This is a reminder post for all the Windows 7 users still on the beta (build 7000) that was leaked in December 2008 and officially given out to the public in January 2009. Bi-hourly shutdowns of this build will begin on July 1, 2009. This means that the user will be told to install a released version of Windows and their PC will shut down automatically every two hours. On August 1, 2009 if you are still on the Windows 7 beta, your license will expire and the non-genuine experience will be triggered. Your wallpaper will be removed and "This copy of Windows is not genuine" will be displayed in the lower right corner above the taskbar.

If you want to continue testing Vista's successor, we recommend moving over to the Windows 7 Release Candidate (build 7100) that was released to the public in May 2009. The RC will only be available to download until August 15, 2009. Those using the Windows 7 RC do not have to worry until March 1, 2010 and June 1, 2010, the dates for bi-hourly shutdowns and expiration, respectively. Considering Windows 7 will be generally available in October 2009, this will give users a lot of time to move over to the RTM code.

This is a translated version of the roadmap given:

FINAL ROADMAP FOR WINDOWS 7 [CLIENT-SERVER]:
6/1 – 6/19 BUILDING RTM ESCROW – already assembled RTM ESCROW.
6/22 – 7/10 RTM RECALL – assembly and search for candidates to the final RTM release.
7/10 WINDOWS 7 RTM FINAL BUILD TARGET – build day “gold code”.
7/13 WINDOWS 7 RTM SIGN-OFF – the date of signing the final RTM release!

Wzor’s new date contradicts with what they had said earlier about June. It also contradicts Neowin’s previous post about their sources claiming the RTM sign off by the end of June. As of now, Wzor has stated that the latest RTM build has the following string: 6.1.7263.0.win7_rtm.090619-1900

Microsoft had previously announced that Windows 7 will be shipping October 22.

Update: Winfuture.de is reporting today that their sources claim Windows 7 will RTM on June 29, 2009. Here’s a quick summary of the dates floating around from the various news sites: