Windows Vista

Windows Vista (codenamed Longhorn) is an operating system by Microsoft, released to manufacturing on 8 November 2006 and general availability on 30 January 2007. It is the seventh operating system in the Windows NT operating system line, succeeding Windows XP and preceding Windows 7. It also had one of the longest development periods in Microsoft's history starting in May 2001 and continuing until November 2006.

Look and feel

 * Windows Vista introduced Windows Aero, Desktop Window Manager and Flip 3D which replaced Luna.


 * Aero Glass supports adjusting the frame transparency, hue and saturation.


 * Aero Basic's also introduced which doesn't use DWM.


 * Start Menu, Windows Explorer, notification dialogs and many more have been redesigned.


 * Windows Vista also introduced Segoe UI, the new main display font for Windows (it still is today).

Applications
Windows Vista introduced new and updated apps:


 * Windows Movie Maker has a new look, includes more transitions and effects (Direct3D-based) and received Xbox 360 playback support.
 * Windows DVD Maker, a DVD creation app, has been introduced.
 * Windows Media Player has been updated to version 11. It has a new look.
 * Windows Mail replaced Outlook Express with a new look, it now uses Phishing Filter like IE7 does and has introduced few more features.
 * Windows Media Center has been redesigned with transparent UI elements.
 * Windows Photo Gallery replaced Windows Picture and Fax Viewer from Windows XP.
 * Windows Calendar, making the first version of Windows to have a native calendar app since Windows 3.1.
 * Windows Sidebar (originated from early builds of Longhorn, but in a separate process)
 * Windows Defender (Based on AntiSpyware)
 * Windows Contacts (Replaced Address Book)
 * Windows Meeting Space has replaced NetMeeting.
 * Windows Fax and Scan has replaced Fax Services.
 * Windows Easy Transfer, a data migration app (formerly known as Migration Wizard).
 * New games: Purble Place, Mahjong Titans, Chess Titans and DirectX-based other Windows games (Solitaire, Minesweeper, Spider Solitaire and Hearts).
 * Sticky Notes, Windows Journal, Tablet PC Input Panel and Inkball have been ported from Windows XP Tablet PC Edition. The Windows Journal has got a new look.
 * Snipping Tool has been ported from Microsoft PowerToys for Windows XP Tablet PC Edition. It has got a new look.
 * Paint has been updated with redesigned icons and improved zooming capabilities.
 * Internet Explorer has received tabs, RSS feed and Phishing Filter features.
 * Sound Recorder now uses the WMA file format to save recordings instead of the WAV format (it was reverted back in Windows 10).

Windows Genuine Advantage
Windows Genuine Advantage replaced Windows Product Activation. WGA reduces OS functionality after 30 days of no activation (only in RTM) and disables all premium features (such as DWM and Premium Games). After Service Pack 1, the user is able to use the operating system with no reduced functionality, but the wallpaper will turn black after an hour of waiting.

Windows Genuine Advantage was later implemented in Windows XP, with the same functionality in Windows Vista SP1. In Windows XP, it displays a watermark saying that the copy of Windows is not genuine with the WGA logo and with the title saying "You may be a victim of software counterfeiting.". In Windows Vista, it displays the desktop watermark with the version and the build number, saying "This copy of Windows is not genuine". It would last until Windows 7 and very early builds of Windows 8.

Internet Explorer exploit
The user is able to bypass the reduced functionality mode with Internet Explorer, and then running,  , or. After running one of the processes, run  as administrator and then run.

Windows Ultimate Extras
This add-on pack included extra games (Tinker and HoldEm), extra sound schemes, new MUI packs, Windows Dreamscene and couple of BitLocker and Windows Marketplace related stuff for only Windows Vista Ultimate.

I/O-related

 * Windows ReadyBoost
 * Windows ReadyDrive
 * SuperFetch and ReadyBoot
 * Updated Offline Files capabilities.
 * Transactional NTFS
 * Shadow Copy
 * exFAT file system support
 * Folder Redirection
 * Previous Versions (Folder Properties)

Windows Firewall

 * IPv6 filtering
 * Outbound packet filtering
 * Windows Firewall with Advanced Security (MMC snap-in

Other new features

 * Sync Center.
 * Windows Boot Manager (BOOTMGR).
 * Windows SideShow
 * Windows HotStart
 * Windows Mobility Center
 * User Account Control
 * Internet Information Server 7.0
 * Welcome Center
 * Games Explorer
 * Backup and Restore Center
 * AutoPlay
 * Startup Repair
 * Problem Reports and Solutions
 * Windows Installer 4.0
 * Windows System Assessment Tool
 * WIM Deployment Format
 * Reliability Monitor
 * BitLocker
 * Parental Controls
 * .NET Framework 3.0 (WinFX)

Other removed features

 * Many File Explorer features have been removed such as Tip of the Day and the ability to hide system folders.
 * 3D Pinball Space Cadet
 * Search Companion
 * Desktop Cleaning Wizard
 * Web Publishing Wizard
 * Ability to perform a case sensitive search in Search interface
 * Windows Media Player 6.4
 * Video for Windows.
 * Active Desktop
 * You can no longer install Windows on a FAT partition.
 * NTLDR booting

Development
The "Longhorn" project started in earnest in May 2001, originally intended as a bridging release between Whistler and the later version of Windows codenamed Blackcomb. As development progressed, many features slated for Blackcomb became part of Longhorn, and employees jumped ship from other parts of the company. As development progressed before the reset, Longhorn became a heavily bloated and unstable piece of vaporware, with release dates being pushed back on several occasions. The first build to leak publicly was build 3683, which contained a new theme and also the foundations for Windows Future Storage (aka WinFS) and Avalon (the codename for the Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) framework) - the development of which began on or before April 2001 based on dates in the WPF components of the .NET 4.5.1 Reference Source.

Stability increasingly became an issue as development progressed, and very few builds were publicly released as a result. Only two builds were distributed at conferences and to developers: build 4051 and build 4074. The last known confirmed build from before the development reset is build 4093. At 16:29 on 19 August 2004, (the same day as the compilation of 4093), Microsoft reset the development of Windows Longhorn and started fresh using Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 as a codebase, starting the Omega-13 period. Immediate post-reset builds were primarily focused on reintegrating features from the pre-reset builds while maintaining stability. Most of these builds are similar to Windows XP in the overall look and feel. Few builds from this stage of development have been released, officially or otherwise. Development of Longhorn continued, albeit many features originally slated for inclusion were delayed or dropped to produce a more realistic set of goals for the OS. Examples of said features include WinFS, "Castle" (later shipped in Windows 7 as HomeGroup) and what would become Windows PowerShell.

In April 2005, a pre-beta build was released to testers (build 5048). This build showed the progress made since the reset and also proved much more stable than previous builds. Build 5112 (Beta 1) was released to the public soon afterward in July and showcased an early version of the Aero interface, as well as many stability improvements over XP. Later that year and the next year, many builds were released to testers in a public beta program, with builds dubbed as "Community Technology Previews" (CTPs). The final build that was pushed out to public preview testers was Release Candidate 2 (build 5744). The RTM build was build 6000.16386, compiled on 8 November 2006.

Editions
Windows Vista came in many editions. Unlike Windows XP, there was no special edition for Media Center and 64-bit capability, since these features were included in at least one of the consumer editions. Windows Vista also did not have an embedded version, perhaps due to the considerable grunt required to run optimally.


 * Starter: This edition is intended for emerging markets and low-cost PCs. As in XP, the three-program limit was there, and only 1GB RAM was accepted. Other software restrictions applied as well. This version is hence not available in 64-bit.
 * Home Basic: Found in low cost to mid-end, this version of Windows Vista does not fully have Aero (though it has DWM) and hence does not have effects like transparency and 3D Flip. Windows Media Center is also not present in this edition. Parental Controls are included, however. Unlike the Starter edition, it does not have the hardware and 3-program limit.
 * Home Premium: The consumer version of Windows Vista, this version includes full Aero functionality and Windows Media Center. It also includes Premium Games (eg - InkBall).
 *  Business: The business-oriented version of Windows Vista, it contains several features like full RDP (client/host) capability, Group Policy, and domain joinability. However, Windows Media Center and Parental Controls are not included, and Premium Games are disabled by default.
 * Ultimate: The top consumer variant of Windows Vista, it is a merger of the features included Windows Vista Home Premium and Business. BitLocker is included in this version.
 * Enterprise: The business variant of Windows Vista. It is similar to Ultimate, but without Windows Media Center and includes enterprise-specific tools.

Myths and legends
No build of Windows Vista (including pre-reset) used or even included the widespread sound scheme that appears in several fanmade Longhorn or Vista themes, which was actually a sound scheme titled "Deep Fantasy", commercially available on NEO Sounds, a stock sound/music website in the 2000s. The Windows XP sounds remain and are used in all pre-reset builds, with a few being swapped with Vista sounds between builds builds 5469 and 5840.16384.

The alleged Windows Vista Beta 1 startup is actually  used in the Speech Recognition tutorial in build 5308.6 and onwards. Likewise, the alleged Windows Vista Beta 2 startup is actually a jingle used in Vista Beta 2 Help video outros.

Development reset
These builds are also referred to as Omega-13 builds.