Using Windows 7 RC? Pay Up Or Auto Shutdown Warned 430
Posted
by
ScuttleMonkey
from the so-long-and-thanks-for-all-the-tests dept.
from the so-long-and-thanks-for-all-the-tests dept.
CWmike writes with a warning that free preview copies of Windows 7 in the wild will start nagging users to pay up in a couple of weeks until ultimately shutting down the PC altogether in a month. "Microsoft unveiled the schedule for Windows 7 Release Candidate's retirement in May 2009, when it issued the early look to the public. At the time, it said Windows 7 RC would expire June 1, 2010. Before that date, however, users are to receive warnings of the impending end. Starting on Feb. 15, Windows 7 RC will display notices every few hours that the machine will periodically shut down beginning on March 1. As of March 1, PCs running Windows 7 RC will automatically shut down every two hours. Those shutdowns will come without warning."
Re:obligatory .... (Score:3, Informative)
I know this is Slashdot and all, but I've been running Windows 7 right from the public beta, through RC and final, and it never once bluescreened on me and all shutdowns were for updates or manual restarts.
It's a good thing. (Score:5, Informative)
Since the RC doesn't get any updates, less vulnerable boxes in the wild is always good for all of us. Why is this being spun as a bad thing?
Re:I run Windows 7 RC (Score:5, Informative)
If you could update from the RC to the final I would.
It was explicitly stated during the RC process that it may not be upgradeable to the final version. Anyway, I have updated it and it works fine for me and most. Here's how http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/3075/how-to-upgrade-the-windows-7-rc-to-rtm/ [howtogeek.com]
Backup everything and try it before a fresh install.
Re:I run Windows 7 RC (Score:3, Informative)
You don't need to download anything from Steam, just copy the files. There are instructions on their site.
Re:I run Windows 7 RC (Score:2, Informative)
Steam alone is probably going to take all week to get everything re-downloaded.
Just as an fyi: So long as you preserve the Steam directory, you shouldn't need to reinstall any of the games as far as I know. The last few times I have formatted, all I need to do is possibly reinstall the steam client itself and all of my previously installed games have worked fine afterward. It's one reason I tend to get games on Steam now instead of elsewhere if they're released at the same time.
Re:Really? (Score:3, Informative)
Windows 7 Wiped My Drive Clean (Score:2, Informative)
After I installed windows 7 ultimate it completely wiped my drive which had windows 7 RC, and installed some bloody system files.
I foolishly was using the drive as storage at the time. One of the worst losses I've been hit with.
I had disconnected all other drives during the actual install of windows 7 ultimate (since windows is infamous for altering boot sectors), and I did not reconnect the other drives until many startups afterwards. Still it managed to completely wipe the drive without me even noticing until a day later.
It could have been much worse. Thank God windows does not understand the ext fs.
Re:..so? (Score:2, Informative)
> I sincerely doubt that Linux will, in the near future, become mainstream like Windows. Linux is too difficult for the average computer user to use.
Pure FUD.
If you said Linux is too difficult for the average computer user to INSTALL I'd have replied that you are about two years behind the times. But even that argument is falling into history. Take a dozen users, give half Windows 7 install DVDs and the other half a mix of current desktop oriented Linux install media and I'd bet money that at any point in the release cycles you will get three of the Linux installs done within 10% +/- of the install of Windows 7 and more hardware will work 'out of the box.'
Now as for USE being harder? Bullcrap. It is a GUI desktop. Our public lab has had the general public using a Linux based desktop for over a decade now. Yes everything has been carefully adjusted so all of the hardware support issues are fixed, codecs and plugins have been preinstalled and all of the admin stuff has been done for them. Exactly as we would have done with a Windows based computer lab. But average rural library patrons have been browsing the Internet and editing documents on Linux here for long enough I can reject the "too difficult for the average user" FUD as exactly that. We give them individual NIS/NFS served persistent accounts with zero 'lockdown' and they have adapted to it nicely. We don't disable the USB ports and we give them a burner and sell (or they can bring their own) blank CDs for $.50. When they visit libraries elsewhere we get feedback noting how inferior the experience is on the standard Gates Foundation model everyone else in the state uses.
If you really want simple, take a look at some of the preloaded netbooks from ASUS or HP.
Re:Wait a minute... (Score:3, Informative)
I'm assuming you haven't used Windows since 98, because my Vista box gets regular heavy usage and has been on for close to 2 months now. I really only have to restart it when I do major updates or on the off chance that some third-party program crashes it.
Oh for the love of........ (Score:4, Informative)
Isn't this story perhaps a little hysterical? When the RC came out they were very clear that this would happen, they even gave the dates. They were also very clear you may not be able to upgrade from the RC.
Now it's about to happen and people are surprised? People agreed to help test an RC and in return they got almost a years worth of free use out of a fairly stable OS. Trials over, pay up.