Microsoft is making headway with the development of Windows 7. The next iteration of the Windows client is now evolving from Release Candidate to RTM and is as close to finalization as possible, with the Redmond company in the phase in which it is refining and fine-tuning the operating system in order to prepare it for General Availability. Microsoft has yet to announce the official deadlines for the release to manufacturing of Windows 7, or for GA. However, the company was confident enough to point out that Windows 7 would hit store shelves in retail outlets and both pre-installed on new OEM computers by the 2009 holiday season.

For Windows 7 RC testers, Build 7100 will not be that different from the RTM Build. When installing Windows 7 Build 7137, a pre-RTM development milestone, users already familiar with earlier releases of the platform and especially with RC will not notice anything different. The End User License Agreement still refers to Build 7137 as Release Candidate and the build is labeled Win7_RC.1_Ult_NRL+en-US. After the installation is complete, the Betta fish wallpaper will still welcome users to the first startup. The screenshots included at the bottom of this article will provide an insight into the main steps of the deployment of Windows 7 Build 7137.

At the start of May Windows 7 Build 7100 became available for download to the public. The development milestone represents the first and only Release Candidate of Windows 7 that Microsoft will produce. Essentially, the RC means that the platform is finalized. The Redmond company will no longer add features or make drastic changes that would impact the architecture of the OS. However, modifications will continue in the line of softening all the rough corners of Windows 7 for the final release. Changes related to security, performance and compatibility will find their way into the operating system.


32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7 (Release Candidate) RC Build 7100.0.090421-1700 is available for download here.