Microsoft ends Windows 7 beta downloads

The month-long public beta period for Windows 7 is over

Microsoft has ended the general availability of the Windows 7 beta download. Users will be allowed to continue current downloads of the software until 5pm GMT on 13 February, when all downloads will be stopped.

Members of the Microsoft Developer Network and TechNet services will still be able to download the beta.

The decision brings to a conclusion the month-long public beta period for the upcoming operating system release.

Originally slated for a limited test with 2.5 million users, strong demand prompted Microsoft to lift the limit and allow all users to download the beta.

Microsoft will now prepare the first release candidate versions of Windows 7. These are likely to be among the last before Microsoft ships the final release versions to developers and then consumers in the early months of 2010.

The company revealed last week that, as with Windows Vista, there will be separate business, home user and 'ultimate' bundles offered to most users. Microsoft is also planning 'basic' and 'enterprise' variations for certain markets.

The conclusion of the public beta comes just one week after the first high-profile Windows 7 security issue. Microsoft finally agreed to change certain settings on the UAC security component, following an outcry from researchers who had claimed that the protections could be disabled without user knowledge or permission.