By Ina Fried, 8 April 2009 08:24
NEWS
Those who want to move from the beta version of Windows 7 to the upcoming "release candidate" version will be able to do so but it is going to take some work.
In a blog posting on Tuesday, Microsoft said it is offering two options for going from the beta to the newer test version, which is due shortly. Neither is all that easy.
The recommended approach, Microsoft said, is to go back to Windows Vista and upgrade from that. Microsoft asked testers to follow this approach as it will help the company get more feedback on the experience the typical user will have in going from Vista to Windows 7.
Those who really want to upgrade directly from the beta to the release candidate will be able to do so but only using a series of convoluted steps.
The company said in its blog: "We know many people (including tens of thousands at Microsoft) are relying on the pre-release builds of Windows 7 for mission critical and daily work, making this step less than convenient.
"We're working hard to provide the highest quality release we can and so we'd like to make sure for this final phase of testing we're supporting the most real world scenarios possible, which incremental build to build upgrades are not. At the same time everyone on the beta has been so great we wanted to make sure we at least offered an opportunity to make your own expert and informed choice about how to handle the upgrade."
The company also cautioned that the same hassles will apply for those moving from the release candidate to the final version of Windows 7.
Comments
There are 2 comments. Join the discussion
1. anonymous
Never mind this, it's a bugger if you want to go from XP to Win 7, as you have to start clean.
2. Lionel A Smith
"Never mind this, it's a bugger if you want to go from XP to Win 7, as you have to start clean."
Which begs the question why bother? Start all over with Linux.
XP should not die it should simply be made increasingly robust as has been the trend. Otherwise thousands of perfectly good peripherals are going to landfill. Can the planet stand this insane marketing strategy?