Today is the last day you can download Windows 7 for free

Microsoft’s unprecedented beta test period for Windows 7 comes to an end today, so if you want to download a free copy of the operating system, now’s the time to do it.

As we reported several months ago, Microsoft made Windows 7 beta available for public download from 9 January 2009 and the operating system has since been updated to Release Candidate 1, or RC1. And since it runs so well on netbooks, you'd be a fool not to grab a free copy to try for yourself.

This isn’t the very latest version of Windows 7 — that would be the RTM (release to manufacturing) that shipped to OEMs for pre-installation on PCs a few weeks ago and made available to developers through MSDN. It is, however, all that we’re going to get for nothing and given that it will be functional until 1 June 2010, that’s not a bad deal.

Windows 7 proper launches on 22 October and now that the argy bargy over I nternet Explorer has been resolved, it should be a safe time to buy. And the UK is also getting a pretty good deal for once, too.

Thanks to the initial confusion over the discounted Windows 7 E edition, Microsoft is currently offering Windows 7 Home Premium for a mere £64 . This is the full version, too — you don’t need a previous qualifying copy of Windows to install and use it. That’s not only half the price of what the US has to pay for the full version of Windows 7 Home premium ($200, or around £120), but it’s even cheaper than their upgrade version price of $120 (around £72). Go UK! Or something...

[ Download Windows 7 RC ]