Microsoft has set out its plan for the gradual withdraw of the Windows 7 trial version, which will expire completely on 1st June 2010.

The Redmond-based firm has confirmed that in February, users will receive alerts advising that their systems will begin restarting automatically from 1st March. After this date, any PC running the Release Candidate (RC) version of Windows 7 will switch off every two hours without warning.

Warning: this PC will self-destruct after 1st June 2010

Writing for the Windows Blog, Microsoft spokesman, Brandon LeBlanc, recommended that users purchase a licence in order to avoid losing important work.

Brandon wrote: “I suggest making plans to move to a released version of Windows 7 before the automatic shutdowns start. During these shutdowns, your work will not be saved.” He added: “Remember, pre-release versions of Windows are unsupported.”

After 1st June 2010, a non-genuine experience will be triggered where the system wallpaper is removed and the message “This copy of Windows is not genuine” will be displayed in the lower right corner above the taskbar. No PC running without a genuine licence after this time will be able to obtain optional updates or downloads that require genuine Windows validation.

What do you need to do next?

To make matters slightly more complicated, Microsoft is not offering a direct update option to users wishing to continue running their newest operating system. Instead, users will have to back up all their work before performing a clean installation.

If you wish to purchase a full Windows 7 licence, we would suggest you contact us in the first instance for advice on how best to proceed.