It was back in May that Microsoft first made available the release candidate of its Windows 7 operating system, and despite the fact that the software has since been released to manufacturing, the release candidate remains available to download for users who want to try before they buy.
If that sounds like you, however, you'll want to get a move on as Microsoft plans to stop hosting the free-to-use software on August 20th, giving you roughly another 24 hours to get hold of it. Once the download has been pulled, users will still be able to install the release candidate and request product codes if need be.
The release candidate is a near-final copy of Windows 7 Ultimate and is scheduled to expire on June 1st, 2010 with bi-hourly shutdowns beginning on March 1st, 2010.
Windows 7 is scheduled to launch on October 22nd, and if Microsoft's pricing doesn't appeal, the release candidate could be a logical free alternative for the coming months. And who knows, by March 2010, Windows 7 may become cheaper, and we might even see the three-license Family Pack become available to UK customers.
Interested? The Windows 7 Release Candidate can be downloaded at Microsoft.com.
