Microsoft has released the official (no trojans) version of the Windows 7 Release Candidate on its website. Unlike the Windows 7 beta from earlier this year, there is no rush this time, at least not yet. Microsoft says that the RC will be available until July 2009 and that there is no limit on the number of keys. However, that might change if Microsoft notices that Windows 7 RC is becoming their biggest product 🙂
Grab the download here, but make sure you switch to Internet Explorer first.
As reported, the Windows 7 RC requires a clean install to upgrade from Windows XP but you can do an in place upgrade of Windows Vista systems. Obviously, Microsoft will have to cave to pressure from business to offer an upgrade path from Windows XP, but so far, they are pretending that they won’t. Look for the announcement of the Windows XP upgrade utility or the inclusion of a way to upgrade Windows XP Professional to Windows 7 later this summer.