Will the RTM version ever expire ? And is the RTM version EXACTLY the same as the General Release version on Oct22.What I want to know is, will I have to download the General Relase version on Oct22 and re-install it - or is the RTM the absolute 100% final version that will last for ever.

No, the RTM version of Windows 7 does not have an expiration date. It does, however, follow the Windows life-cycle policy, it will be dropped from mainstream support on January 13, 2015. At this date it will only receive security updates until end-of-life. Windows 7 RTM should never the experience periodic shutdown behavior that associated with the Beta and RC unless it becomes unlicensed. And, no, the RTM and RC are not equivolent though they should have feature parity. The RTM is slightly updated.

The RTM is the the final version which will be generally available. Also, the RTM is not the RC which will expire.The RTM will not expire if it is activated and validated. There is a 30 day grace period before it will give you notifications telling you to activate.

Sorry, I`m not comparing RTM to RC - I want to know if the RTM version will be identical to the Oct22public version in every way.If it isnt, then my PC will feel dirty come Oct22 and I'll have to re-install !!

>>The RTM is the the final version which will be generally available.<< Also, the RTM is not the RC which will expire.The RTM will not expire if it is activated and validated. There is a 30 day grace period before it will give you notifications telling you to activate. I highlited this from my original post."The RTM is the the final version which will be generally available." "The RTM will not expire if it is activated and validated. There is a 30 day grace period before it will give you notifications telling you to activate."

The RTM release has likely been given a number of security patches, optimizations, and other bug fixes. On the surface they should look and feel identical and have feature parity but the RTM is an updated build.If your installation of Windows 7 is feeling dirty I might suggest soap and water. It's what I use when I feel dirty. :-)

Will the RTM version ever expire ? And is the RTM version EXACTLY the same as the General Release version on Oct22.What I want to know is, will I have to download the General Relase version on Oct22 and re-install it - or is the RTM the absolute 100% final version that will last for ever. OK. 1. Will the RTM version ever expire? Answer = no2. Is the RTM version EXACTLY the same as the General Release version on Oct22>? Answer = yes