On Monday, just two days after making Release Candidate 2 (RC2) of Windows Vista available to the public through the Customer Preview Program (CPP), Microsoft pulled the download, confounding many users who were hoping to get the last public prerelease version of the product.
But despite rumors of problems, Microsoft says its removal of RC2 was all part of the plan.
"Windows Vista RC2 was an interim release distributed for the purposes of final testing by a limited audience," a Microsoft representative told me late yesterday. "Once that limit was reached and the necessary feedback was collected from the CPP audience, Microsoft closed the site. For now, Windows Vista RC1 remains the primary version for distribution and ongoing use."