Microsoft’s Windows 7 has hit build 7048. Screenshots of the build have appeared on the web a couple of weeks after it was compiled on February 19, 2009.

It seems that information about Microsoft beginning development on the release candidate branch of Windows 7 has been proven false. The latest build as of this date is build 7046 which was compiled on 2-17-2009.

According to reports, the Windows 7 Release Candidate version is scheduled for release on February 27, 2009. The build, 7048, is expected to be released to MSDN and Technet subscribers, and then to the public in April.

While all of the pre-beta and beta builds have run along the winmain string, now a new build, 7048.winmain_win7rc1.090211-1625, is the first found to branch off of the winmain string into the win7rc1 string as seen above.