Windows Vista build 5259

Windows Vista build 5259 is a pre-Beta 2 build of Windows Vista, which was shared online along with a recompile on or before 30 November 2005.

Setup
The setup interface has been changed in this build, now using a window in the middle of the screen with a fake Aero border and Aero buttons, but the title bar is not transparent. A new aurora background for the Preinstallation Environment, first seen in build 5252, has been introduced in place of the older blue Windows logo graphic. An option to automatically activate Windows upon finishing setup has been added to the product key page. The disk partitioning section has also been slightly reorganized.

The second phase has been updated with the new wallpaper as well, however, it still retains the general look of the previous setup design iteration. The most notable change is that the progress bar in the bottom of the screen has been replaced with one similar to the first phase with numbers and labels marking each stage of the installation process.

This is also the first post-reset build with a WIM-based setup to feature an Out-of-Box Experience. Compared to the Windows XP version, the OOBE uses the Aero Wizard interface and includes pages for determining information that would have been determined during the second phase of Windows XP setup. The version included with this build is already very reminiscent of the version that shipped with RTM, although it uses the Tahoma font instead of Segoe UI and some graphical glitches are present.

The autorun program has been also updated with the new variation of the Windows flag, however, it is vertically stretched in this build. The window background has also been changed to a solid dark blue color.

Despite of the introduction of the new logo, the icon shown on the title bars of autorun, setup and OOBE is still the older one from 2001 and horizontally stretched in autorun and setup.

New features and changes

 * Applications that require elevated permissions upon launch will now open up a user account control dialogue once again, now looking more similar to that of the RTM.
 * The icon to report a bug on the desktop has been renamed to "Feedback".
 * Windows ReadyBoost has been introduced. It allows the user to use USB drives as virtual RAM drives.
 * Windows HotStart, a system that runs both a program and boots the OS at the same time by pushing a button, has been introduced.
 * This is the earliest available build to store the minimum build number required for upgrading in.
 * It is also the earliest available build to feature the Orb as the Start button, though this had been present long before this build's release - as early as build 5212 in various branches of Vista's development and build 5252 in the main branch.
 * The Windows Boot Manager now uses Lucida Console and runs in a much higher resolution, making it resemble the RTM. Also it now stores date in BCD (Boot Configuration Data) instead of.
 * The banner of classic Start menu now reads "Windows Vista™" instead of "Code Name "Longhorn"".

Windows AntiSpyware
Windows Antispyware has been introduced, based on a similar product by a company Microsoft acquired in 2004 and which would later be renamed to Windows Defender.

Windows Mail
Outlook Express 6 has been replaced with Windows Mail. Windows Mail comes with new in-app icons, except the app icon still resembles Outlook Express 6.

Migration Wizard
Migration Wizard now uses the fake Aero Glass window seen in the final setup interface. However, it throws out two asserts upon launch.

Help and Support Center
Help and Support Center has been reorganized in a much more efficient manner.

Windows Media Center
Windows Media Center has been updated quite a fair bit, now containing a much different layout.

Internet Explorer 7
Internet Explorer 7 dropped its bluish-purple accent in favor of a more grey look. The loading icon has improved in quality as well. Tabs now also have their own close button.

Windows Photo Gallery
Windows Digital Gallery has been renamed to Windows Photo Gallery with minor updates to it. Also, several features left from Digital Image Library have been removed.

Windows Calendar
"Publish to RSS" has been removed from Windows Calendar.

File Explorer
In File Explorer, many icons have been replaced and the ribbon color has been changed to a static blue-green gradient. Also with this build and later on, system folders are no longer hidden by default. With this, the functionality to hide/show system folders have been removed from Folder Properties as well. Also, new search filters have been introduced.

Control Panel

 * The gradient on the left sidebar has been changed to dark green to light green with the addition of the Windows logo as well.


 * System Properties has been overhauled with a new design and now opens inside the Control Panel window.
 * Another new applet called "Personalization" has been added. Various functionalities of Display Properties applet has been moved into this new page. Additionally, the sub-applet for changing the desktop wallpaper now opens inside Control Panel as well.
 * Ease of Access applet received an interface update with a new icon.
 * Windows Update has been completely redesigned as a Control Panel applet. Unlike previous versions of Windows, no dedicated HTML page exists for it.
 * A new applet called "Performance Center" as well, which would be known as "Performance Information and Tools" in the final version of Vista.
 * Auxiliary Displays has been renamed to Windows SideShow.
 * "AutoPlay" and "File and Printer Sharing" applets have been added.
 * User Accounts applet received major uplifts.

User interface
Hardware-accelerated Aero theme now resembles its RTM version more, with things such as buttons and drop-down menus now being updated to a less glossy style. Flip 3D also resembles its RTM version. The taskbar and start menu have received major updates, with the taskbar resembling that of the RTM as well. The taskbar now has a new icon in its quick launch section that was first seen in build 5252, which essentially initializes Flip3D, which means it isn't functional without DWM being utilized. The start menu is closer to resembling that of the RTM, but it still has a few differences. There is also now an option to change the color of the Aero theme.

Bugs

 * Certain applications such as Device Manager are not accessible via the Run prompt. In this case, an alternative route is Control Panel > System > Hardware > Device Manager.
 * This build tends to have stability issues, and can easily crash upon simple tasks, such as installing drivers and opening up applications. At worst, bluescreens can also occur.
 * The CPU may not be shown correctly in system properties.
 * Even if you don't have a floppy drive in your machine, a button for it may appear in File Explorer anyway.
 * Explorer may randomly crash at times.
 * The user is not able to create restore points. Thus, System Restore cannot be used in this build.

Installation

 * On some devices and virtual machines, the setup cannot partition the hard drive, requiring the usage of DiskPart. After using Diskpart to partition the hard drive, you must then restart the machine.

Build 4033

 * It is not possible to install or upgrade this build from build 4033 due to an assertion error.

Build 5000/5001

 * It is also not possible to install or upgrade this build from build 5000 and build 5001 due to setup.exe crashing.

Windows AntiSpyware
Time displays the 24-hour format but within indicating AM/PM.