Microsoft Windows 7 RC Goes Into Reduced Functionality Mode On 15th Of February

Microsoft Corp., the world’s largest computer software company, has warned that from February 15th, people still running the Windows 7 Release Candidate will start receiving notifications which will remind the user that from 1st March 2010 onwards, their systems will start shutting down every 2 hours.  

According to the announcement, systems with Windows 7 RC will continue to suffer bi-hourly shut downs till 1st June and after that, the wallpaper of the desktop will be removed and a “This copy of Windows is not genuine” sign will appear on the lower right corner of the screen. The users will not be able to obtain updates that require genuine Windows validation. 

Brandon LeBlanc, a Windows Communications Manager, made the announcement on the Windows Blog, in which he wrote that “To avoid any data loss, I suggest making plans to move to a released version of Windows 7 before the automatic shutdowns start. During these shutdowns, your work will not be saved.” 

The company had launched the release candidate in May 2009 for an early pre-launch review of the popular operating system, which has now emerged as the fastest selling OS in history.