I knew before I'd even pressed publish on today's post regarding the new screenshots of Windows 7 build 7068 on a Japanese developer's page that the torrent would eventually hit the major trackers, and now it has. Following a flurry of activity on Chinese and Russian forums this afternoon, the torrent finally appeared in Mininova's index a few hours ago.
Users who managed to download the DVD ISO already are reporting that it appears to be the genuine article. After the last half dozen leaks, I'm inclined to believe them at this point. As always, exercise caution if you decide to download and install from the image yourself.
The newest leak comes less than a week after 7068's build date - March 21, 2009. How are the files getting out so quickly? I have to believe that if Microsoft isn't responsible for the leaks themselves that they are, at the very least, more than happy to turn a blind eye.
After all, the RC is going to be made freely available in about a month for anyone who wants to download it. Every torrent download means a little less strain on Microsoft's servers. After witnessing the bum's rush users unleashed during the first few hours of the beta release, the gang in Redmond should be embracing P2P as a distribution method for the RC.
If you're downloading every new leak, don't forget you can dump the files to a USB flash drive or external hard drive instead of burning a DVD each time.
