If you have been using Windows 8 beta and want to know when your copy of the pre-release version of the operating system expires, or you want to check which service pack your copy of Windows is on, you can access this information from the About Windows screen.

When using a beta version, such information is vital to your continued use of the operating system – getting a good idea of when you need to have the full version of Windows 8 installed can allow you to manage how you will purchase and install the operating system, for instance.

Typically, this information is hidden – however there are a couple of ways in which to check the Windows expiration date on your PC or laptop.

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Find Your Windows Expiration Date Using winver

Actually checking the data that your copy of Windows is set to expire is ridiculously easy. If you are currently using an evaluation copy of Windows 8 do the following:

• Tap on the Windows key to be taken to the Metro interface.
• Enter winver there and hit return.
• The screen that you see above should appear, highlighting that the installed copy is for evaluation purposes, and that it will expire on 16.01.2013

Related: Download Windows 8 Release Preview and Get Upgraded for Just $15

If you are using a previous version of Windows, use the Windows-r shortcut to open the runbox, enter winver, and tap on the enter key. You should see a similar looking screen.

Note: It is thankfully easy to check the expiration date of an operating system. Keep in mind that an expiration date will only be shown if there is one. If you run the command on a registered version of Windows 7 for instance, you will notice that no expiration date is shown. That’s because there is none.