Windows 7 build 6730

Windows 7 build 6730 is a Milestone 3 build of Windows 7. It was originally uploaded to BetaArchive on 26 April 2011 and is currently only available as a WIM file. This is the earliest available build to store the minimum build number required for upgrading in.

Installation
This build is only available in WIM format (different format than the ones that are used in WinPE). You can either convert the WIM to VHD and mount it to a virtual machine, or apply the WIM to a partition of a virtual drive:


 * 1) Partition and format a blank virtual hard drive.
 * 2) Mount the drive and use  or   parameters to apply the WIM to the hard drive.
 * 3) Unmount the drive and install normally.

Attempting to install this build normally will result in an error while installing updates, possibly due to incorrect ACL permissions with one of the registry keys in the system hives.

Boot screen
A new boot screen is shown in this build. It is similar to the one found in build 6519 and 6608.

OOBE
The Out-of-box experience recieved slight changes. Most notably, at the end, the OOBE now automatically exits and redirects the user to the login screen.

OEM login screen wallpapers
This is the first available build of Windows 7 that has the ability to change the login screen wallpaper, which was especially made for OEMs. If making a custom login wallpaper yourself, the method is the exact same as that of the RTM release.

Windows Activation
Windows Activation now behaves like on Windows Vista Service Pack 1; all premium features (including Windows Aero) will remain functional and a dialog warning the user that the copy of Windows is not genuine will appear at periodic times, instead of booting into "reduced functionality mode" and an hourly system reboot.

User Interface

 * The start menu has been modified.
 * The start orb has now thicker borders and it is smaller.
 * The superbar style has been updated to resemble that of the RTM.
 * There is now an option in the taskbar properties dialog to configure the superbar (when enabled) to use smaller, "classic" sized buttons and icons. It is called "Use narrow taskbar" instead of "Use small taskbar buttons" as the RTM.
 * The Aero theme has been changed to a kind of hybrid between Vista and 7 style with Vista's glass texture instead of the 7 one seen in build 6608 and the white right and bottom borders like in builds 6568 and 6608.
 * Desktop Window Manager applies colorization differently, using a "color dodge" effect. This effect was removed from active windows in build 6780.
 * Show desktop plays DWM animations on windows being minimized and doesn't hide gadgets.
 * User Account Control dialogs now resemble the ones that are found in the RTM.

Windows Explorer
A small bar will appear in Explorer when performing a "typing scroll." This may be accessed when a user types keys after highlighting an item in the main section of an Explorer window.

Applications

 * Applications such as Paint and WordPad have been updated heavily.
 * Windows Defender uses a new background gradient.
 * Windows Movie Maker has been removed.

Internet Explorer 8
This build includes an early version of Internet Explorer 8.


 * An "emulate IE7" feature has been added.
 * The favorites bar has been added, which replaces the "Links" toolbar.
 * This is the earliest version of Internet Explorer to include developer tools.

Windows Media Player 12

 * Windows Media Player 12 setup has been updated with a new color scheme.
 * The use of Aero transparency has been reduced.

Desktop Window Manager
The Aero Peek function of this build is buggy. It may not show a window thumbnail and may frequently crash Explorer as well. To prevent crashing, avoid moving the mouse to the taskbar window thumbnail.

DWM is unstable on certain hypervisors and may crash upon certain events.

Breadcrumbs bar
The breadcrumbs bar is frequently sized incorrectly.

Theme metrics

 * The Windows Basic and Aero themes use the Tahoma font in most places rather than Segoe UI by default, due to [Metrics] section in theme file. Removing that section through Notepad may fix that quirk.
 * Also, the saved custom theme may use Windows Classic metrics and colors.