Windows Vista RC1 64-bit client download

Microsoft released the  32-bit client version of the first release candidate of Windows Vista but not the 64-bit version. This changed yesterday when the company added the Vista 64-bit client to the download list. The client can be downloaded from the Internet either via direct downloads from within your web browser of choice, or by using Microsoft's download manager which adds features such as resume to the download.

The release candidate is time limited and will stop working on June 1, 2007.  It is however likely that Microsoft will either release an updated release candidate by then or the final release candidate build so that users who are testing Windows Vista can update to the latest version of the operating system.

You will also need a product key for vista. I suggest you check out the article that I have linked in the last sentence to find out how to get one.

If your Internet connection is not the fastest, you may want to consider another offer that Microsoft is making available: ship Vista right to your doorstep. The Vista Customer Preview program provides you with that option. Note that it costs about $10 to have Vista shipped to your address this way, and that it will take longer before it arrives. It is still a great option for users interested in the operating system who are not having access to fast broadband Internet connections. Considering that the client has a size of 3.5 Gigabytes, it may be a reasonable choice.

Microsoft does not have a special changelog for the 64-client on their website, I assume that  the same changelog as for the 32-bit client is valid.

What's left to say? I suggest you give it a shot if you would like to experience the new features of Windows Vista. I personally will not download and install the new operating system because I believe that it restricts users too much, and poses the threat of users losing control over their own system. With all it's updated wga and drm features, Vista is nothing that you should take too lightly. As I said earlier, I will make the change to Linux once I assembled my new computer.

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