A week after releasing Vista Release Candidate 1 (RC1) to a select group of programmers and testers, Microsoft is throwing the next version of Windows open to the general public.

But just remember that this really is stuff for the pros, or hobbyist pros.

"RC1 is intended for developers, IT professionals, and technology experts to continue or begin their testing of Windows Vista," the company said on the Windows Vista Preview page.

"Some risks of using beta operating systems include hardware and software incompatibility and system instability," the company added.

It further warned potential users that the code is still in beta and should not be used in a production environment or on a primary computer in the home.

Only a limited number of people will have access to the CPP.

Microsoft said that the program will be closed once capacity has been reached, after which no new downloads will be allowed.

Early feedback from RC1 beta-testers has been largely positive.