Today over at the Engineering Windows 7 blog there is a new post that discusses Delivering a quality upgrade experience.
Now like most posts at the e7 blog this one is quite lengthy but there are some real gems in it and some gouge that everyone who is testing/running Windows 7 Beta 1 (Build 7000) should be aware of.
I also can not help but think this post and its timing is for a reason. There has been a lot of speculation on when the Release Candidate (RC) will be made public. I have seen dates as early as 10 April floating around the blogosphere and later.
Bottom line though when the RC comes out Microsoft wants you to upgrade to the RC by way of Windows Vista. Yes, you read that right – Windows Vista.
Now I can already hear the rumblings around the net and the stream of comments on all the Windows 7 related websites about how this is wrong and all the time and investment you have made since the December release of Beta 1 to the masses.
However, as a beta tester this makes complete sense. Out there in all those homes that did not download the Windows 7 Beta 1 sits computer systems running everything from Windows 95 to Window Vista and yes the Build 7000 Beta 1 release of Windows 7. Now based on the post today at the e7 blog there is not going to be any upgrade path to Windows 7 via Windows XP – this is not new news. They have said this all along that their will not be a supported upgrade between those two systems. That also means no upgrades from anything earlier than Windows XP such as Windows ME, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE and Windows 95.
So what is it they are asking you do to if you are running the Beta 1 software. They understanding and acknowledge the investment many have made to setup their Windows 7 systems and move to them fulltime. However, an upgrade from Beta 1 to the final release of Windows 7 is not what will happen in the real world. There will either be upgrades from Windows Vista or clean installs.
So we are being asked to do one of those two things – it is your call which you do but the data Microsoft gets from those experiences will help them make this a better OS in the long run.
However, those guys at the e7 blog are realists too and they know geeks because they are one too 
so they are providing the instructions on how to skip the validation check and let you install the RC overtop of your current Beta 1 installation. Now how cool is that for Microsoft to come out and help us be geeks.
Now doling this will be possible with the hack they mention but it will not help them in the data collection and identifying issues that may come up during upgrades. It will also be a unsupported situation – in other words all bets are off if you upgrade this way.
What is my personal plan? A clean install and an upgrade. I want to be able to give Microsoft as much info as I can from my little corner of the world. What will you provide?
P.S. I also gather from the timing of this post by the e7 team would indicate that the RC is not too far down the road! Now that is good stuff – time for a new build!
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- Time To Move On From Windows 7 Release Candidate
Richard is the Owner of WindowsObserver.com and has been involved in tech for over 25 years. His first website – AnotherWin95.com – came online in 1995. Back then he used GeoCities Web Hosting for it and what you see here today is the result of the work he has continued on the site since 1995. In January 2010 his community contributions were recognized by Microsoft when he was awarded the Most Valuable Professional (MVP) Award for Windows Desktop Experience. In January 2011 he was renewed as a Microsoft MVP but in a new category called Windows Expert - Consumer and in January 2012 he received the award for the third time.
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@MooseStuff Check out this article – has the steps to bypass the check for upgrade from Beta to RC – http://bit.ly/17hnd3
@MooseStuff Check out this article – has the steps to bypass the check for upgrade from Beta to RC – http://bit.ly/17hnd3
@Dylanwinn No upgrade is supported from Beta to RC – there is a work around though – http://bit.ly/17hnd3
@Dylanwinn No upgrade is supported from Beta to RC – there is a work around though – http://bit.ly/17hnd3
New blog post: http://tinyurl.com/cjgvwr – Upgrading to the Windows 7 Release Candidate
New blog post: http://tinyurl.com/cjgvwr – Upgrading to the Windows 7 Release Candidate
Firstly this post is not to flame, merely to highlight some points you made, whilst valid are, IMO the remit of the more tech minded folk rather than the average user.
Quote “However, those guys at the e7 blog are realists too and they know geeks because they are one too
so they are providing the instructions on how to skip the validation check and let you install the RC overtop of your current Beta 1 installation. ”
The “Geek” term is often used to insult (not in this case I add). I prefer to take it as a compliment in that it refers to a person with an indepth understanding and an opinion that is informed on the basis of trying the options available to users.
Someone who has only used Microsoft products is not a geek. It is my opinion that these people cant be considered even “tech enthusiasts” and would like to ask, would you trust your car to garage that only has experience fixing one brand (and not yours)? I believe that using Microsoft products exclusively makes you a Microsoft product expert, not a tech geek or enthusiast.
Its often leveled towards Linux users that we have no experience of “the benefits of vista” etc etc, but unless someone is trying to claim that Linux users have gone through life with only experience of Linux, its a little silly.
From my personal experience (as Ive just said on another blog) I was around before Windows made an appearance, I was around when the A500 rose to the top of the 16bit home computing arena, I had an Acorn Archimedes which I adored, saw a plethora of consoles come and go, and all the while used Windows at home and work.
I still use Windows (at work) but why do I support Linux? Because out of all the packages/platforms I use or have used I have a honest held belief its the better one. That may change. If Windows 7 turns out to be better for me, then I will champion it. I am not in the habit of promoting anything which isnt 100% suitable and functional for my needs (free or not)
Comments such as “I want to be able to give Microsoft as much info as I can from my little corner of the world. What will you provide?” highlight exactly why Linux is such a decent system. Any user who sees a worth in this type of ethos need look no further than Linux, which bases its entire existence on feedback/help/contributions from the community in which it serves. Maybe thats why a Vista user will stare with childlike bewilderment at the speed in which Linux operates and why things that Linux users have taken for granted for years, seem “new and shiny” to a Windows user.
Maybe whilst we stand in the void between Vista dissatisfaction (IMO) and Win 7 release, users will take the time to explore alternatives? and maybe also keep in mind that this Win7 hype and excitement existed pre-Vista and we all know what happened there.
The Windows 7 beta has, for the most part been praised and welcomed (IMO) but the people doing it are experienced Windows users (IMO) and I dont see your average Windows user jumping in feet first. The apathy (IMO) towards the Windows platform by the average user is in my experience, a combination of poor experiences with Vista and a general attitude of “if it works I couldnt care what I run” This is why (IMO) it is so important for Microsoft to aim for the earliest date possible in releasing Windows 7, lest Microsofts customer base start finding (on a larger scale) an alternative is just as suitable as the Windows platform they have been used to.
Contrary to what people may think I believe, I believe the biggest threat to Windows7 isnt Linux, it isnt MAC,Freebsd,Aros or whatever else you can name. Its XP, and ive yet to see Microsoft produce a compelling reason for the average user to upgrade it.
Or am I wrong?
Firstly this post is not to flame, merely to highlight some points you made, whilst valid are, IMO the remit of the more tech minded folk rather than the average user.
Quote “However, those guys at the e7 blog are realists too and they know geeks because they are one too
so they are providing the instructions on how to skip the validation check and let you install the RC overtop of your current Beta 1 installation. ”
The “Geek” term is often used to insult (not in this case I add). I prefer to take it as a compliment in that it refers to a person with an indepth understanding and an opinion that is informed on the basis of trying the options available to users.
Someone who has only used Microsoft products is not a geek. It is my opinion that these people cant be considered even “tech enthusiasts” and would like to ask, would you trust your car to garage that only has experience fixing one brand (and not yours)? I believe that using Microsoft products exclusively makes you a Microsoft product expert, not a tech geek or enthusiast.
Its often leveled towards Linux users that we have no experience of “the benefits of vista” etc etc, but unless someone is trying to claim that Linux users have gone through life with only experience of Linux, its a little silly.
From my personal experience (as Ive just said on another blog) I was around before Windows made an appearance, I was around when the A500 rose to the top of the 16bit home computing arena, I had an Acorn Archimedes which I adored, saw a plethora of consoles come and go, and all the while used Windows at home and work.
I still use Windows (at work) but why do I support Linux? Because out of all the packages/platforms I use or have used I have a honest held belief its the better one. That may change. If Windows 7 turns out to be better for me, then I will champion it. I am not in the habit of promoting anything which isnt 100% suitable and functional for my needs (free or not)
Comments such as “I want to be able to give Microsoft as much info as I can from my little corner of the world. What will you provide?” highlight exactly why Linux is such a decent system. Any user who sees a worth in this type of ethos need look no further than Linux, which bases its entire existence on feedback/help/contributions from the community in which it serves. Maybe thats why a Vista user will stare with childlike bewilderment at the speed in which Linux operates and why things that Linux users have taken for granted for years, seem “new and shiny” to a Windows user.
Maybe whilst we stand in the void between Vista dissatisfaction (IMO) and Win 7 release, users will take the time to explore alternatives? and maybe also keep in mind that this Win7 hype and excitement existed pre-Vista and we all know what happened there.
The Windows 7 beta has, for the most part been praised and welcomed (IMO) but the people doing it are experienced Windows users (IMO) and I dont see your average Windows user jumping in feet first. The apathy (IMO) towards the Windows platform by the average user is in my experience, a combination of poor experiences with Vista and a general attitude of “if it works I couldnt care what I run” This is why (IMO) it is so important for Microsoft to aim for the earliest date possible in releasing Windows 7, lest Microsofts customer base start finding (on a larger scale) an alternative is just as suitable as the Windows platform they have been used to.
Contrary to what people may think I believe, I believe the biggest threat to Windows7 isnt Linux, it isnt MAC,Freebsd,Aros or whatever else you can name. Its XP, and ive yet to see Microsoft produce a compelling reason for the average user to upgrade it.
Or am I wrong?
On Twitter, Windows Observer said: @MooseStuff Check out this article – has the steps to bypass the check for upgrade from Beta to RC – http://bit.ly/17hnd3
More on Topsy.com
On Twitter, Windows Observer said: @Dylanwinn No upgrade is supported from Beta to RC – there is a work around though – http://bit.ly/17hnd3
More on Topsy.com
On Twitter, Windows Observer said: @Angelswatch Here you go – this will help with that hack to upgrade Beta to RC for WIndows 7 – http://bit.ly/1SPfP
More on Topsy.com
[...] more: WindowsObserver.com » Upgrading to the Windows 7 Release Candidate This entry was posted by admin and posted on April 7, 2009 at 9:49 pm and filed under Windows 7, [...]
On Twitter, Windows Observer said: New blog post: http://tinyurl.com/cjgvwr – Upgrading to the Windows 7 Release Candidate
More on Topsy.com