Windows 7 RC coming 5 May

 

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 20 Apr 2009 at 08:01

Microsoft will unveil the Release Candidate of Windows 7 on 5 May, according to a leaked web page.

The news appeared on a Microsoft Partner Program website which was dated for publication in May but appeared mistakenly over the weekend.

The page claimed the Release Candidate was available to TechNet and MSDN subscribers "now" - though the link took users to a page without a Windows 7 RC download option.

Microsoft subsequently yanked the page, suggesting that its appearance was another slip on the company's behalf.

"The Windows 7 Release Candidate download page [was] briefly posted on TechNet as part of the regular testing of Microsoft properties," says a Microsoft statement.

"Microsoft is currently in the development stages for Windows 7 and the specific release date of the next Windows 7 product milestone will be determined once the company meets its quality bar for the release," it concludes.

Microsoft has admitted, however, the release candidate is already in the hands of PC makers such as Dell and HP.

This is the second time in three weeks that Microsoft has inadvertently leaked news of the Windows 7 release candidate. Towards the end of March, a Microsoft site appeared claiming the release candidate would appear in May. That page was also swiftly pulled.

There's a great deal of excitement surrounding the Windows 7 Release Candidate, which will introduce a host of tweaks and improvements. Indeed to feel the full benefit, Microsoft recently issued a plea to testers to install it from scratch, rather than upgrading from the beta.