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Did you install an "RC" (release candidate) service pack for Win7?

Ichinisan

Ichinisan

Lifer
If so, you probably got this misleading message:
w7_rcsp1_expire_msg.png

w7_rcsp1_expire_tray.png


I sold a computer to my boss and re-installed a legit copy of Win7 Pro X64 just before giving it to him. I've seen many clean installations get completely botched just while downloading Microsoft's updates-on-top-of-updates, so I decided to skip all that and jump directly to the latest release-candidate for Service Pack 1 (I think it was RC2).

A couple weeks ago, he started getting the message pictured above. It was confusing because the message says "pre-release version of Windows," but also shows "Build 7601." Build 7600 was the RTM, so I had a hunch that the RC service pack had something to do with it. I put the latest full SP1 install on a DVD-R and gave it to him. Fortunately, his system had the option to uninstall the existing service pack (IIRC, Windows usually doesn't let you do this). The message went away and everything *appears* to be fine now. Days have passed and it hasn't re-appeared (knock on wood). Today I found this link, confirming that the RC service pack caused the same issue for someone else.

I had always assumed that, once a service pack reaches "release candidate" stage, most of the remaining changes would only affect the installer or distribution...unless there's a REALLY serious issue. I thought most issues discovered during the RC phase would be fixed with hotfix updates, so the actual SP files wouldn't be updated.

I kinda thought Microsoft WANTED us early-adopters to try these things and help them find the problems, but now it seems like they want to discourage you from installing a release-candidate service pack.

This is just a cautionary warning to anyone else who might have considered installing a service pack during release candidate stage.
 
This is interesting news. I got that on one of my systems. The system now constantly restarts. The bluesceen says something about NT expired. This may be the reason. I will have to look into this.

Thanks for posting this.
 
VirtualLarry said:
This is why you don't install release candidate software (especially Windows service packs) on production systems.
Click to expand...
I know that now :'(
I cannot uninstall it on my systems. I do not even remember where I got it from. Now the only way to fix it for me, is to do a fresh install😡

Learn from your mistakes right 😀
 
I had a problem with Netflix in Media Center that was caused by SP1 RC2 "final" not being "final." You effing liars. I slip-streamed too, so uninstalling was not an option.
 
Infrnl said:
I know that now :'( I cannot uninstall it on my systems. I do not even remember where I got it from. Now the only way to fix it for me, is to do a fresh install😡 Learn from your mistakes right 😀
Click to expand...

Amen! Turn the page and move on. 🙂
 
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