Windows Vista Customer Preview ProgramThe final major pre-release of Windows Vista—Release Candidate 1 (RC1)—is now available for priority access by Customer Preview Program (CPP) participants only. If you registered for this program in June, please look for a recent e-mail message from Microsoft (sent in early September) with information regarding RC1. If you are not registered but would like to receive Windows Vista RC1, the CPP will open to new participants in the coming weeks. Please check this site periodically for updates.
Customer participation and feedback are integral parts of our development process. Thank you for deciding to install and test RC1 and for being a critical part of the Windows Vista team!
Important information for Customer Preview Program participants
- System Requirements
You can view system requirements and information on Windows Vista Capable and Premium Ready PCs here. - Release Notes
You can view the Release Notes here (available in English only). - Upgrade limitations
You may not be able to upgrade your installation of Windows Vista RC1 to the final, commercially available edition of Windows Vista. To upgrade you will need to acquire the final edition of Windows Vista and you may have to do a clean installation. - Time-limited software
Windows Vista RC1 is time-limited, pre-release software that will expire on June 1, 2007. - Beta support policy
This is pre-release (beta) software distributed for trial and testing purposes only. Microsoft does not provide technical support for beta releases. Although formal support is not offered for this beta, we have provided newsgroups to help answer questions you may have related to the installation and use of Windows Vista RC1. To join or read postings in these newsgroups, please visit http://windowshelp.microsoft.com. - Antivirus support
As part of a sensible approach to helping prevent malware, Microsoft recommends that you use an antivirus application with Windows Vista RC1. Information about available antivirus programs can be found on the Microsoft Security At Home website. - 2007 Office System Beta 2 compatibility
If you are using 2007 Office system Beta 2 be sure to download the 2007 Microsoft Office system Beta 2 Technical Refresh, the most recent update. (The Technical Refresh is required to use Office Beta 2 with Windows Vista RC1.) - Installation limitations
There are three installation scenarios for Windows Vista RC1:- You can do a clean installation. This process will overwrite any data that you have on your hard disk or on your installation partition. The overwritten data will be lost and unrecoverable.
- You can upgrade an existing installation of Windows XP.
- You can upgrade an existing installation of Windows Vista Beta 2.
No other installation scenarios are supported. Upgrading to this beta from any other edition of Windows requires a clean installation, as described in option 1. In addition, once you install Windows Vista RC1 you cannot roll back to the previous operating system installation—you will either have to acquire and install the final released edition of Windows Vista or reinstall a previous edition of Windows. Before installing Windows Vista RC1 on any computer, please remember to back up all your files.
Upgrading from Windows Vista Beta 2
Please install any Critical Updates from Windows Update before upgrading from Beta 2 to RC1. Go to Start, All Programs, Windows Update, and click the “Check for Updates” button.
Note: Please close any open applications before beginning an upgrade. During installation we recommend you have an active Internet connection and choose to “Go online to get the latest updates for installation.”
DVD burning instructionsAfter completing the download, you will need to burn the ISO file to a DVD. This means you’ll need a DVD burner with appropriate software. If you are unsure if your DVD burning software will support burning an ISO file, please refer to your DVD burning software program and search “Help” for instructions on creating a disc from an ISO file. If you are still unsure about burning your own DVD, ordering the Windows Vista RC1 DVD kit might be a better option for you.
Here’s a summary of how to download, burn, and install Windows Vista RC1:
- Download the ISO image file from the location indicated in the e-mail message you receive after registering, and save the file to your hard disk. (If the download prematurely terminates you can resume the download process from where you left off using the download manager.)
- Using a DVD burner and software, burn the ISO image of Windows Vista RC1 to a new blank DVD. We recommend burning at the lowest speed supported by your DVD burner (1X or 2X) to ensure the highest quality. Most DVD burning software will recognize an ISO file. If your software does not automatically recognize this format, refer to the software’s “Help” section for instructions.
- Insert the DVD on which you burned the software into the DVD drive of the computer on which you want to install Windows Vista RC1.
- The installation process should start automatically. If it does not, run Setup from the DVD to begin installation and follow the step-by-step instructions that appear on the screen.
Tell us what you thinkIf there's something that you like or dislike in this pre-release edition of Windows, we want to hear from you. Please
use this feedback form to share your opinions.
To help you explore Windows Vista, we have created a list of tasks for you to try. To access the list and provide feedback on your experience, visit the
Windows Vista Scenario Voting site.
