Windows 7 release candidate to arrive in May?

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The release candidate (RC) for Microsoft’s Windows 7 could be available for download in just a few months, according to a since-removed page on the Russia Microsoft TechNet site.

The page dated May 2009 offered download instructions of the next stage of testing for the Windows operating system. The page has since been removed from the Microsoft site, but can be viewed over on our sister site PC Pro.

The page showed that the Windows 7 RC would be available from May through June, and would expire on 1 June 2010.

Microsoft has previously said the first beta would be the only one for the operating system, and that the next stage would indeed be a release candidate. A Microsoft spokesman told IT PRO that there was “no official” announcement regarding the timeline for the RC.

The spokesman also noted that the official release date could follow anytime after, as it depends how the RC testing goes. Some have suggested Microsoft’s marketing team could look to take advantage of the 7 July date – making it 7/7 – to push the new OS, and has long been widely expected sometime this year.

Click here to read our first look review of the Windows 7 beta.

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