @ 8:28 am

Categories: Corporate strategy, Windows 7, Windows client

Tags: Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Corp., Windows Team, ArsTechnica, Microsoft Windows, Operating Systems, Team Management, Software, Management, Mary Jo Foley

Microsoft posted prematurely a download page for the Windows 7 Release Candidate and — gasp! — one with a date of May 2009 attached to it.

The Windows team has been doing its best not to talk specific dates in advance of delivering any of its milestone builds. (No published dates means no one can ever say you’re late, right?)

Previous reports had pegged Microsoft’s one and only RC as arriving in April.

ArsTechnica has a screen shot of the Win 7 RC download page. As Ars notes, the RC download period is set to last through June 2009 and the RC set to expire in June 2010. Ars also grabbed a shot of the expected hardware requirements for the Windows 7 RC:

  • Internet access (to download Windows 7 RC and get updates)
  • A PC with these minimum recommended specifications:
    • 1 GHz 32-bit or 64-bit processor or higher
    • 1 GB of system memory or more
    • 16 GB of available disk space
    • Support for DirectX 9 graphics with 128 MB memory (to enable the Aero theme)
    • DVD-R/W Drive

I’m still betting the Softies are going to RTM in Q3 of this year, whether the RC is slightly later than expected or not. We’ll see….

Mary Jo FoleyMary Jo has covered the tech industry for more than 20 years. Don't miss a single post. Subscribe via Email or RSS. You can also follow Mary Jo on Twitter.

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  • Talkback
  • Most Recent of 119 Talkback(s)
RE: Microsoft accidentally confirms Windows 7 RC coming in May
I am very excited by Windows 7. The system I am currently using seems to run the beta just fine, so much so that I have delayed building a new system for now. My learning how to use Vista over the past 24 months is proving to be invaluable to working with Windows 7. Let the games begin.... (Read the rest)
Posted by: frj111@... Posted on: 04/11/09 You are currently: a Guest | | Terms of Use
Microsoft accidentally confirms Windows 7 RC coming in May  Loverock Davidson | 03/26/09
nahh they learned their lesson  NoThomas | 03/26/09
Good to see...  Information_z | 03/30/09
Quit Lying, You've Never Used It  itanalyst2@... | 03/26/09
The Microsoft Publicity Mill  jrr@... | 03/27/09
Well what do you expect?  chrisportela | 03/27/09
Contary to popular belief  Richard Turpin | 03/27/09
I agree with you old man....  EricVM | 03/27/09
Especially for people  Amelioration | 03/27/09
I poo on the claim Vista real mans OS  Ez_Customs | 03/27/09
Right...  kurayaminokumo | 04/08/09
"I loved it" - Hmm, past tense  Graham Ellison | 03/27/09
My bright orange Lada...  Information_z | 03/30/09
???Just Microsoft?  info@... | 03/27/09
as a shareholder...  whallify | 03/27/09
and yourself ...  Amelioration | 03/27/09
Who cares, their job is to sell their product! If it comes in May, awesome!  DevJonny | 03/27/09
Exactly What I was Thinking  Esse Quam Videri | 03/27/09
Foley accidentally promotes Microsoft.  Amelioration | 03/27/09
Foley? All of ZDNet promotes Microsoft  3dtodd | 03/27/09
Nice  ShinyDarkStone | 03/27/09
Talking out your ARSE  Richard Turpin | 03/27/09
If ZDNet were in love with Linux  tmsbrdrs | 03/27/09
Haven't You Heard?  itanalyst2@... | 03/27/09
Don't forget An Old Man LOL.... grin (nt)  hasta la Vista, bah-bie | 03/27/09
"Doesn't sound like Linux love to me."  lmenningen | 03/27/09
Not interested in technology nor mankind?  Amelioration | 03/27/09
Your just scared to learn something new!!!  Ez_Customs | 03/27/09
traffic, ad dollars  upuaut_z | 03/27/09
Amazing, huh?  CheezHead59 | 03/27/09
Amazing, TOO?  jerry@... | 03/27/09
"what they are missing"  Amelioration | 03/27/09
Any Story accidentally activates OS flamers and fanbois.  invmgr@... | 03/27/09
I can't wait  LiquidLearner | 03/26/09
How would you compare it to vista?  Been_Done_Before | 03/26/09
Personally I don't have plans to move to Windows 7 until...  ye | 03/26/09
RE:  edwards.wb | 03/26/09
Windows 7 makes security more user friendly but at the cost of security.  ye | 03/27/09
Security response  erniem1970@... | 03/27/09
Wow.  shane@... | 03/27/09
LOL  Amelioration | 03/27/09
Mmmm no..  shane@... | 03/27/09
I agree with you however I didn't like Vista  lobo1953 | 03/27/09
But they need you to jump when they say!  Amelioration | 03/27/09
Can I ask why you are rolling back?  JoeMama_z | 03/26/09
What drove the rollback?  nancyjones36507@... | 03/27/09
"Everyone"?  hasta la Vista, bah-bie | 03/27/09
Fine is the Key Word  Ez_Customs | 03/27/09
What were the problems?  gypkap@... | 03/27/09
Multipule users  Ez_Customs | 03/27/09
It's what i'm waiting for...  rmlounsbury@... | 03/26/09
From what I have seen ...  mwagner@... | 03/27/09
It isn't  lobo1953 | 03/27/09
Im still exausted from the vista rollout  penile@... | 03/27/09
Well done indeed  Amelioration | 03/27/09
High powered CIOs like me don't need a leak...  Mike Cox | 03/26/09
Oly an 8 this time  htotten | 03/26/09
CIOs get "golden" code ...  mwagner@... | 03/27/09
And yet...  shane@... | 03/27/09
Can't blame them for being conservative  Michael Kelly | 03/26/09
Umm....Build 7057 Is RC1  itanalyst2@... | 03/26/09
No its not  NStalnecker | 03/26/09
Ummm ... no, it's not.  de-void | 03/27/09
Ummm...7057 is pre-release, not RC itself  dt63944 | 03/27/09
7057 is a "Release Candidate" Candidate....  Wolfie2K3 | 03/27/09
Agreed  shane@... | 03/27/09
Everything you say is wrong (nt)  shane@... | 03/27/09
delete  Custard_over_2x_Pie | 03/26/09
RE: Microsoft accidentally confirms Windows 7 RC coming in May  DaddyO' | 03/26/09
RE: Microsoft accidentally confirms Windows 7 RC coming in May  STBA2009 | 03/26/09
RE: Microsoft accidentally confirms Windows 7 RC coming in May  davidro | 03/26/09
System requirements seem virtually identical to those for Vista.  HypnoToad | 03/26/09
Geez, gaming rig with no games  stano360 | 03/27/09
Did he say...  Dave32265 | 03/27/09
You could divide that by 4 and not see a performance drop.  invmgr@... | 03/27/09
My point was...  Dave32265 | 03/27/09
RE: Microsoft accidentally confirms Windows 7 RC coming in May  mrgoodall | 03/26/09
Actually...  Soulstorm | 03/26/09
And, more to the point ...  de-void | 03/27/09
16 GB is needed for INSTALLATION...  Wolfie2K3 | 03/27/09
RE: Microsoft accidentally confirms Windows 7 RC coming in May  Badgered | 03/27/09
Could be ...  mwagner@... | 03/27/09
RE: Microsoft accidentally confirms Windows 7 RC coming in May  chrisportela | 03/27/09
What bad luck!  stano360 | 03/27/09
RE: Microsoft accidentally confirms Windows 7 RC coming in May  oshea00 | 03/27/09
Because you don't understand what an SP is?  de-void | 03/27/09
I do, but...  oshea00 | 03/27/09
It's more like 3 year increments..  Wolfie2K3 | 03/27/09
Get used to it!  de-void | 03/30/09
RE: Microsoft accidentally confirms Windows 7 RC coming in May  psion@... | 03/27/09
Everyone is so excited that.....  psion@... | 03/27/09
Those days are over  T1Oracle | 03/27/09
I'm betting that May is ...  mwagner@... | 03/27/09
RE: Microsoft accidentally confirms Windows 7 RC coming in May  Logical One | 03/27/09
Really?  de-void | 03/27/09
People make comments on stuff they no nothing about all the time  dt63944 | 03/27/09
Actually  lobo1953 | 03/27/09
Accidentally my a** ...  Dave32265 | 03/27/09
RE: Microsoft accidentally confirms Windows 7 RC coming in May  archer75 | 03/27/09
RE: Microsoft accidentally confirms Windows 7 RC coming in May  david@... | 03/27/09
RE: Microsoft accidentally confirms Windows 7 RC coming in May  Billybob115 | 03/27/09
reason for my response  tmsbrdrs | 03/27/09
And you, sir, are an exception to the general class of Linux/Mac fan that..  Wolfie2K3 | 03/27/09
RE: Microsoft accidentally confirms Windows 7 RC coming in May  erniem1970@... | 03/27/09
I'm holding off buying a new computer until it comes with Windows 7 happy  Jeff Hayes | 03/27/09
RE: Microsoft accidentally confirms Windows 7 RC coming in May  jerry@... | 03/27/09
It's Microsoft.. hello  Fairway | 03/27/09
What "pay for" services?  de-void | 03/30/09
RE: Microsoft accidentally confirms Windows 7 RC coming in May  Ez_Customs | 03/27/09
RE: Microsoft accidentally confirms Windows 7 RC coming in May  YeaiBetYouDo | 03/28/09
RE: Microsoft accidentally confirms Windows 7 RC coming in May  rdhalsteatzd | 03/28/09
Static IP & Workgroups?  de-void | 03/30/09
OH NO!  jolumoar | 03/28/09
RE: Microsoft accidentally confirms Windows 7 RC coming in May  engy | 03/28/09
why is Microsoft upset if it Vista done right?  Randalllind | 03/30/09
RE: Microsoft accidentally confirms Windows 7 RC coming in May  m1keh | 03/30/09
RE: Microsoft accidentally confirms Windows 7 RC coming in May  endlr@... | 03/31/09
Windows 7 RC in April?  ebrouet | 04/09/09
RE: Microsoft accidentally confirms Windows 7 RC coming in May  frj111@... | 04/11/09

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