Windows Server 2008 build 4066

Windows Server 2008 build 4066 is a pre-reset build of Windows Server 2008, which was originally described by Grabberslasher in his UX.Unleaked blog entry on 1 May 2008 and was later uploaded to BetaArchive on 20 December 2008.

It is the fourth and last available server build based on the pre-reset code, the others being builds 4028, 4031 and 4038. In a similar fashion to builds 4031 and 4038, this build uses the older i386 installation method.

New features and changes
Several features, which have been previously stripped off the code of the main branch by the time build 4051 was released, have been added back, together with many other new ones, some of which have been previously seen in builds demonstrated by Microsoft, such as the famous, unleaked 4050 one. Among these:


 * Many sidebar tiles, including Basket, News Feed, Notification History, Search, Sync, Windows Media Player and Windows Media Status. The Clock tile is now pinned at the bottom of the Sidebar, and there is also a hidden Sticky Notes tile, similar to the one found in build 4074.
 * The look of the notifications has changed, as they no longer use a background color that fits the Slate theme. Moreover, they seem to be buggy as the icons on the left do not have a reflection.
 * Several view modes, including "3D View" and two new ones respectively called "MIL View" and "Listview Spy". The last one can be enabled, together with the "Carousel" and "Panorama" options, by merging the entries below into the registry:
 * The preview pane has changed compared to build 4053: tasks have been temporarily removed, and a button which acts like a toggle between the unfinished task pane and the details pane has been added.
 * Filtering within WinFS libraries has been enhanced: the most generic filters can be found by expanding "Document Favorites", meanwhile more detailed filters are available by expanding "Properties".
 * The "Import Contacts" wizard has received a makeover and it is now consistent with the overall look of the Aero wizards.
 * Several new items can be found in the "File" menu of the Games library, from which a new Default Game Patching Options dialog can be launched.
 * A new Sharing wizard has been added, although there is an option to use the older "Sharing" tab.
 * The new Windows Media Player application has been greatly enhanced compared to the one found in build 4053, and it can be run by executing, found in the   directory. It should also be noted that Windows Media Player 9 is disabled by default.
 * Sticky Notes, although no one has been able to get them to work, as of now.
 * New icons, which replaced several icons that originated from Windows XP.

Desktop Window Manager (DWM)
The Desktop Window Manager has been reintegrated into the code of the main branch after being absent from builds ranging from 4048 to 4053, and can now be toggled by pressing Ctrl, or running.

A blur effect can be seen behind the taskbar and the sidebar when they are using Aero resources, but seems to be absent behind certain types of windows, unlike in build 4074.

It should be noted that two versions of the frames used by DWM exist within the system: a less transparent one, stored in  and loaded by default when using the Slate theme; and a more transparent one, stored in the   folder of   and loaded by default when using the Jade theme. After having turned DWM off, the next time it will be enabled it will use the less transparent frames found in  regardless of the theme used. After re-applying Jade theme or restarting theme service, DWM will use borders from   again.

This build features an earlier and buggy version of the extended glass frames seen in build 4074, and it is possible to enable them via the same  DWORD. Most of the times the extended glass frame will be displayed as a black solid color, other than making the navigation buttons and the address bar disappear or completely hiding the contents of folder. For getting extended Glass effects to work, at least one Explorer window has to be opened before DWM is started, and those effects cannot be applied if Explorer window is opened after DWM is started.

This is also the only available build able to render transparent notifications properly when DWM is enabled, as from build 4074 onwards a black solid color background appears behind them. It is possible to get transparent notifications to work in builds ranging from 4074 to 4093 as well, but a modified  file is required.

Last but not least, it is possible to enable what is commonly referred to as "Aero stars" by setting up a  DWORD, once again, like in build 4074. Disable the sidebar, unlock the taskbar and then merge the below values into the registry:

Aero taskbar and sidebar resources
The resources for the Aero taskbar and sidebar are present, but they cannot be normally used because the build is hardcoded to use the Slate ones. A modified version of the assembly is required in order to load the Aero resources. Once loaded, it can be seen how a bug makes the sidebar tiles draw the background of the sidebar a second time. It is also worthy of noticing how the text of the taskbar buttons shifts between black and white, depending on whether a window is in its normal or maximized state, in a similar fashion to the unleaked build 4050. Unlike in build 4074, it is not necessary to set up the  DWORD in order to get the transparent taskbar and sidebar; instead, DWM has to be started while Explorer is running and sidebar is enabled.

Other Aero resources
Along with Aero taskbar and sidebar resources, this build includes resources for Aero clock and Aero preview pane image resources plus gradients, which would be included, but never used in later pre-reset builds, thus also requires modifying.

SKU
This build's SKU oddly identifies itself in branding as Standard Server, while the true one being Enterprise Server.

Safe mode
Windows Explorer crashes in a loop by default under safe mode since the sidebar tiles are enabled by default. A prompt will appear titled "Desktop" and will ask to proceed to work in safe mode or start System Restore. Clicking either button will not perform any action and will bring up another exact prompt instead. The desktop will not appear with the prompt and Explorer may not launch. The only workaround is to remove all the sidebar tiles from the registry:


 * 1) Open the Registry Editor from Safe Mode with Command Prompt.
 * 2) Navigate to.
 * 3) Collapse the "Tiles" folder, and then remove all the sidebar tiles from the registry.

Additionally, when Windows Explorer is running in Safe Mode, clicking on Log Off from the start menu or initializing the Shut Down dialog box via Alt on the desktop with Safe Mode, it will bring up another exact prompt. So to log off, shut down, or restart, press the Ctrl key and then click on "Log Off", "Shut Down", or the ">" button for more options.

Ripe Field wallpaper
This build does actually include the same wallpaper which is used by default in Longhorn builds ranging from 4042 to 4067, although it is in JPEG format rather than BMP, and it is not installed by default. It is present in the  folder of the installation disc, under the file name of.

Windows Explorer
Windows Explorer ends up hanging and subsequently crashing pretty often in this build, most of the times when navigating between folders. Should this happen, make sure to kill the  process from the Task Manager and then proceed to restart.

Sidebar
It should be noted that the Basket, Contacts and Sync tiles do not work, the latter making  enter a crash loop: removing the tile via the registry is the only solution to solve the aforementioned problem. Moreover, tile flyouts do not work in this build, as clicking any tile ends up restarting Windows Explorer.

Start button
The Slate theme has its start button not displaying properly if the sidebar is enabled. This causes the start button to be less soft than in build 4042 to build 4053, and the hitbox does not reach all the way to the corner.

Installation

 * On some computers and virtualization software, setup cannot format the drive, as it results in an "Unknown Hard Error" bugcheck.
 * A clean install is highly recommended, but it is possible to upgrade to this build.
 * The title for every Setup Wizard's stage freezes at Regional and Language Options, or Installing Devices if the user presses the ⇧ Shift keys to invoke the installation progress window.

Upgrade

 * To upgrade to this build from build 4031 you must edit  in the i386 folder and ensure that  . Then you must replace the following files and directories with copies from the RTM build of Windows Server 2003:


 * If upgrading to this build, you will need to ensure that  does not exist in  . Leaving this file will cause a   bugcheck relating to this file, and rebooting will corrupt the registry, making it impossible to reboot back into setup.


 * On some machines, you will get stuck at the login screen as you are unable to press Ctrl To fix this:
 * 1) Boot into Safe Mode.
 * 2) Load up Task Manager.
 * 3) Go to file > New Task.
 * 4) Type in gpedit.msc
 * 5) Go to Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Local Policies > Security Options
 * 6) Find  and change it to enabled.
 * 7) Reboot the machine.


 * Logging in to this build may take several minutes after an upgrade.
 * There is a chance that setup could fail during an upgrade as  gets corrupted.