is windows vista RC1 like a 30 day trial or can be used longer?

Answer 1

Without a product key, it will be disable after 14 days. With a product key will work for the duration of the testing period.

"How to get an product key for Vista RC1 " -- written by ghacks.net (http://www.ghacks.net/2006/09/14/how-to-get-an-product-key-for-vista-rc1/)


Beta and release candidate versions of Windows Vista, Microsofts latest operating system, can be download from the official Microsoft Vista website but getting a product key did not seem to be that easy. Everyone was able to download Windows Vista but this did not mean that you would receive a product key to activate the beta or release candidate. Without a product key Vista would only work for 14 days.

What you need to do to get a Vista Release Candidate 1 product key is the following: Visit the link to the Microsoft Vista homepage and sign in. If you have not signed up before you can easily create a new account by clicking signup now. You only have to provide some information, a working email address, a password and the like. Microsoft sends out a confirmation email at the end of that process.

If everything worked out fine you should be directed to a website which requires some information about your current job, filling that out brings you to a new page that links to vista downloads (English, German and Japanese versions) and displays the product key in the same window. One funny thing that I noticed is the following: If you refresh the page with the information the product key stays the same, if you open the page using the link above you will recieve a new product key. If you need more than one I guess you can just visit the website a few times.

The website with the product key looks awefull in firefox btw.