Roger Capriotti, director, Internet Explorer Product Marketing, has announced that after only a few days of public availability, downloads of IE9 RC have surpassed the two million mark.

 

This comes after the news only last week that the company’s Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) browser has gone from the beta phase the Release Candidate (RC) stage. IE9 hitting the RC phase means that its code is feature complete, with the next step being RTW (release to web).

 

Brandon LeBlanc, who runs Microsoft’s The Windows Blog, also reminded Windows users that as of next week (22 February), they will be able to download Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1) from the Microsoft Download Center or via Windows Update. Microsoft developer network (MSDN) and TechNet subscribers as well as Volume License clients could already do so as of yesterday.

 

LeBlanc had a few tips for users before they download and install the SP1 next week. Users need to backup their crucial files on their external hard-drive, DVD/CD or a network location before installing Windows 7 SP1.

 

They should make sure that their device drivers are as up to date as possible and also check their computer for any malware and viruses before installing Windows 7 SP1. This last step is really important, as an infected PC could negatively impact the installation of SP1 as well as future updates to a user’s computer.