14 DAY TRIAL // At a few months short of a year since Windows 7 Release Candidate Build 7100 was offered to testers, Microsoft has produced a new RC development milestone of the operating system and is serving it to early adopters. Only that at approximately four months since Windows Vista’s successor hit store shelves, the latest iteration of Windows 7 is not the fully-fledged OS but the componentized and embedded version. On February 15th, 2010, Microsoft started sending out invitations to testers for Windows Embedded Standard 7 Release Candidate (RC), which is now available for download from Microsoft Connect.
Don’t be confused by the new Windows Embedded Standard 7 moniker. The fact of the matter is that Microsoft has already been hard at work producing the next generation Windows Embedded operating system, it just did it initially under the codename Quebec. Subsequently, the software giant had apparently decided on Windows Embedded Standard 2011 for the official brand for the product. With the availability of the first RC, Microsoft has obviously changed this aspect, as the upcoming componentized and embedded version of Windows 7 is now Windows Embedded Standard 7.
“The CTP of Windows Embedded Standard 7 is now available on Connect. We are coming closer to release! If you don’t know yet what Windows Embedded Standard 7 is (note the new naming using version numbers vs. dates), it is a componentized and embedded version of Windows 7, enabling to embed all the power of Windows 7 into devices and therefore leveraging Windows Touch, Aero, performance,” stated Olivier Bloch, Microsoft Embedded technical evangelist.
There is a sense of urgency in the invitations emailed to testers for Windows Embedded Standard 7. This particular flavor of Windows 7 is designed for OEMs which produce small devices leveraging the OS in the context of limited hardware capabilities. “Please download and test it right away!” Microsoft notes in the message, underlining that it is very close to the final build of Windows Embedded Standard 7. Of course, the Redmond company hasn’t made public the actual delivery deadline for the OS, but the plan is to release Windows Embedded Standard 7 in the second half of 2010.
“Windows Embedded Standard 7 RC is being provided as 5 download packages:
1. Windows Embedded Standard 7 RC Toolkit: this .ISO will install the Image Configuration Editor (ICE) tool which is meant to be run on a development machine 2. Windows Embedded Standard 7 RC 32bit Bootable IBW: this .ISO will install Image Builder Wizard (IBW) for 32bit machines to be run on a target device 3. Windows Embedded Standard 7 RC 64BIT Bootable IBW: this .ISO will install Image Builder Wizard (IBW) for 64bit machines to be run on a target device 4. Windows Embedded Standard 7 RC MPEG2 Audio and Dolby Package: includes the MPEG2 Audio and Dolby Premium Codecs for 32bit and 64bit machines 5. Windows Embedded Standard 7 RC Documentation: 'Release Notes' and a 'What's New' document that will help you focus your testing on specific areas,” Microsoft reported.