You can download a lot of free things from all the nooks and crannies of the World Wide Web — some legal, some not so much.

But here's a free download you might want to consider if you've got a spare computer and you are keen to check out the next version of Microsoft's flagship operating system:

• Microsoft Windows 7 Release Candidate

That's right; our pals up in Redmond, Washington have bequeathed unto us something that should look very much like what Dell, HP, Acer and other computer manufacturers will soon be installing on their new machines instead of Windows Vista. Microsoft hasn't announced a release date for the commercial version of Windows 7, but most of the pundits seem to think it will be available in time for the holiday season this year.

Microsoft has been testing Windows 7 for quite some time now as part of a beta program with information technology professionals. Today they opened the floodgates on the release candidate (RC) to anyone who wants to sign up for a free Windows Live account (which is necessary to download and install it).

You're going to need some patience to play with Windows 7. I'm downloading the software right now, and it's a big file — more than three gigabytes. Even with a relatively fast cable Internet connection, it'll be more than an hour before the transfer is complete.

Trying out Windows 7 RC is not for the faint-hearted. "Your PC could crash, you could lose data, and there's no technical support," the installation guide explains. On a scale of "1" being a novice computer user and "10" being a computer expert, I'd say you should consider yourself at least a "7" or an "8" before considering this project.

If installing to an existing computer (as most people would be doing), Microsoft strongly suggests that it's not your primary PC (you know, the one with all your financial data and family photos), and be certain to first back up everything that's already on it.

You'll also want to track down the "recovery disk" (or discs) that came with your computer (you know exactly where they are, right?), because you'll need them to fall back to your original operating system (or to your paid-for version of Windows 7) when the release candidate expires in March 2010.

One more thing you should know if you decide to give the free version of Windows 7 a spin: Because you're a high-tech guinea pig, the software will be sending back telemetry from your computer to Microsoft engineers for their analysis of how your specific PC is working. You'll certainly want to glance at the privacy statement if you have concerns.

I do plan to try this out once I make sure that my test computer — a two-year-old Acer L100 mini-desktop which currently runs Windows Vista — is ready to go.

Some users of the beta version have reported that Windows 7 seems to be the operating system Windows Vista should have been, providing a lot of the same features without using as many resources. Microsoft says the primary goal of Windows 7 is ease of use, with a lot of little time-saving tweaks.

I'll report back when I have it up and running!

E-mail askwalt@wfaa.com

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