14 DAY TRIAL // It took just one day for Windows 7 Release Candidate Build 7100 to turn from genuine to pirated. As of June 1st, 2010, the RC development milestone of Windows 7 has entered the final stage of its expiration process. Early adopters still running Build 7100 of Windows Vista’s successor will notice that Windows 7 RC will now start with a black desktop. At the same time, after boot, users will be presented with a notification informing them that their copy of Windows is pirated. And, on top of the Windows Activation screen revealing that Windows 7 RC is no longer genuine, the computer will restart automatically every two hours.
Although, at least in theory, it is possible to still be running the operating system, the pain is simply not worth it. Fact is that Windows 7 RC, which was released more than a year ago, is now expired. At the bottom of the screen, users will be able to find two download links containing RTM copies of Windows 7, which they can download for free. The best choice for those that are still looking for a Windows 7 free ride is to download the Enterprise trial version of the platform.
Windows 7 RTM Enterprise trial can be downloaded at no charge from Microsoft, installed on testing computers and run for a total of 90 days. Users should know that the slmgr – rearm trick doesn’t work on the Enterprise SKU of Windows 7, but only on the other editions. However, remember that the trial downloads of Windows 7 Enterprise are designed for testing purposes, and not for deployment in production environments.
According to third-party sources, it won’t be that long until testers get their hands on a new pre-release copy of Windows. Microsoft is reportedly getting closer and closer to the first Beta of Windows 7 Service Pack 1, a milestone that will most likely go to the public for testing. The same is not valid for the first Beta of Windows 8, however, as the next major iteration of the Windows client is yet to take shape.
Microsoft Windows 7 90-Day Eval VHD is available for download here.
Another Windows 7 RTM Enterprise 90-Day Evaluation is available for download here.