PC Pro reports that Windows 7 release candidate will not expire until 1st June 2010, giving testers more than a year's free access to Windows 7

"It's available to as many people who see fit to use it, although we wouldn't recommend it to just your average user," John Curran, director of the Windows Client Group told PC Pro. "We'd very strongly encourage anyone on the beta to move to the Release Candidate."

However, Microsoft has previously urged the millions of beta testers to start from scratch, and not simply upgrade the beta, in a bid to replicate the real-world experience of installing Windows 7. Those who are determined not to undergo a fresh install have to follow a workaround published on the Engineering Windows 7 blog.

>> Windows 7 free for a year