In an attempt to verify the overall servicing infrastructure of Windows 7, Microsoft is going to begin offering some “test” updates to Release Candidate build 7100 users starting on Tuesday, May 12th. In a sense, this is the company’s way of ensuring that when it needs to release real updates, the process will run smoothly.

The process is interesting because these faux updates don’t necessarily deliver any new features or fixes. They are offered interactively, meaning that users will be notified of available updates which will not install automatically. The first instance occurred back on February 24th for users of build 7000, in which participation in downloading the test updates was entirely voluntary and for beta purposes.

It’s important to note that the updates will be clearly titled as a “test update” in the Windows Update control panel. If undesired, users can simply check the “Hide update” button and there’s nothing more to it.