Microsoft is urging customers to ditch the Windows 7 Release Candidate as the software nears its expiry date.

Although the Windows 7 RC officially expires 1 June, users will be hit with bi-hourly shutdowns from 1 March, making it impractical for day-to-day use.

As well as the bi-hourly shutdowns making it harder to perform tasks such as backups ahead of a full migration to Windows 7, Microsoft warns that work won't be automatically saved before the shutdown commences.

It appears users who sail past the June deadline will still have access to the operating system, with Microsoft stating that: "on 1 June, 2010, a non-genuine experience is triggered where your wallpaper is removed and 'This copy of Windows is not genuine' will be displayed in the lower right corner above the taskbar," the company states on the Windows 7 blog. "This means your PC will no longer be able to obtain optional updates or downloads that require genuine Windows validation."

The software giant is urging businesses who want to test the OS ahead of a full deployment to install the 90-day free trial of Windows 7 Enterprise, instead of the Release Candidate.

Consumers making the leap from the RC to the full version will need to perform a clean install - the operating system can't be upgraded in place.