Are you still using the Release Candidate of Windows 7, which was publicly released on May 5th last year? Users of Windows 7 RC are probably aware that it will start automatically rebooting every 2 hours starting March 1.
Windows 7 RC officially expires on June 1, 2010 however the system will nag users during the 3 months between March 1 and June 1 to upgrade by not only automatically restarting without warning or even saving any of the user’s unsaved work.
There is no official way to upgrade to the final RTM version of Windows 7.
However, as shown by Seth Rosenblatt of CNET, there is an unofficial and unsupported way to upgrade to Windows 7 RTM for users who wish to dig into the system registry. However, I do not recommend performing an unofficial upgrade as the RC is missing a few files that may cause unexpected and adverse behavior and performance issues.
What happens if you keep using the RC after June 1? Basically, the license is no longer valid and your copy of Windows 7 will be marked as not genuine and counterfeit. When this happens, your desktop background becomes black and constant reminders that your PC is not genuine.
Are you running the Windows 7 RC? Do you plan on upgrading to the RTM, downgrading to your previous version of Windows, or try to survive through the auto rebooting and nagging? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
