I am currently downloading the new Windows 7 release candiate. It is 2.36 GB and the ActiveX download control predicts it will take around 10 hours in total (NB I am also doing a large FTP upload, which is probably slowing it down considerably). Once the download is complete I intend to install it in a VM to test my table planning software.

You can download the latest Windows 7 release candidate here. It is free to download and use, but  it expires on 01-June-2010 and will shutdown every 2 hours starting on 01-March-2010 (insert your own joke here). A couple of points to note from the Windows 7 FAQ:

While the RC is stable and has been thoroughly tested, it’s not the finished product. Your computer could crash and you could lose important files. So please back up your data and please don’t test the RC on your primary home or business PC.

When you use the RC, your PC sends information to our engineers to help them check the fixes and changes they made based on Beta tests.

Microsoft hasn’t officially announced when Windows 7 will be for sale. But there are rumours that it is planned for October 2009. Will you be ready?