In my opinion there is no reason why users should wait a few months for Windows 7 to bed in before upgrading, or for Windows 7 SP1 to be released as the product is good to use now.  I’ve been using the Windows 7 RTM build on all my machines as my main OS for a few months now without any issues at all.

But, there are some people who will want to be more cautious and not fully leave Windows Vista or XP behind.  If you have a big enough Hard Drive, then you can create a new disk partition to install Windows 7, so that when you start your machine you will be given the option of choosing Windows 7 or your older (inferior) OS.  This is also a way to ensure you don’t delete any old files until you are sure Windows 7 is working fully.

To create a New Disk Partition to Dual Boot Windows 7:

• Open Control Panel and go to Administrative Tools and then Computer Management
• Click on Disk Management (under Storage). In order to install Windows 7 you need to shrink one of your existing disk partitions to make room for Windows 7 – I recommend freeing up at least 40GB
• Right-click on your biggest partition and click on Shrink Volume.  In the popup window enter the amount you want to shrink the disk by in the ‘Enter the amount of space to shrink in MB’.  Remember 1GB is roughly 1000MB, so enter 40000 if you want to create a 40GB partition
• After you’ve done this, ‘Unallocated’ space will appear in Computer Management.  Right-click on this space and select ‘New Simple Volume’.  this will create your new partition
• To install Windows 7 to your new partition just boot your PC with the Windows 7 installation disk, and install it to the new partition.
• Once finished, when you boot your PC you will be given a choice of which OS to boot into

If in the future you want to delete one of the OSs, just follow the instructions above, but in Computer Management delete the unwanted partition and then right click on an existing partition and choose Extend Volume to add the freed up space.

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Earlier I made a post on how to create and configure a VHD along with explaining exactly what a VHD was. This is a continuation of that article.

Another great feature of Windows 7 is the ability to actually install Windows 7 to a VHD, virtualization without any of the disadvantages of virtualization (full hardware support and so forth). This guide is about how to use the RTM (should work with the RC) DVD to install Windows 7 to a VHD created during installation (or you can use one created during my earlier guide).

I also mentioned the power of this ability earlier, as I listed a possible scenario:

Windows 7′s VHD support will give users the ability to install any operating system that supports booting from a VHD into a VHD. For example, a user could have Vista installed on a single partition, and then have three files (VHDs) anywhere on that disk (or for that matter, on any partition that is readable by Windows) and be able to boot different versions of Windows 7. Assuming that SP1 and SP2 were released (which they are not yet available), a user could hypothetically have four operating systems on a single partition (the number is only limited by the bootloader, four is actually just a random number selected), like so:

• Vista installed on a primary partition (such as “C:”).
• Windows 7 RTM installed within a VHD (such as “C:Windows7.vhd”).
• Windows 7 SP1 installed within another VHD (such as “C:Windows7SP1.vhd”).
• Windows 7 SP2 installed within yet another VHD (such as “C:Windows7SP2.vhd”).

Of course, the number of VHDs is virtually unlimited, but it’s quite easy to see the hype associated with VHDs in Windows 7.

Now, how would a user get about to actually performing an install of Windows 7 to a VHD?

Take note that this guide will also work with Windows Server 2008 R2.

1. Boot from the Windows 7 DVD.

2. Click past the Language Selection screen.

3. When you’re on the Install Now screen (with the “Install Now” button), stop. Click “SHIFT+F10″ to launch the Command Prompt (don’t bother going through Repair and all that – this is the right way).

4. First, let’s take a look at the drive letters currently mounted. Type in “fsutil fsinfo drives” and hit enter. This will list all drives (you should know what your drive letters are). Take note of all drive letters.

5. Now,we need to open “DISKPART.” To do, simply type in “diskpart” and click enter. Pretty easy.

6. When “DISKPART> ” appears, DISKPART is loaded.

7. If you want to just use an existing VHD (such as one created in the method I wrote about earlier), then use these two commands (of course C can be swapped out with any drive letter, but either way, you will need to specify the exact path):

   select vdisk file=C:pathtovhdfile.vhd
   attach vdisk

   If you are using an existing VHD, skip to the next step; otherwise, if you would prefer to simply create a new VHD, then use this format of commands (the max option specifies the file size, here I have roughly 6GB, increase as preferred):

   create vdisk file = c:pathtovhdfile.vhd max=6000
   select vdisk file = c:pathtovhdfile.vhd
   attach vdisk
   exit

8. Now run “fsutil fsinfo drives” again. A new drive letter should have appeared, this is your new VHD. Take note of the drive letter (this isn’t necessary – just making sure everything went OK).

9. Type “exit” again and hit enter. This will close the Command Prompt.

10. Click “Install Now” and go through the install as usual, making sure to select the “Custom” option when it appears.

11. When you come to the list of partitions and you are asked to choose an install location, ignore any warnings and select the partition that matches the size that you used for your VHD.

12. Windows 7 will automatically configure your boot loader for the VHD, but this is easily fixed. Just continue as normal, and when the installation completes and it prepares to reboot, it will show you the bootloader (should have two “Windows 7″ options if you already had a Windows 7 install, this is normal). Select either OS and continue (just make sure that it’s a Windows 7).

13. Now, if you are fine with the way the bootloader appears, you can quit now. Otherwise, you can follow this guide and use the bcdedit command-line tool (really easy, only three commands) or download EasyBCD and use that to do this yourself. However, I suggest using bcdedit and making your bootloader a little more clear (Again, you can opt for EasyBCD if you prefer a graphical menu). open the Command Prompt as an Administrator (right click and select “Run As Administrator”).

14. Type in “bcdedit /v” and hit enter. This will display a list of entries in the Windows 7 bootloader.

15. Determine the VHD install and copy the GUID (listed as identifier) and create a new command like the following (replacing GUID with your identifer (should be a really long set of numbers with hyphens – include all of it)):

    Take note that you can edit the description as you wish. This is what will appear in the bootloader.

    bcdedit /set {GUID} description “Windows 7 (VHD)”

16. If you want your VHD install to appear last (or second) in the bootloader, then execute this (again, replacing GUID):

    bcdedit /displayorder {GUID} /addlast

Now, enjoy your new Windows 7 install. Feel free to leave a comment or ask questions in the comments.

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Microsoft has released the Windows 7 RTM (Release to Manufacturing) language packs yesterday. Therefore users running Windows 7 RTM should now see 34 new optional updates in Windows Update. The supported languages are:

Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Bulgarian, Chinese – Simplified, Chinese – Traditional – Hong Kong, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian Latin, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian

Microsoft stated on The Windows Blog that Traditional Chinese – Taiwan will be released at a later date, but didn’t specify when.

Windows 7 RTM Language Packs available through Windows Update

Language packs are only available to Windows 7 Ultimate and Enterprise users as mentioned in the Windows 7 Compare Editions page. Users running the Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC) can already download and install the RC language packs.

How to Install Language Packs

After downloading the language pack you want to install via Windows Update:

• Click on Start
• Type “display language” in the search bar
• Choose “Install or uninstall display languages”
• (if the search doesn’t return any results, type ”%SYSTEMROOT%System32lpksetup.exe” in the search bar)
• The Language Pack Installer window would appear with two options.
• Choose “Install display languages”
• Click “Yes” if a UAC (User Account Control) message appears
• Choose “Launch Windows Update”
• Windows Update window will show up.
• Select the language pack from the optional downloads (even if you’ve already downloaded it!)
• Click “Install updates”
• Again choose “Yes” if a UAC message appears.

Windows 7 will then start installing the language pack. It might take a while, so you’ll have to wait!

Installing a Language Pack

After installation is complete, you can choose the language pack you want to use from the Control Panel. Here’s how:

• Click on Start
• Type “region” in the search bar
• Choose “Region and Language”
• (if the search doesn’t return any results, open the ”Run…” then type: “C:WindowsSystem32rundll32.exe C:WindowsSystem32shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL C:WindowsSystem32intl.cpl”)
• Go to “Keyboards and Languages”
• Click on the combo box under “Choose a display language”
• Choose the language pack you want to switch to
• Click “Apply”

How to Hide Language Packs from Windows Update

I personally don’t like seeing “34 optional updates are available” every time I open Windows Update. If don’t want the language packs to appear in Windows Update, here’s how to hide them:

• Open Windows Update
• Click on the text (usually in blue) that says the number of downloads available
• Select the language packs you want to hide (or click on “Windows 7 Ultimate Language Packs” to select all of them)
• Right-click and choose “Hide updates”
• Click OK

Hiding Updates in Windows 7

That’s it, now these update will no longer appear unless you restore them. How? Simply click on “Restore hidden updates” on left side of the Windows update window, select the updates and click “Restore”. If prompted with a UAC message choose “Yes”. This works with other updates as well.

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A very good attempt at recreating the Windows 7 experience on Windows XP has been pulled together in the SevenVG RTM windows 7 theme for Windows XP.  A number of resources have been upgraded in the theme to match Windows 7 RTM.

SevenVG RTM theme for Windows XP

Download

Source: SevenVG RTM Windows XP Theme

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August 20th will be the last day you will be able to download the free Windows 7 Release Candidate.

Windows 7 RC is a very good product and safe enough to run as a primary OS, so if you’re not planning on upgrading to Windows 7 for a while after it’s launched on October 22nd, or you need a copy for a 2nd or 3rd machine, then using a copy of Windows 7 might be a solution as it will work until next May 2010.  After May 2010 it will start to shut-down every 30 mins.

Is anyone still using a build older than the RC, or is everyone using the Windows 7RC or Windows 7 RTM build now?

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For roughly three weeks I have been using the finalized version of Windows 7 Ultimate, it was worth the wait to say the least. Microsoft has delivered on their promise; to deliver a light-weight, secure, and fast operating system. Everyone should upgrade to this new offering from Microsoft as soon as possible, you will thank me later. Read on to find out what makes Windows 7 worth the wait.

The RTM – Build 7600

Microsoft has done an excellent job of keeping the familiarities of XP and Vista in Windows 7. If you have used a Windows machine in the last 8-10 years, you will have no problem migrating to Windows 7. Vista users will notice that the new user interface is not all that different from what they are used to, only that it has been refined and polished. Windows 7 also has some new features and innovations that succeed in making everyday tasks easier.

One of the major new innovations is the new taskbar. It has been made slightly bigger than in previous versions of Windows, it now has very nice functionality features added to it. The ability to pin programs and folders to the taskbar is one, it is similar to the quick launch in XP or Vista but it differs in some unique ways. One way it differs is the live thumbnail preview of any of the open windows.  The Jump List feature has been added which allows you to easily find commonly used files. Right click any program currently pinned to your taskbar and up comes a Jump List of your most used files. Over all the taskbar is very handy and easy to get used to, I use it every day and love it.

The new taskbar in action. Notice the live preview.

Another great feature about Windows 7 is the Aero enhancements.  Aero Peek, Snap, and Shake all help to make dealing with open windows even easier. Aero Peek is the ability to make all open windows transparent so you can see your desktop, the button is located in the far right hand corner of your desktop.

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Last week, a bug was discovered in the Windows 7 RTM (build 7600) that was distributed to TechNet and MSDN subscribers. The bug occurs when a user (with administrator privileges) runs the “chkdsk /r” command on a non-system drive, and causes the following:

• “chkdsk.exe” consumes a lot of memory (over 90%)
• the computer becomes non-responsive and crashes

Unsurprisingly, the news had spread on various forums and blogs very quickly. Some described the bug as a “showstopper”, while others claimed that it could derail the Windows 7 launch. There are also several screen shots that have been posted on the internet.

Memory usage after running the 'chkdsk' command using 'r' parameter

Microsoft has responded to the issue through the Engineering Windows 7 blog in an article discussing how they deal with bug reports, focusing on the ‘chkdsk.exe’ bug. Microsoft said that they didn’t find any reported crashes of ‘chkdsk’ after looking through crash telemetry and existing bug reports:

We first looked through our crash telemetry (both at the user level and “blue screen” level) and found no reported crashes of chkdsk. We of course look through our existing reports of issues that came up during the development of Windows 7, but we didn’t see anything at all there. We queried the call stacks of existing reported crashes (of all kinds, since this was reported) and we did not find any crashes with chkdsk.exe running while crashing.

Then they had to face the fact that they were unable to reproduce the bug despite all of the tests that they’ve conducted to try to do so:

We then began automated test runs on a broad set of machines—these ran overnight and continued for 2 days. We also saw reports related to a specific hardware configuration, so we set up over 40 machines based on variants of that chipset, driver, and firmware and ran those tests. We were not hitting any crashes (as mentioned, the memory usage was already understood). Because some were saying the machines were non-responsive we also looked for that in manual tests and didn’t see anything. We also broadened this to request globally to Microsoft folks to try things out (we have quite a few unique configs when you think of all of our offices around the world) and so we had several hundred more test runs going. We also had reports of the crash happening when running without any virtual memory—that could be the case, but that would not be an issue with this utility as any program that requests more memory than physically available would cause things to tip over and this configuration is not recommended for general purpose use (and this appears to be the common thread on the small number of non-reproducible crashes).

Meanwhile they tried checking forums and external blogs to gather more information about the bug but failed to find any technical details or a crash dump. Microsoft says it will keep on working on it until they are satisfied that they have systematically ruled out the crash or defined the circumstances where it can happen.

I’ve tried running the command on my F drive (using “chkdsk /r F:“) and did notice a surge in the memory usage (by “chkdsk.exe), however didn’t witness a crash. Do think this is really a ‘critical’ problem? Or is it just making a storm in a tea cup (in other words, giving it a lot of unnecessary attention)?

Sources: Engineering Windows 7, Neowin and InfoWorld

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Regular reader Frankie has just let us know that Windows 7 RTM is now available on the Technet and MSDN download sites.  All versions of Windows 7 are available for download, including Premium, Professional and Ultimate.

Software Assurance subscribers will be able to download Windows 7 RTM from Friday from the Volume Licence Software Centre website.  Other large businesses will be able to get access to the final version on 1 September.

Predictions that large corporations will skip Windows Vista and move straight to Windows 7 appear to be true.  My company with over 100k employees, sent an email around this week saying that the long overdue Windows Vista upgrade was going to be scraped and instead they will be moving to Windows 7 before the end of the year.  I was stunned by this as my company is not very progressive…they’ve only just increased mailbox sizes from 30MB to 150MB for instance…

I just hope they don’t create an awful corporate build that slows Windows 7 down to a snails pace.

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The much talked about “secret feature” of Windows 7, XP Mode, is in RC (Release Candidate) and available to download for all who want to try it out:

“Windows XP Mode is specially designed for small and medium-sized businesses to help ease the migration process to Windows 7 by providing additional compatibility for their older productivity applications. Windows XP Mode provides what we like to call that “last mile” compatibility technology for those cases when a Windows XP productivity application isn’t compatible with Windows 7.” as quoted from The Windows Blog.

Based on feedback Microsoft got from the beta, they have added lots of new features. Here are some of the new features included in the RC.

• You can now attach USB devices to Windows XP Mode applications directly from the Windows 7 task-bar. This means your USB devices, such as printers and flash drives, are available to applications running in Windows XP Mode, without the need to go into full screen mode.
• You can now access Windows XP Mode applications with a “jump-list”. Right click on the Windows XP Mode applications from the Windows 7 task bar to select and open most recently used files.
• You now have the flexibility of customizing where Windows XP Mode differencing disk files are stored.
• You can now disable drive sharing between Windows XP Mode and Windows 7 if you do not need that feature.
• The initial setup now includes a new user tutorial about how to use Windows XP Mode.

In order to run the XP Mode RC properly, You must have either RC (7100) or RTM (7600) version of Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate or Enterprise. Also you must have 1 GB of RAM, 15 GB of available disk space, and a processor capable of hardware virtualization with AMD-V or Intel VT turned on in the BIOS.

The download consists of a 5 MB Virtual PC file and a 450 MB copy of Windows XP Service Pack 3.  Try it for yourself here. Windows Virtual PC download.

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I have been running a copy of Windows 7 RTM 7600.16385 x64 for little over a week now. It has been a good experience to get a look at the final version of Windows 7, which by the way is really good. But there is one slight problem: Windows 7 Ultimate does not ship with the Dreamscene feature.

DreamScene allows you to play videos as desktop wallpapers. The feature supports either wmv or mpeg file formats and even avi if the file format is modified before. Users get a moving wallpaper instead of a static wallpaper with Dreamscene which was probably the most popular Windows Vista Ultimate extra.

Here is my desktop as I write this article. That is 720p Planet Earth “Shallow Seas” as the desktop background.

It was one of the best features in Windows Vista in my opinion. It was different and not many people had seen videos as their desktop backgrounds before. Well now I can’t live without it. I had to use a hack to make it work in Windows 7. Thanks Microsoft.

So I decided to do a little research as to why Microsoft left out this great feature. The only thing I found was this: “In Windows 7, Vista’s successor, DreamScene has been replaced by a “Desktop Slideshow” feature which produces slideshow background wallpapers, but does not support videos unless modified.^”

I searched high and low for the reason DreamScene was left out of Windows 7. I even contacted Microsoft about it. I am waiting on a reply from them as you read this. But I could not find a good reason why the feature was left out completely. Other than to showcase the new Desktop Slideshow feature; which is not really all that cool. At the very least Microsoft could have included the option to turn DreamScene on.

Bottom line. At least you can make Dreamscene work in Windows 7. I would be one unhappy camper if there was not a hack available. That is more than enough of me ranting about Microsoft. As always, comments welcome!

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Paul managed to get his hands on an updated Windows 7 release schedule and family pack availability. The Windows 7 Family Pack details that have emerged are the following: Windows 7 Family Pack will ship with one Windows 7 setup disc and three windows 7 Home Premium product keys which makes it possible to install the operating system on up to three computer systems in one household. It was already known that the family pack would be a temporary offer.

Disappointing is the news that the windows 7 Family Pack will apparently not be available in many markets and that it will be delayed until 2010 in some markets like Europe. There is currently no official list of countries the family pack is being made available in. It can be that the same countries that were blessed with a Windows 7 Pre-order discount will be the only ones receiving the family pack. No word yet on the amount of copies that are provided in each market the Windows 7 Family Packs are offered in.

MSDN and Technet subscribers can get their hands on the Windows 7 RTM on August 6. The rest of the timeline is as follows:

• August 7. Volume License (VL) customer with an existing Software Assurance (SA) license can download Windows 7 RTM in English via the Volume License Service Center (VLSC).
• August 16. Microsoft Partner Program Gold/Certified members will be able to download Windows 7 RTM in English.
• August 23. Microsoft Action Pack subscribers will be able to download Windows 7 RTM in English. Volume License (VL) customers with an existing Software Assurance (SA) license can download Windows 7 RTM in the remaining languages via the Volume License Service Center (VLSC).
• September 1. Volume License customers without a SA license will be able to purchase Windows 7 through Volume Licensing (as previously announced).
• October 1. Microsoft Partner Program Gold/Certified members will be able to download Windows 7 RTM in the remaining languages. Microsoft Action Pack subscribers will be able to download Windows 7 RTM in the remaining languages. MSDN and Technet subscribers can download Windows 7 RTM in the remaining languages.
• October 22. Windows 7 will be made available via retail stores, online purchasing, and with new PC purchases. This is the so-called “general availability,” or GA, date. (Previously announced.)

[source Paul Thurrott]

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The first public crack of the RTM build of Windows 7 (6.1.7600.16385) did not survive for very long, thanks to Microsoft and Lenovo’s partnership (Pirates – 1, Microsoft – 1). Microsoft has now blacklisted the OEM key and ensured that Lenovo will be able to deliver genuine, non-pirated copies of Windows 7 to its consumers. Microsoft made it clear earlier on the Genuine Windows Blog that this leak will not cause any issues for Lenovo:

We’ve worked with that manufacturer [Lenovo] so that customers who purchase genuine copies of Windows 7 from this manufacturer will experience no issues validating their copy of Windows 7. At the same time we will seek to alert customers who are using the leaked key that they are running a non-genuine copy of Windows. It’s important to note that no PCs will be sold that will use this key.

Microsoft then goes on to state that pirating Windows 7 will not be as easy as it was for Vista or XP, as it has an improved mechanism for protection:

Windows 7 already includes an improved ability to detect hacks, also known as activation exploits, and alert customers who are using a pirated copy. There is a hack that is said to enable, when paired with the leaked key, a system to install and use a copy of Windows 7 Ultimate. The Windows Activation Technologies included in Windows 7 are designed to handle situations such as this one, and customers using these tools and methods should expect Windows to detect them.

Considering that the pirates are usually always one step ahead, it will be interesting to see how the game between Microsoft and the pirates will evolve once Windows 7 has been released. Microsoft can’t simply just blacklist a key once it has already been sold to genuine customers, and more OEM keys will almost certainly be leaked once the date of General Availability (GE) has arrived. Once that happens, we will see if Microsoft’s new anti-piracy system is up to par, or just another exaggerated scheme out of Microsoft.

Windows Genuine Advantage

Nonetheless, Microsoft has a confident stand, as revealed by the last paragraph:

Our primary goal is to protect users from becoming unknowing victims, because customers who use pirated software are at greater risk of being exposed to malware as well as identity theft. Someone asked me recently – and I think it’s worth noting here — whether we treat all exploits equally in responding to new ones we see. Our objective isn’t to stop every “mad scientist” that’s out there from dabbling; our aim is to protect our customers from commercialized counterfeit software that impacts our customers’ confidence in knowing they got what they paid for. That will continue to be our focus as we continue to evolve our anti-piracy platforms, and respond to new threats that we see emerge in the future.

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Microsoft has just released a statement to CNET News confirming the fact that hackers managed to crack the windows 7 RTM Ultimate activation. The statement says:

We are aware of reports of activation exploits that attempt to circumvent activation and validation in Windows 7, and we can assure customers that Microsoft is committed to protecting them from counterfeit and pirated software. Microsoft strongly advises customers not to download Windows 7 from unauthorized sources. Downloading Windows 7 from peer-to-peer Web sites exposes users to increased risks–such as viruses, Trojans, and other malware and malicious code–that usually accompany counterfeit software. These risks can seriously harm or permanently destroy data and often expose users to identity theft and other criminal schemes.

The software giant (obviously) isn’t happy about what happened and has stated that it is ‘committed to protecting [its customers] from counterfeit and pirated software’ and advises its customers to only download Windows 7 from trusted sources.

One of our readers mentioned that Microsoft ‘has tricks up its sleeve’ and will break the crack a day or two before Windows 7′s official release. What do you expect Microsoft’s response to be??

Meanwhile, Another Crack hit the Wild

Few hours ago Orbit30, a very active uploader, uploaded a crack for Windows 7 RTM named “7Loader”. Several releases have made it on various file-sharing and torrent sites, with “release 4″ being the latest.

Windows 7Loader Slic Activation with OEM Information

It allows users to either choose an OEM or nothing (the “None slic” option) for the activation Information and permanently activates Windows 7. People who’ve downloaded it claim that it works. However, it’s still not clear whether it can also activate other SKUs (Home Basic, Home Premium and Professional) or not.

It’s interesting to see how fast these cracks are created and uploaded in less than week after Windows 7 was RTM’d. Windows7News does not endorse/support/advise piracy in any form whatsoever (and ask you to support Microsoft by buying their products).

Sources: Softpedia, Releaselog

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(This article is a continuation to “Windows 7 Ultimate: Already Cracked” written by Robert).

Earlier this week, OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) gathered at Redmond to pick up the RTM code of Windows 7 in order to start preparing for its GA (General Availability) and preinstall it on their products.

It didn’t take long before Lenovo’s OEM DVD image was leaked on a Chinese forum along with the download links. This gave hackers the chance to download it and use it to obtain the:

• OEM-SLP (System Locked Preinstall) product key
• OEM certificate for Windows 7 RTM Ultimate (through “boot.wim” file that comes with the ISO image)

Thus, hackers were able to bypass the activation and permanently activate the Windows 7 RTM Ultimate (both 32-bit and 64-bit versions), but not other SKUs (Home Basic, Home Premium and Professional). What’s worse is that it seems that the same activation hack can be applied to HP, Dell and MSI computers. Softpedia has provided details about the crack procedure:

The bypass designed for Windows 7 RTM involves abusing OEM activation 2.1, and in this regard the circumventing process is nothing more than an OEM hack. Via OEM activation 2.1, namely SLP 2.1, Microsoft allows OEMs to pre-activate Windows 7 for distribution preinstalled on new computers. In this context, the activation bypass process leading to the hacked Windows 7 RTM needs to be based on a BIOS (SLIC) hack first of all.

The procedure is by no means new. Hackers have managed to crack Windows Vista much in the same manner. In fact, the Windows 7 RTM Ultimate activation crack also relies on an OEM certificate from Windows Vista in order to function. At the time of this article hacker shave made available in the wild SLIC 2.1 BIN harvested from computers on the market, as well as the genuine OEM certificate digitally signed by Microsoft, which automatically brings to the table the Private Key and the OEM Public Key as well as the OEMID (from SLIC in BIOS)…

Also, a screen shot has been provided showing a Windows 7 RTM Ultimate activated with a the OEM-SLP master product key.

Windows Vista was cracked before its GA and now it’s Windows 7 as well. So it’s another victory for the pirates. However, I’ll support Microsoft by buying Windows 7 once it’s released and advise you to do so. Not to mention that activating it without buying the product is considered illegal. Lastly, as Robert already mentioned in the previous post:

…Windows7News does not endorse/support/advise piracy in any form whatsoever (and ask you to support Microsoft by buying their products)… 

Source: Softpedia

More Information Revealed About the Cracking of Windows 7 Activation was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

First of all, I’d like to congratulate Microsoft for (finally) signing off the RTM. Since it will soon be available for download and many users running the RC (Release Candidate) plan to install it, the following question arises:

Is it possible to upgrade from the RC to the RTM (Release to Manufacturing)?

According to Microsoft, upgrading from the RC (or any previous build) is not supported as mentioned in the “Windows 7 Upgrade Paths” document:

Unsupported Upgrade Scenarios

…Pre-release in-place upgrades across milestones (for example, Windows 7 RC to Windows 7 RTM) are not supported.

This isn’t good news for everyone, particularly those who have been using the RC for a while, customized it and changed its settings. However, there’s a workaround in the Windows 7 RTM installation to upgrade from the RC.

Workaround to Upgrade from RC to RTM

The same method for upgrading from Windows 7 Beta to RC works here as well. I’ve tried it and the upgrade was successful. Here’s how (assuming you have already the downloaded the RTM):

• Extract the files in the ISO
• Browse to the “sources” directory
• Open “cversion.ini”
• Change the ‘MinClient’ number from “7233.0” to “7100.0”
• You should end up with something like this:


[HostBuild]
MinClient=7100.0
MinServer=7100.0

• Save the file
• Run “setup.exe” from the extrated files and upgrade!

Modifying "cversion.ini"

The upgrade should also work with Windows 7 builds less than 7100 if the ‘MinClient’ is set to number lower than build number installed. Although it works, performing a clean install of Windows 7 is still recommended. (Use at your own risk…)

Upgrading Windows 7 RC to RTM was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

Yesterday, SolidBlogger reported that the LIPs (Language Interface Packs) or MUI (Multilingual User Interface) for the Windows 7 RTM have been leaked on various torrent sites.

Language Interface Packs allow users to display windows, menus, dialogs, welcome screens, etc. in their preferred language. Currently, Windows 7 supports 35 languages (apart from English):

Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonianm, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hong Kong Chinese, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian or Latin, Simplified Chinese, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Traditional Chinese, Turkish, Ukrainian

According to The Windows Blog, all language packs should be available for download to MSDN and TechNet subscribers by October 1st. For those interested in downloading the leaked RTM language pack images, please ensure that they match the checksums below to avoid getting malware or modified ISO files:

MICROSOFT.WINDOWS.7.LANGUAGE.PACK.35.LANGUAGES.RTM.7600.16385.X64.DVD
File Name: 7600.16385.090713-1255_x64fre_client_langpacks_1-GRMCXLP1_DVD.iso
Size: 2,306,793,472 bytes
SHA1: 5AB13E8534FA
6E17DB2EDEDEAD0D219E9B99A794
MD5: 4FD12AD4C946DD145A67C3230650AB8B
CRC: 5EA0988F

MICROSOFT.WINDOWS.7.LOCALPACK.20.LANGUAGES.RTM.7600.16385.X86.DVD
File Name: 7600.16385.090713-1255_x86fre_client_localpacks-GRMCLPCKFRE_DVD.iso
Size: 75,689,984 bytes
SHA1: 9CEB5A53910337DEBB76148F4DCF5D305D84D804
MD5: 7C5AA4B2F7B9B2D64F50257A121E816F
CRC: D9D70D72

MICROSOFT.WINDOWS.7.LANGUAGE.PACK.CHINESE.TRADITIONAL.RTM.7600.16385.X64.DVD
File Name: 7600.16385.090713-1255_x64fre_client_langpacks_2-GRMCXLP2_DVD.iso
Size: 133,793,792 bytes
SHA1: E0B7FEB2812D6B8B240D6E7BBBC385BB283FF1FB
MD5: 725209E3F76719C1DC71EB93FC636B17
CRC: 7431C668

MICROSOFT.WINDOWS.7.LOCALPACK.20.LANGUAGES.RTM.7600.16385.X64.DVD
File Name: 7600.16385.090713-1255_x64fre_client_localpacks-GRMCLPCKXFRE_DVD.iso
Size: 75,683,840 bytes
SHA1: 8FF188C287F764CC5801FD0E3B698DE712078D8F
MD5: 4D7B984F6DB0A7790DACE128370D1E09
CRC: 26E584D9

MICROSOFT.WINDOWS.7.LANGUAGE.PACK.35.LANGUAGES.RTM.7600.16385.X86.DVD
File Name: 7600.16385.090713-1255_x86fre_client_langpacks_1-GRMCLP1_DVD.iso
Size: 1,936,062,464 bytes
SHA1: 9A04B246F132D929CDE04B14DD07FCF5F14D2F23
MD5: 0DDB893B76F27B184C48284A064D5049
CRC: 45A48C46

MICROSOFT.WINDOWS.7.LANGUAGE.PACK.CHINESE.TRADITIONAL.RTM.7600.16385.X86.DVD
File Name: 7600.16385.090713-1255_x86fre_client_langpacks_2-GRMCLP2_DVD.iso
Size: 111,949,824 bytes
SHA1: 4A9F997BDC5DDBDF0CFF95AA1612133BF2EDBD16
MD5: C6C59A248E727765FA049DA40F480ED8
CRC: C40F8E55

Images with ‘localpacks’ in their filename contain regional themes and wallpapers. Language packs are only available to users running the ULTIMATE edition of Windows 7 and will be available via Windows Update.

How to install a language pack

If you’ve downloaded a language pack image, extracted the ISO file’s content and want to install it, here’s how:

• Click ‘Start’
• Type “display language” in the search bar
• Choose “Install or uninstall display languages” under ‘Control Panel (5)’
• (if the above step doesn’t work, try typing ”%SYSTEMROOT%System32lpksetup.exe” in the search bar)

The “Language Pack Installer” window should appear with two options.

• Choose “Install display languages”
• Since the Windows Update doesn’t provide language packs at this time, choose “Browse computer or network”
• Select the file “lp.cab” of the downloaded language pack from its location and click “OK”

The LIP information should appear in the list box.

Selecting Language(s) to Install

• Check it and click “Next”
• Choose “I accept license terms.” if you agree to the terms and click “Next”

Windows 7 will start installing the language pack. As already stated on the window, installation might take a long time. So you’ll just have to wait…

Installing a Language Pack

• Once installation is complete, Click “Next”

You will be provided with the list of installed languages, select the new language pack and click “Change display language”.

Changing the Display Language

What if you’d like to switch back to English, or another installed language? You can easily change the display language used by doing the following:

• Click ‘Start’
• Type “region” in the search bar
• Choose “Region and Language” under ‘Control Panel (2)’
• (if the above step doesn’t work, try typing ”%SYSTEMROOT%System32cmd.exe” in the search bar and then type the following in the Command Prompt window that appears: “C:WindowsSystem32rundll32.exe C:WindowsSystem32shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL C:WindowsSystem32intl.cpl”)
• Go to “Keyboards and Languages”
• Click on the combo box under “Choose a display language” and choose the language pack you want to use
• Click “Apply”

That’s it!

Windows 7 RTM Language Packs Leaked was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

We already know that Microsoft has finally finished the Windows 7 RTM build and the exact same build happened to make its way to various P2P networks and other downloads sites and services pretty quickly. Users who did already download the release or who might be thinking about doing so should verify the download so that they can be sure that their version has not been manipulated in any way. A German Microsoft employee posted the CRC and Sha-1 checksums of the Windows 7 RTM releases. The Checksums of the downloaded images can be generated for example by tools like Microsoft’s own File Checksum Integrity Verifier or Hashtab.

Windows 7 Retail Ultimate E englisch (x86)
Name: 7600.16385.090713-1255_x86fre_cliente_en-us_Retail_UltimateE-GRMCEULFRER_EN_DVD.iso
CRC: 0x953EFBCC
SHA-1: 0xBC10F09B86DCBAF35B31B0E6FBA7D006ACAAD28D

Windows 7 Retail Ultimate E englisch (x64)
Name: 7600.16385.090713-1255_x64fre_cliente_en-us_Retail_UltimateE-GRMCEULXFRER_EN_DVD.iso
CRC: 0x77BE890E
SHA-1: 0x029DCCEDD7691206010F84CE58343405A4DA92C9

Windows 7 Retail Ultimate englisch (x86)
Name: 7600.16385.090713-1255_x86fre_client_en-us_Retail_Ultimate-GRMCULFRER_EN_DVD.iso
CRC: 0xC1C20F76
SHA-1: 0x5395DC4B38F7BDB1E005FF414DEEDFDB16DBF610

Windows 7 Retail Ultimate englisch (x64)
Name: 7600.16385.090713-1255_x64fre_client_en-us_Retail_Ultimate-GRMCULXFRER_EN_DVD.iso
CRC: 0x1F1257CA
SHA-1: 0x326327CC2FF9F05379F5058C41BE6BC5E004BAA7

It is advised to not install the operating system if the checksums are not identical.

Windows 7 RTM Checksums was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

Microsoft have finally announed that at 4pm today E.T. (which I’m assuming is Seattle time and not the arrival time for an alien spacecraft) Windows 7 went to RTM.

You can read the official announcement on the Windows team blog here.

This marks a significant milestone in the development of what was a very short beta and testing process.  The decision to RTM has been eagerly anticipated for weeks by the very same people who were saying the beta’s not been long enough.  Well, you can’t have everything I suppose!

The RTM build number is 7600.16385

Windows 7 *finally* goes to RTM was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

Last week rumours had it that the RTM (Release to Manufacturing) had been signed off and was already leaked on various torrent sites. This was until Microsoft denied this claim and said that the RTM still isn’t ready until the second half of July. The RTM is basically the final stage of development of Windows 7 just before it hits the market. It seems that Microsoft doesn’t want to release it until they are confident that it is ”ready”.

Meanwhile, users can either download the RC (Release Candidates) or one of the leaked builds (that were/are expected to be the RTM). For information about the recent leaks and their checksums, check this post. If you still haven’t downloaded the RC, you still have time until 20 August. However, Microsoft has decided to start gradually ending the RC testing program and focus more on the RTM. Thus, it has sent a message a few days ago to those who had downloaded the RC through the Windows 7 website saying:

Notice: Downloads will end August 20

Thanks for all your help building Windows 7. We are on our way to the last big milestone: Release to Manufacturing. Starting on October 22, you’ll see it on PCs and store shelves. As we gear up for that, it’s time to wind down the Release Candidate testing program.

…Tell us what you think. If you’re using the Windows 7 Release Candidate, we hope you like what you see. Let us know — go to http://input.microsoft.com and tell us what you think. You’ll be able to give feedback on various aspects of the operating system…

So I think we’re now close to saying goodbye to the RC and giving a warm welcome to the RTM once it’s signed off and available for download to MSDN and TechNet subscribers and Volume License Customers.

What to Expect in the RTM

We’re all witnessing the fuss over the RTM and are eager to install it, despite the fact that the RC is feature-complete and in my opinion, has the potential to be the final product. What I expect though is a more stable release with fewer problems and better support to non-English versions of Windows 7. Microsoft seems to be putting a lot of effort in the RTM and want it to be excellent, if not ‘perfect’. What do you think?

Goodbye RC? was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

I’m a bit hesitant to say it as we’ve had so many false starts this week, but I think this build really is the Windows 7 RTM build.  Wzor says so, so it must be true….

Windows 7 Build 6.1.7600.16385.win7_rtm.090713-1255 has leaked and is already available to download.  If you’re in a rush and can’t wait for official confirmation, then the details are below.  I really hope the RTM build comes out soon, as my Windows Vista PCs are playing up big time and my wife is nagging me to upgrade them to Windows 7!

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MICROSOFT.WINDOWS.7.ULTIMATE.7600.16385.RTM.X86.RETAIL.ENGLISH.DVD-WZT
BUILD: 7600.16385.090713-1255
7600.16385.090713-1255_x86fre_client_en-us_Retail_Ultimate-GRMCULFRER_EN_DVD.iso
- iso have been made from original m$ files and folders set.
SIZE: 2,501,892,096 byte
SHA1: 4fb88ed0e763a0cd82d388e7fdaabd10fc0846d1
MD5: c7102805815abb3b6b4796a8cc3fb008

MICROSOFT.WINDOWS.7.ULTIMATE.7600.16385.RTM.X64.RETAIL.ENGLISH.DVD-WZT
BUILD: 7600.16385.090713-1255
7600.16385.090713-1255_x64fre_client_en-us_Retail_Ultimate-GRMCULXFRER_EN_DVD.iso
- iso have been made from original m$ files and folders set.
SIZE: 3,223,209,984 byte
SHA1: 29d32ad89b7eb05033974c99f8fc41d06f36a58c
MD5: 4171999e05724d309a62104d83485d69

MICROSOFT.WINDOWS.7.ENTERPRISE.7600.16385.RTM.X86.VOLUME.ENGLISH.DVD-WZT
BUILD: 7600.16385.090713-1255
7600.16385.090713-1255_x86fre_enterprise_en-us_VL-GRMCENVOL_EN_DVD.iso
- iso have been made from original m$ files and folders set.
SIZE: 2,400,387,072 byte
SHA1: f0f9454d1c0fae0708b8e7d075fa872c939faffd
MD5: e88b1f8f5967b2dcaebb6968e5aba10f

MICROSOFT.WINDOWS.7.ENTERPRISE.7600.16385.RTM.X64.VOLUME.ENGLISH.DVD-WZT
BUILD: 7600.16385.090713-1255
7600.16385.090713-1255_x64fre_enterprise_en-us_VL-GRMCULXFRER_EN_DVD.iso
- iso have been made from original m$ files and folders set.
SIZE: 3,119,726,592 byte
SHA1: 91ec3227fc94f1714541ad891b285f002d371b8e
MD5: 4c8ff758694346e2e9abccaefe816607

MICROSOFT.WINDOWS.2008.SERVER.R2.7600.16385.RTM.X64.VOLUME.ENGLISH.DVD-WZT
BUILD: 7600.16385.090713-1255
7600.16385.090713-1255_x64fre_server_en-us_VL-GRMSXVOL_EN_DVD.iso
- iso have been made from original m$ files and folders set.
SIZE: byte
SHA1: 610e774478b8ffe6fa23074d537b27012d6e85b1
MD5: VBB00DCD7DB1A4B44CD7BBAA1E0A7E6A6

RTM This Time? Windows 7 Build 6.1.7600.16385.win7_rtm.090713-1255 was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

My mother has been using the same laptop for 6 years. It has now finally reached the point where even she says it is way to slow for her to work with. I have tried a few different things to speed it back up for her. Msconfig, Ccleaner, Disk Defrag etc., etc. I will not divulge her age; due to fear of death. Love you mom! She is retired but still does a fair amount of work with the internet and Microsoft Office 2007 daily.

Low and behold; she is now in the market for a new computer. Being the awesome son I am, I volunteered my time to help her make a good choice. My suggestion to her – Let me build you a great quad core rig with Windows 7 on it. Now before you explode the comment section, let me explain why I want to build her a quad core rig.  I want her computer to be a fast and powerful rig 5 years from now. I want her to have more than enough processor speed, memory, space, and a decent graphics card. She can pick the monitor, keyboard and mouse. I will handle the tower on a moderate budget.

She is very used to XP; considering that is what she has used for the last 6 plus years. But I did not want to put her on a new OS and say good luck. So the last time she was at my house, I showed her the quickness that is my Windows 7 rig. She loved it. I could automatically tell that the jump from XP to 7 would cause minimal disruptions in her day to day work. She was loving the fact that when she clicked on something it flew onto the screen. She is used to clicking and waiting. I myself cannot, better yet, will not wait on a computer…ever.

I now have her convinced to let me build her a great new computer with Windows 7 on it. I will over the course of the next few weeks write part 2 and 3 to this article. Part two will be on what components I will build her new 7 machine with via newegg.com. Part three will be on her reaction to her new computer. I might even let her co-author part 3. So please check back soon to stay updated on the building of my mom’s new 7 rig. Comments always welcome.

My Mother And Windows 7 Part: 1 was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

Ok this is it!  Windows 7 Build 7600.16385 is the RTM build and Windows 7 is now finished and all we have to do is wait for the launch date on 22nd October 2009.  Pre-order your copy now to ensure you get a copy on launch day.

Below you can find over 100 Windows 7 RTM Screenshots.  For more Windows 7 Screenshots click here.

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Source: Softpedia

Windows 7 RTM Build 7600.16385 Screenshots was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

Again, another build leak. Maybe this is the RTM, but let’s not get too hopeful like last time.

Nonetheless, Wzor has stated that 16385 is “very, very possible FINAL RTM build.” However, they were wrong last time.

Here are the iso details (both x86 and x64 have been leaked by the Chinese).

x64:
7600.16385.090713-1255_x86fre_client_en-us_Retail_Ultimate-GRMCULFRER_EN_DVD.iso
SHA1: 326327CC2FF9F05379F5058C41BE6BC5E004BAA7

x86:
7600.16385.090713-1255_x86fre_client_en-us_Retail_Ultimate-GRMCULFRER_EN_DVD.iso
MD5: 5395DC4B38F7BDB1E005FF414DEEDFDB16DBF610

According to a screenshot on Wzor, Microsoft gave the final build to manufacturing on the morning of the 14th, so this could finally be it. Nevermind. That was a transcript error.

Let’s wait and see.

Windows 7 Build 7600.16385 Leaked was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

Several rumours concerning the Windows 7 RTM (Release to Marketing) jammed the internet in the past week. Some people (including myself) thought that Microsoft has finally signed off an RTM build with the string: 6.1.7600.16384.win7_rtm.090710-1945.

However yesterday (the day Windows 7 was expected to RTM) Microsoft spokesman Brandon LeBlanc, mentioned in The Windows Blog that the Windows 7 RTM is still not ready and hasn’t been signed off. Instead, the RTM is expected to be ‘completed’ by the second half of this month.

…when we do a specific build internally of Windows 7 we have an extensive step-by-step validation process to ensure quality. This process takes time. Just because a single build may have “leaked” it does not signal the completion of a milestone such as RTM.

The RTM is the final process of the development of Windows 7, where it will be distributed to Microsoft partners (including software vendors) to create their final images of the Windows and manufacture computers and hardware that support it. I am very excited about the RTM as it’s the last step before the GA (General Availability) of Windows 7, where it will hit the market in October 22^nd. But it isn’t a small step, rather the beginning of a new “process” for Windows 7 as Steven Sinofsky stated in the Engineering Windows 7 blog in May.

Once the Windows is complete, it’ll be available to MSDN and TechNet subscribers and VL (Volume License) Customers within a few weeks after its announcement. As for now, those interested can continue using the RC (Release Candidate) of Windows 7.  If you’d like to install the leaked build 7600, make sure that it has the exact hash codes listed in “CONFIRMED – Windows 7 RTM, Server 2008, and Office 2010 Beta Leaked” to avoid getting malware. You can use a program such as FileAlyzer to obtain the checksum of the downloaded file.

Last but not least, the leaked build 7600 has:

• a big jump in build string numbers (from 7200 to 7600!)
• the “setup.exe” digitally signed
• no build string information on the desktop

This made many believe that it is the RTM release, as seen from one of the comments on the post “Update on Windows 7 RTM”. Mike Ybarra, a Microsoft employee, explained in reply to the comment:

Build numbers change all the time and is related to a number of different things.

When we release a build we then have hundreds of ISOs to validate and so it takes time to go through all of these checks and balances to ensure the code meets our broad quality bar.  This is all part of the “RTM” process.  What we can tell you is that we have not released Windows 7 to manufacturing and our process is still underway. Any leaked builds out “there” could very well include a virus, malware or other harmful exploits.

I personally will stick with the release candidate and don’t mind waiting another few weeks.

Brandon LeBlanc: “We are close, but have not yet signed off on Windows 7″ was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

Ars Technica have posted the first screenshot of Windows 7 Build 7600, which has all but been confirmed as the RTM build.

I will update this post as soon as I have some more (please email to everton@everything-microsoft.com if you are currently installing/have installed).

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Thanks to Itay in Israel for the nice screenshot with W7News in the background

Windows 7 Build 7600 RTM Screenshots was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

The previously rumored leak has been confirmed.

Wzor has placed the download links to the Windows 7 RTM on their home page, and it definitely the real deal. The build string is:
6.1.7600.16384.win7_rtm.090710-1945

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This build string is a huge jump from the build before the RTM, and it also has a valid digital signature (cannot be faked). This is straight out of Microsoft, and has been leaked to major P2P sites (x64 only so far) (the original torrent is on Wzor). Windows 7 Server 2008 has also been leaked (again, only as x64), and the Beta version of Office 2010 has been leaked too (x86 and x64).

Although the title for the Office 2010 Beta still says “Technical Preview,” the build number confirms the Beta (14.0.4302.1000).

Now, onto the file details (the good stuff):

Windows 7 7600 RTM (x64):
7600.16384.090710-1945_x64fre_client_en-us_Retail_Ultimate-GRMCULXFRER_EN_DVD.iso
Size: 3,224,717,312 bytes
CRC32: 1EE7DC6F
MD5: E6CE9644D0C7A8E1C950D257A7B2C8A4
SHA-1: 31849B315290EFABFD81F967ED3C553D82925E4C

Windows 7 Server 2008 RTM (x64):
7600.16384.amd64fre.win7_rtm.090710-1945.serverenterprise_en-us_vl. serverenterprise.vhd or file-tracker.ru
SIZE: 6,857,337,856 bytes
CRC: 2AA7974F
SHA1: EA13B569AD4EA4F34955D1FB8A7ADFF8A30297E6
MD5: EC65EE9F3B18F7A232F8B0073A02216A

Office 2010 Beta (x86):
14.0.4302.1000_Mondo_volume_ship_x86_en-us_wzt
Size: 798,101,835 bytes
CRC32: 8BE7AB28
MD5: 874AE2B75AD8FAF169784AFEC099B526
SHA-1: E8E13E9DF771314C2B8A615B4952A49DDE3C9117

Office 2010 Beta (x64):
14.0.4302.1000_Mondo_volume_ship_x64_en-us_wzt
Size: 893,402,501 bytes
CRC32: 7CBEF7DF
MD5: 24A46B000B79520969508CF940D6D581
SHA-1: E22690C6E63ACF0D0BDF9588E8308C5C855A38BC

Keep watch here on Windows 7 News for the report of the x86 leak of the Windows 7 RTM and the Server 2008 RTM.

CONFIRMED – Windows 7 RTM, Server 2008, and Office 2010 Beta Leaked was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

There are reports tonight that the ‘reputed’ RTM build (7600.16384.090710-1945) of Windows 7 has already leaked to the internet.  Actually I got this story from my mother which I’m sure will amuse a few people 

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Windows 7 RTM x86 ISO: 7600.16384.090710-1945_x86fre_client_en-us_Retail_Ultimate-GRMCULFRER_EN_DVD.iso
Windows 7 RTM x64 ISO: 7600.16384.090710-1945_x64fre_client_en-us_Retail_Ultimate-GRMCULXFRER_EN_DVD.iso

Hashes for Windows 7 RTM Build 7600.16384.090710-1945 x64 iso is:

Windows 7 RTM 7600.16384.090710-1945_x64fre_client_en-us_Retail_Ultimate-GRMCULXFRER_EN_DVD.iso

7600.win7_rtm.090710-1945

SHA1 0×31849B315290EFABFD81F967ED3C553D82925E4C

There’s no confirmation yet and we can be sure that some copies, if this is true, will contain trojans.  Nothing more to report at this stage.

Windows 7 RTM build 7600 leaked? was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

Russian Twitter user Deeper2k recently tweeted a picture of an official mailing from Microsoft to Russian reseller partners, saying that business users with Software Assurance contracts before 31 August will be able to:

“have the rights to upgrade to Windows 7 on PCs they purchased starting on August 1, 2008”, with 15 per cent off”.

This is a significant change of strategy for Microsoft, as unlike the launch of Vista where business users were able to buy Windows Vista 2 months earlier than consumers, the original plan for the business and consumer launches of Windows 7 were for them to occur at the same time.

Microsoft are clearly desperate to cash in on the success and popularity of Windows 7 as quickly as possible.  All the signs are pointing to the fact that Windows 7 will be a major success for Microsoft, and well thought out features like Windows 7 XP mode will surely convince many businesses who decided not to upgrade to Vista, to make the leap to Windows 7.

I certainly hope my firm does, as it’s getting to the point were I’m struggling to use Windows XP as it’s so unfamiliar!

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The RTM date is looming ever closer. Hopefully in 2 days it will be officially announced at the Worldwide Partner Conference on Monday.  Over the course of the last few days, I have read a few articles that proclaim Windows 7 does not have any “killer features.” That would make someone want to upgrade from XP or Vista. I see it otherwise – I have put together a small list of 7 features that I like about Windows 7. If you ask me, any one of these features is worth the upgrade. Read on and and see for yourself.

1. The Taskbar

I have gotten so used to using the new taskbar. That previous taskbars (XP and Vista) seem inadequate. The ability to pin programs and documents to the taskbar is a feature that I can not live without. Let’s not forget jump lists – a very helpful feature for finding commonly used items. Overall the new taskbar is a superb addition to Windows 7 and one of its best features.

2. Aero Features

The new Aero Snap, Shake, and Peak features are great. I use them everyday without thinking about it. It is like second nature now.  I wish I had them at work right now (Insert smiley face here). Unfortunately for me I am on an underpowered XP machine that needs RAM like no other.

3. Thumbnail Previews

This is something that you don’t realize you need until it’s not there. At work I do not have them and miss them terribly. I love the fact that they are “live” previews also. It is a big help to peek at a webpage before you maximize it.

4. Media Streaming

Microsoft really tried to make this feature easy for everybody to use. I use it everyday to push stream media to my Xbox 360. I love it and recommend it to all who read this. Try it and you will see.

5. XP Mode

This feature is good for people or businesses who are worried about not having certain applications run correctly in Windows 7. I think Microsoft is on to something with this feature. It might one day be called ”7 Mode” in Windows 9.

6. Homegroup

This is a feature I had to warm up to. My wife wanted access to all my photos, music, and so on. So I set her laptop up on a homegroup with my desktop and now she has access to over 500 GB of media. She loves it and wishes she had something like this sooner. I have to agree with her.

7. It Works

No, this is not a feature, so to speak. But, the fact remains that Windows 7 is a very stable OS that gets the job done. It is light on system resources and pretty quick all around. It boots up and shuts down very fast, who doesn’t like that? I have had zero trouble installing a huge number of programs and games on the Release Candidate (7100). I am mentally urging 10-22-09 to hurry up and arrive. So I can wipe my C drive to a finalized copy of Windows 7.

What features do you the readers like? Comments always welcome.

Top 7 Features I Like About Windows 7 was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

Most users who visit our website are running at least one version of the Windows 7 operating system on their computer systems. It is likely that the majority runs Windows 7 RC, the last official public release of the operating system. With the release of Windows 7 only a few months away it is time to find out how to upgrade the Windows 7 RC (and other post-beta builds of Windows 7) to the final version. Not everyone wants to upgrade and that is perfectly fine as well. A clean install makes sure that no garbage is taken over from previous installations.

Some users still might want to upgrade the RC to the final release version as they might be running Windows 7 already on their main computer system. Dwight Silverman recently confirmed that it is indeed possible to upgrade the Windows 7 Release Candidate version with Windows 7 Final. Probably even more interesting is the fact that upgrade versions of the retail version of Windows 7 can be used to upgrade the release candidate to the full build.

The data on the other hand will not be taken over. The installation will move all data to a folder called windows.old from where the files are accessible. It is not possible to run programs from there unless they are portable though. It should also be noted that it is not possible to reinstall unless a copy of Windows XP or Windows Vista is available that has been installed on the computer system.

To sum it up: If you are running the Windows 7 RC you can buy a Windows 7 Upgrade to install Windows 7 final on your computer system without needing Windows XP or Windows Vista during the first installation.

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It’s been reported by neowin.net that July 13 will be the day that Windows 7 is RTM (Released To Manufacturing). This is great news all around for Windows 7 users. This means the code will be finalized and Microsoft will give the green light to it’s manufacturers. They in turn will begin production of the millions of DVDs, that will house the new Microsoft operating system for the public to buy.

Finally in 10 days we will pass the milestone I have been eagerly waiting on. No more beta testing, or release candidates. No more five leaked builds a week. No more bi-hourly shutdowns and expiration dates; it will be the real deal – as long as there are not any major problems or setbacks. But, Microsoft should have had plenty of time to work out all the kinks and bugs. So, I expect them to keep to the schedule.

Which means we are still on track for the GA (General Availability) date of 10-22-09. This is the date where you and I should be able to go your local Best Buy or wherever and buy it off the shelf. That is when we will see how well the public likes Windows 7. Is it gonna fly off the shelves and break records? Who knows. Am I going to buy a copy of Windows 7 Ultimate? I have already pre-ordered it!

I think in the next couple of months we will see a huge increase in Windows 7 news and coverage. The closer we get to Oct.22nd, the more Microsoft will be putting out information and lots of advertising. This is beginning of the end my friends. It is about to be a whirlwind of Windows 7 publicity. I for one can’t wait and am very excited to bring you all the latest Windows 7 news. Thanks goes to you for making this site great. Feel free to comment.

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Windows 7 prices have just been released. Most of us anticipated a cheaper pricing scale than Vista, but we’ve been disappointed with a measly $10 deduction off of Home Premium. Putting the consumer aside, was this a monetarily intelligent move for MS to make?

I can’t say that I think so. Most people who aren’t tech savvy haven’t even tried Windows 7 yet, but almost everyone has heard of Vista’s reputation. Common sense tells me that most people won’t want to dish out $80 when they’re still worried about a lack of proper drivers and the like.

So what’s going to happen with Windows 7 once it hits shelves on October 22nd? I for one believe that many of those brightly colored boxes are going to stay where they are until a price deduction. With most people who know of Win7′s huge improvements over Vista using torrented beta leaks (some of which won’t expire for over a year), there a strong likelihood that many of them will pirate the RTM rather than dropping $80-$160. Does Microsoft really believe that most torrent users are going to pay full or upgrade price for Windows 7? It seems to me that MS is becoming a bit naive in its new age.

However, there is another, albeit much less analytical possibility for Microsoft’s decision to keep prices near identical to those of Vista. The possibility is that they don’t want people thinking of it as Vista 2.0, but rather as a full operating system instead of just an upgrade, because even if people do hear that Vista’s major issues were fixed in Windows 7, most consumers won’t have even test-driven the OS to see the major differences. They would think of its as a better Vista, and nothing more.

In conclusion, no matter what the reason is for Microsoft’s pricing, I don’t think this’ll be helping the company one bit. While their popularity is growing across the depths of the internet, the average consumer hasn’t even heard of Windows 7, and I just don’t think they’re ready for it so soon after the Vista disappointment.

A Closer Look @ Windows 7 Prices was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

Two new candidate builds, 6.1.7264.0.win7_rtm.090622-1900 and 6.1.7265.0.win7_rtm.090624-1905, have been assembled in the RTM branch (win7_rtm), according to WZor. Therefore, the current builds in the RTM branch are:

• 6.1.7260.0.win7_rtm.090612-2110
• 6.1.7261.0.win7_rtm.090615-1900
• 6.1.7262.0.win7_rtm.090617-1900
• 6.1.7263.0.win7_rtm.090619-1900
• 6.1.7264.0.win7_rtm.090622-1900
• 6.1.7265.0.win7_rtm.090624-1905

The build with the name “6.1.7264.0.win7_rtm.090620-1900” is a fake as the build 7264 was assembled on 22nd of June and not 20th. More candidate builds may appear in the forthcoming weeks; however no leaks are expected until the signing of an RTM release (on 13th of July, according to the RTM schedule).

The RTM stands for “Release to Manufacturing” or “Ready to Market” and is sometimes referred to as “going gold”. It’s the last step before general appearance where Windows 7 will be available to marketing on 22nd of October of this year. This will only take place after the signing of the final RTM release that meets the defined quality level set by Microsoft.

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Until recently I remember seeing a fair amount of Windows Vista advertising. Think the Mojave experiment. Now it seems Microsoft has scaled it back by a large amount. They are now just advertising “Microsoft” in general. Take the recent “Laptop Hunter” ads. The ads talk about the hardware in the computers, but fail to mention the OS at all. Is this a precursor to a media blitz that is up-coming? Or is Microsoft going to take a low key approach with Windows 7. Let’s take a look at some ideas for both campaigns.

The Media Blitz

Microsoft wants to sell this OS very badly. So they pound all the major networks with commercials, print ads for all the big publishers – online ads everywhere they can put them. Pretty much an inundation of Windows 7 advertising. All getting the word out that Windows 7 is not the dreaded Vista. It is better, stronger, and faster than any previous version of Windows. Should they make it a huge ad campaign? Or…

The Quite Approach

This is where Microsoft lets the OS speak for itself. No huge ad campaign of any kind. Only subtle hints that the new Windows is out. Let word of mouth and of course the blogs spread the news. Then they let the momentum build up. At which point, news has reached the “mainstream.” Friends of friends have tried it, like it, and recommend it. Then Windows 7 has caught on enough to merit select advertising.

What will Microsoft do? Probably a mix of the two. Right now they are in the middle of a “quite approach.” With the Internet buzzing with information about new builds and the soon to be released RTM. They have good exposure for people like you and me. People who have been using Windows 7 for the last six months or so. We know all about it. But to me it seems that nobody else does. Most people are like “What is Windows 7?”

Anyone who walks in to a Best Buy or any participating retail chainand purchases a new PC will, I believe, will be offered to upgrade when Windows 7 is released on Oct.22. So my question to you the readers and potential buyers of Windows 7 is. How should Microsoft advertise Windows 7?

What Should Windows 7′s Advertising Campaign Be? was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

I use Windows 7 for everything. In fact I use it so much, I sometimes forget that it is not even released yet. I have been using it as my main OS since January, when the Windows 7 Build 7000 beta was released. I love it, but there are a few things that need to be added or changed before it is released in my opinion. This is not a list of complaints, but rather a list of suggestions for Microsoft.

1. RAW support for photographers.

This one should have been corrected in Vista. Why was it not? I have no idea. But being a wedding photographer, who only shoots in RAW (as should anyone who is serious about photography!), all I want is a thumbnail generated and the ability to preview my images. Right now I have to open them using Adobe Bridge then import them into Lightroom or Photoshop. Which is like having to perform an extra step. I really would love for this to built in to the RTM. Mac users get it built in, why can’t we exactly?

2. Blu-ray support.

I know Microsoft lost the battle between Blu-Ray and HDDVD. But, they should bite the bullet on this one and make Windows 7 support Blu-Ray. It is not like the format is going somewhere and it is only going to grow in popularity. It is just another reason for people to say that Windows Media Player is crap.

3. Gaming Mode

This one I thought twice about including. But, since I like to T-bag people on Call of Duty 4, just as much as the next guy, here is what it should be. Somewhere in the Control Panel you click “Gaming Mode.”, and it shuts down every unnecessary process that does not need to be on.  Shut down Windows Search, Superfetch, Windows Media Sharing Service, to name a few. I understand that most of our computers can handle gaming and everything else turned on. I have a quad-core and it can handle whatever I throw at it. But what about people with older computers who want to game? It would be  a nice feature for them especially.

4. Dreamscenes

Yes, you read that correct. I said dreamscenes! It was the one killer thing I loved about Vista. So far it has not been included in any of the Windows 7 releases. I understand that they want people to try the “desktop slide show” feature. But to leave it out completely? Come on Microsoft! WTF! I had to use a hack to get it work on Windows 7. I am in love with the ability to play 720p Planet Earth’s as my desktop. Include it or I will write about it some more!

5. PDF Support or .RAR support, etc.etc.

I’m not gonna waste your or my time explaining why these should be built in; it is a no-brainer.

So there you have it. A small list of suggestions for Microsoft to improve Windows 7.  Will they listen? Probably not. It is to close to the RTM for them to change much of anything. I really would like a good explanation as to why there is no RAW support though, If anyone at Microsoft is listening.

If you have any suggestions please feel free to leave them in the comments. I am waiting on your feedback. Did I leave something important out? Did you not like my suggestions? I would like to know! Thanks.

5 Things That Should Be In Windows 7 RTM was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

Windows 7 build 7260 has been leaked in x86 only as a VHD by WZor, and it appears that SoLoR (a highly trusted uploader) has provided an ISO on Mininova. SoLoR has been the source of many leaked builds, and many users have already confirmed that 7260 is indeed legit.

However, this is not the RTM we are waiting for. There are several candidate builds, and Microsoft is currently working on selecting one to use as the RTM. Each build assembly takes place in different locations and different times, so the RTM build number will not be 100% confirmed before June 24th (although it may be leaked) (this is according to WZor) and may not be confirmed until July 13th (again, according to WZor), but any assembly after June 15th could end up being the final build. Build number 7200 is reserved for the final build, but there could be several compiles of 7200 before one is actually selected to be the RTM build. We will know the final build when it is signed off by Microsoft, and this will be the build that is put on the shelves of stores in October.

According to WZor, the latest RTM candidate build is 7263 (6.1.7263.0.win7_rtm.090619-1900). This build number could go up if Microsoft is not happy with this build either, and decides to compile and test another build for RTM. Also, there were recently many misconceptions about a statement on WZor, which said that the RTM would be leaked after June 19th. However, some translators confused this and had mistaken it for saying that the RTM would be leaked on June 19th, so don’t download any “RTM” builds yet on P2P networks until something can be confirmed.

But as for 7260, it appears as though RC keys still work with this build. Here is the file information:

CRC32: 94312278
MD5: CE665F1A3987AE0F751CE35EC8085707
SHA-1: BBABA1469705935A55DD6CB47E2DDBE939B02D4F

Note:

Build 7268 has leaked to some P2P networks and reported on KezNews is fake. Don’t download it. It is just 7068 with a mistake in the file name.

Microsoft Windows Build 7260 Leaked; RTM Builds Information was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

According to the Russian news portal, WZor, the assembly of the RTM (Release to Manufacturing/Marketing) may have taken place. The RTM refers to the final stage of development of software before the GA (General Availability), where it will be made available commercially (22nd of October). This information is not confirmed yet, however the Microsoft Connect website shows evidence of this from the announcement:

IMPORTANT NOTICE: ALL file downloads will be OFFLINE from Friday, June 19th at 7:00 pm PDT until Sunday, June 21st at 4:00 pm PDT for a system upgrade. Also, Microsoft Connect will be offline this Saturday, June 20th from 9:00 am – 11:00 am PDT for a version upgrade.

This could mean that the website is being renovated due to release the RTM builds of Windows 7. Again, this information is still not confirmed as the Russian news portal still doesn’t have adequate information about the signing of the release and the technical parameter of the final RTM builds.

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The primary source of Windows 7 leaks seems to be located in Russia. The latest of a long series of leaks is Windows 7 Build 7260 which made its way on the Internet just yesterday.  Microsoft is currently aiming for the RTM build which might raise the build number to 7300. Below are the screenshots provided by Softpedia of Windows 7 Build 7260.

[Show as slideshow]

1234►

The build is available as a 32-bit Windows 7 Ultimate VHD image (virtual hard drive image) with the build string 6.1.7260.0.win7_rtm.090612-2110 which indicates that the build was compiled on June 12.

MICROSOFT.WINDOWS.7.BUILD.7260.WIN7_RTM.X86.VHD.ENGLISH-WZT – NEW
FILE: 7260.0.x86fre.win7_rtm.090612-2110.client_en-us.ultimate.vhd
(the original VHD in packed RAR archive, size RAR file: 1,919,600,205 byte
SHA1: 0FF53F8ED2BBC0B1B174B47F80055BB3DACF2F01)
SIZE: 5,185,507,840 byte
CRC: 67C23FE0
MD5: 0703C259676D7E4C58E0EF2184369663
SHA1: 7540399601506675CF1B329CB3507875F64C555B

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The guys over at Wzor have posted information about a Windows 7 SP1 build 7227 leak which is already beginning to appear on various P2P networks on the Internet. Only a 32-bit client seems to have leaked so far. Here are the details according to Wzor in case you have intentions to download it:

FILE: 7227.0.x86fre.winmain_sp.090602-2110.client_en-us.ultimate.vhd
(the original VHD in packed RAR archive, size RAR file: 2,005,278,460 byte
SHA1: 3FFE342C8A9FD2CDF0AF937D2A25BCA640C4010B)
SIZE: 5,584,065,536 byte
CRC: 616985FA
MD5: F98F78D86940761D8909023A00C75704
SHA1: 082F189EE4F58393D3CB113B0F46EC0E1EE41BD8

Three screenshots have been posted along with the leak information on their website.

[Show as slideshow]

According to one of the uploaders the following changes have been made to build 7227

1. Changes in the mechanism for displaying thumbnails in the taskbar.

2. Pop-Up lists for the panel

3. Pop-Up lists for Remote Desktop

4. Applying the settings of the taskbar

5. Multitouch zoom

6. Invert selection

7. You can search for music by artist

8. View the contents of the search results

9. Intelligent indexing after installation

10. Reducing the length of playback sounds system

11. Changes in the panel Devices and Printers

12. Changes in the mechanism of extraction devices

13. Support for FireWire-cameras

14. Reduction in section in system

15. Improved driver support

16. Reducing the paging file

17. Assigning a letter to boot with two OS loaded

18. Naming the section reserved for the system.

There are rumors out there that this build could be fake and that build 7230 will be leaked tomorrow evening.

Wzor did post additional news about the RTM of Windows 7. It is an automatic translation of the Russian text that has been posted on the Wzor site:

Today at breakfast, Steve Balmer (Steve Ballmer) has told us that because of Steve Dzhobsa (Steve Jobs) with a “snow leopard” (Snow Leopard), about which he informed him yesterday, had to adjust their plans and that, prior to final assembly RTM release is now nothing left to do all that is three steps.
Step one: from 10 to 15 June will be the last public build is available for corporate partners Microsoft, this “public” assembly will be assembled:
6.1.7229.0.winmain.090604-1901. Since then and up until the final RTM release is no domestic partnership, or the assembly will not be available.
* (We are talking about formal access assemblies and can escape anything in the network, even the latest current build: 6.1.7230.0.winmain.090605-1900 – and this assembly may be RTM Escrow assembly).
Step Two: just since mid-June will be collected in the assembly – the candidates for the final RTM release, none of these assemblies will not be distributed to partners.
Step three: final RTM release of Windows 7 will be collected until the day of the summer solstice that is, until 21 June! In Microsoft realize that the case should be initiated prior to finish it before this mysterious date!
Since June 19, you may receive the RTM release of Windows 7 and the Internet.
Finish?: Since the assembly in the RTM release of Microsoft will be a closed test release before signing (sign-off), before the end of these procedures, no one can argue what will become an official build, the final RTM release of Windows 7.
The forthcoming assembly RTM build is not suggested that it would immediately appear on CONNECT’e or the subscribers to MSDN.
Be careful with this point a mass of false information about the final release. We will promptly inform you!
The eyes and Co.

source wzor

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Microsoft announced today that Windows 7 will be released October 22nd.   Although Microsoft said Windows 7 would be out in time for the holiday period, I doubt many people expected such an early date.  A Windows 7 RTM build should hit the streets around August.

Users who purchase a Windows Vista based system from the summer should expect to be offered an upgrade offer, rather than having to pay the full price to buy Windows 7.

Manufacturers already seem to be licking their lips in anticipation of Windows 7′s release, so expect to be bombarded with Windows 7 promotions this Christmas:

“We’re locked and loaded for the launch,” McKinney said. “The quality of code is just absolutely stellar.” Phil McKinney, chief technology officer of Hewlett-Packard’s computer unit.

Will you be upgrading to Windows 7 on launch day?  Will you wait until Windows 7 SP1 or continue runinng Windows 7 RC/RTM for as long as possible?

Update: Interested users can check out the official Microsoft Press release that is mentioned October 22 as the release data.

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Two videos showing the Windows 7 RC 2 were posted to Youtube earlier this day. According to Stephen they are supposed to be recordings of a Microsoft employee at Computex in Taiwan. The information that can be extracted from the videos are the alleged build string of the Windows 7 Release Candidate 2 build and a new wallpaper image.

The build string 7224.0.amd64fre.winmain.090528-1309 which means that it has been compiled on May 28. The second video contains a German voice telling someone that they are looking for their seats and have to walk through the plane to get there. Then something about masks which is not recognizable.

The guys at iHackintosh have additional information which suggests that Microsoft Windows 7 Build 7200 will be distributed on June 11 to TAP and OEM customers and that some assume that the second release candidate will also be the RTM build. They expect a leaked version soon.

Update:

Videos seem to be fake as they are using wallpapers and icons that are freely available on the Internet.

Windows 7 RC 2 Videos Appear was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

Thousands of users are already testing the release candidate of Windows 7. Many make use of virtualization techniques or dual / triple boot systems to be able to test the release candidate without affecting their main operating system. Some on the other hand have been bold enough to install Windows 7 RC as their main operating system. A big question for those users is if it will be possible to upgrade the release candidate build of Windows 7 to a final build without losing data in the process.

The only official indicator that upgrading from Windows 7 release candidate to Windows 7 final will be possible can be found in the Engineering Windows 7 blog post about upgrading from beta to release candidate. You might remember the post as it gives instructions on how to override the upgrade protection. One of the last sentences of that article is the following:

These same steps will be required as we transition from the RC milestone to the RTM milestone.

The steps that were outlined for upgrading the Windows 7 beta release to release candidate were the following:

• Download the ISO as you did previously and burn the ISO to a DVD.
• Copy the whole image to a storage location you wish to run the upgrade from (a bootable flash drive or a directory on any partition on the machine running the pre-release build).
• Browse to the sources directory.
• Open the file cversion.ini in a text editor like Notepad.
• Modify the MinClient build number to a value lower than the down-level build. For example, change 7100 to 7000 (pictured below).
• Save the file in place with the same name.
• Run setup like you would normally from this modified copy of the image and the version check will be bypassed.

It is furthermore very likely that the rtm build of Windows 7 will be distributed with the build number 7200. An upgrade from release candidate to rtm build would therefor require the modification of the MinClient build number from 7200 to 7100 or lower. This would in theory mean that it could also be possible to upgrade Windows 7 Beta to Windows 7 RM using the same procedure.

Upgrading From Windows 7 RC To Final was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

Paul Thurrott who operates the Win Supersite has recently posted an article on his site about the latest 7106 build of Windows 7. In it he mentioned the rumor that a new UI – user interface – could be introduced by Microsoft in an upcoming RTM build.

There are rumors, too, that a new UI is coming and it may make sense for Microsoft to hold on to that UI for the RTM builds, so that it has one last surprise to offer up to its eager fans. Indeed, the smartest thing Microsoft has done with Windows 7, in many ways, is keep the drama high by playing things close to the vest. That said, our first RTM-level build, build 7106, doesn’t really offer anything in the way of revelation. (A newer build, 7107, has also leaked recently, and we can expect more to come in the days ahead.)

Paul clearly states that this is a rumor and that the 7106 build “doesn’t really offer anything in the way of revelation”. Others like Ed Bott have voiced their opinion calling this rumor nonsense.

When the Windows 7 RC does appear, I predict that it will look exactly like the builds that have been floating around for the last two weeks. New desktop backgrounds, sure. Major (or even minor) changes to the UI? No way.

His stance is reflected by user comments on various other sites. The majority thinks that Microsoft will not release a new user interface. There might be changes to the theme, probably even a new default theme, new backgrounds and objects like that but certainly not a new interface.

Users who mentioned that a new UI might be true relied heavily on a speech held by Microsoft’s OEM manager Laurence Painell who mentioned that some major announcements would be revealed soon.

Rumors Of A New Windows 7 UI was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

To put it short: Steven Sinofsky confirmed that there will be no Windows 7 Beta 2 which means that the next official release will be the Windows 7 Release Candidate. Rumors that have been came to light yesterday suggest a release in early April for the Windows 7 Release Candidate.

The RTM release of Windows 7 is expected in the third quarter of 2009, most suggesting a release in early October which would indicate a public availability in the fourth quarter of 2009.

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Forum member Riso posted information about Microsoft’s release schedule for Windows 7. Please keep in mind that the information are unverified and will probably stay that way as Microsoft will most likely not comment on the release schedule yet.

Here is the updated Windows 7 release schedule according to Riso:

• Current Build: 6.1.6954 pre Beta 1
• End December: new build 69xx Public Beta
• Summer 2009: a pre-release candidate build
• Last Quarter 2009: Release Candidates
• End 2009: RTM release
• December: Windows 7 Final

He also mentioned that there will be an Eee PC version with Windows 7 installed. The source seems to be coming from the Microsoft Conference Technical Summit 2008 Berlin. We keep you updated as soon as we get a confirmation or additional details.

Make sure to check out the Windows 7 forum here at Windows 7 news for the latest information and discussion about Windows 7.

Updated Windows 7 Release Schedule was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

Microsoft has released information about the so called language waves of Windows 7. Windows 7 will be released in a total of eight language waves which basically define when a localized edition of Windows 7 will be released to manufacturing. Please take a look at the table below for information about the eight language waves and any language in particular that you might be interested in. Each language wave is released about 14 days after the previous wave. The time between the first and last release makes up 101 days.

Please note that those are RTM releases and not the consumer releases.

Windows 7 Language Waves was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.

Microsoft was very shy about pinpointing the Windows 7 release date in the past. They did provide some clues like that it would be released about three years after the release of Windows Vista, or that Windows 7 would be released before the PDC conference in 2009. There was still lots of speculation about the day, week or even month in that Windows 7 would be released.

According to an article published today on Cnet the guessing is over as Microsoft director Doug How confirmed the Holiday Season release date of Windows 7.

The slides and Howe’s presentation appeared to confirm what has been widely speculated–but something Microsoft has not outright said–namely that Windows 7 is aimed to ship around mid-year, in time to be on machines that ship for the 2009 holiday buying season. After the session, Howe essentially confirmed that Microsoft is aiming Windows 7 for the holidays. “Definitely the holiday focus is going to be on 7,” Howe told me.

While that is not still on paper and subject to change depending on the progress in the Windows 7 development it is fair to assume that customers will be able to buy computers – or standalone software packages – coming preinstalled with Windows 7 during the 2009 Holiday Season. The RTM (Release To Manufacturing) release of Windows 7 is expected for mid 2009.

So, there you got it. If everything works out as planned we will all be able to get our hands on the official Windows 7 release at the end of 2009.

Windows 7 To Be Released For 2009 Holiday Season was posted on Everything Microsoft - Latest Microsoft News, Guides, Reviews & Themes. If you are not reading this content in an email newsletter, it is being used without permission.