Document:Windows XP build 2428 release notes

Interim Build 2428 is available for download We are pleased to announce availability of Microsoft(R) Windows(R) 'Codename' Whistler interim build 2428 for electronic download. We are excited to preview in build 2428 the new visual themes that will ship with this new version of Windows. These new visual themes are the result of an intensive research project on usability and represent a vibrant new look for Windows. This new Whistler theme results in increased usability and productivity in both home and business environments. Microsoft has recently announced that the official product name for Whistler will be Windows xp. However the code name "Whistler" will continue to be used in the product code until after Beta 2. Whindows xp is the next release of the Windows operating system for both consumers and corporate users, based on Windows 2000 technology. This build will NOT be made generally available on CD. PRODUCT KEYS 

Microsoft Windows Whistler requires a product key to complete installation. Each Technical Beta ID will be issued a unique product key for their use in testing Windows Whistler. If you have not yet gotten your assigned product key, log on to http://windowsbeta.microsoft.com/support/key.asp. The product key previously issued to you should be used to install Whistler build 2428. This product key can be used to install all editions of Whistler (e.g. Personal, Professional, Server, and Advanced Server). This product key is assigned to you and should be used by you only (or only your designated representatives if you are a corporate site). Your product key is a representation of your Technical Beta privileges. You may lose your Technical Beta privileges if your product key is published on an Internet site or otherwise becomes publicly available.

Dos and Don'ts about Product Keys:
 * Do save your product key in a safe place.
 * Do be responsible for the security of your assigned product key.
 * Do use the same product key when upgrading to a newer Whistler build.
 * Don't share your Product Keys with others (except designated representatives in corporate testing situations).

WINDOWS PRODUCT ACTIVATION

Microsoft requests that you activate your installations of the operating system so that we may obtain adequate testing of the functionality. For testing purposes in build 2428, there is a registry key that will disable activation. If you are unable to activate build 2428 (as may be the cases in countries outside of the US for machines that do not have an Internet connection), you may use this to prevent activation. We ask that you avoid using this except in an emergency and that you inform us of your need to use it, so that we can improve product activation. This key will not be available in future builds, including Beta 2.

The registry key is: "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Activation Required"

Activation can be accomplished via two different connection methods: Internet and telephone. The Customer service center supporting telephone activations for the US and Canada is currently operational. If you are not within the US or Canada, Microsoft recommends that you only install build 2428 on a machine that has Internet connectivity. Customer service centers supporting telephone activations for other countries will be available with Beta 2.

You may install Whistler on as many PCs as your End User License Agreement (EULA) allows. Please see your EULA for exact details.

For beta, the grace period by which you must activate is set to 14 days. For RTM, it will be 30 days as previously stated.

Please use the ".beta.whistler.product-activation" newsgroup to post any problems or technical questions pertaining to product activation.

INTERIM BUILD

This is an interim build we are releasing for ongoing development efforts. Microsoft does not recommend that you install this build. This is an "external test release interim build" provided primarily for hardware and software developers to use in lab test environments to verify recent code fixes and application and device compatibility with the upcoming Beta 2 release. If your connection to the Internet is such that you can download a build of this size, you are welcome to download, install and report any critical problems to us as soon as possible. However, this release is interim developmental code between standard release milestones. As such, much work is in-progress and many features may not be fully functional. In addition, this release has not been fully tested to the same level as a full external beta release. This build may not be as stable or reliable as a beta milestone release. It may contain fixes and improvements in some areas while it may have new problems in other areas that we will address prior to Beta 2. You are welcome to install and try this build at your own risk, recognizing these limitations. This build may in fact work better in some cases for a limited set of beta users. If you have dedicated test machines, we encourage you to try this build out. If you do have the opportunity to download and install this build, please use the regular bug reporting and newsgroups to provide us with feedback and issues as soon as possible so that we have the opportunity to address key new issues prior to the broader Beta 2 release. Also, please complete an install survey for this build once you have installed it. (http://windowsbeta.microsoft.com/Survey/Install_Survey.asp) You are not required to download or install this build as a part of the Whistler beta test. Interim builds are provided on an as-is basis for hardware and software developers, and for those beta testers that are interested in interim build updates. Special notes on this release: 


 * This release is not Beta 2. Most of the artwork and help files in the product have already been updated in preparation for Beta 2, but again, this is not Beta 2.
 * This build will not be available on CD. The download files are only available as CD image files (.ISO)
 * You can:
 * Use many third-party CD burning applications to burn this as a CD (refer to the individual product documentation on how to do this)
 * Use our VCD program to "mount" the CD image as virtual CDROM
 * See the VCD quick start at http://windowsbeta.microsoft.com/documentation/vcd.asp
 * Use a third party program to extract the contents of the \i386 directory to a local hard drive and run setup from there.
 * This release will initially be available in Personal and Professional versions only. We will alsobe releasing interim builds of Advanced Server within the next week.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Please note this release is provided in an effort to facilitate your development and test initiatives only. As this is a limited interim release, it is provided as is, and unsupported except via online beta newsgroups. We recommend that you install this build on a test machine at your own risk. This build will expire 180 days after initial installation is complete. **IMPORTANT: Upgrading Previous Whistler Builds

Do not use this build to upgrade any previous Whistler builds. If you upgrade over a previous Whistler build, a number of features and applications may not work correctly. However, you may upgrade Windows 9x, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows NT Version 4.0 and Windows 2000, or you may perform a clean installation. LICENSE CONDITIONS

Review the online pre-release license agreements carefully before proceeding with the installation of this build. By installing this release, you agree to the terms and conditions of these agreements. As a reminder, all pre-release licenses expire when the product becomes commercially available. The full CD image *.iso files for download from this location include:
 * Windows Whistler Personal Build 2428
 * Windows Whistler Professional Build 2428

Coming soon (in the next few days)
 * Windows Driver Development Kit Build 2428
 * Platform SDK Build 2428
 * Windows Customer Support Diagnostics Build 2428
 * Windows Whistler Advanced Server Build 2428

Using the WindowsBeta Build Download tool


 * Register with WindowsBeta at http://windowsbeta.microsoft.com/ by logging in with your Microsoft Passport.
 * If you do not have a Passport, you can get one for free by following the links from WindowsBeta. Once logged in with your Passport ID you will be prompted for your Microsoft BetaID.
 * After logging in with your BetaID, the contact information we have for you will be displayed. Please take a moment to verify this contact information and click "Submit".
 * You are now registered to use WindowsBeta.
 * Follow the link under the "Downloads" menu to download the build.
 * Please note: You must use a Win32 based operating system (Windows 9x, Me, NT or 2000). We do not currently have clients for alternate operating systems. If you do not have access to one of the above operating systems to download the build, please email winbsite@microsoft.com for additional instructions.
 * Find the content you wish to download in the left hand content menu.
 * Click on the plus signs to expand the tree. Click on the links to display the related content.
 * Click on the file name to download
 * If this is the first time you have used the system on this computer, you will be prompted to accept the File Transfer Manager application which will quickly download and be install on your system before launching itself to download your requested content.

Please report issues or send feedback on the file transfer system to our WindowsBeta administration alias: winbsite@microsoft.com. We do not currently plan on making this build of Whistler available for download via FTP. An on-line version of this document may be found at http://windowsbeta.microsoft.com/howto.asp

Thank you in advance for your participation. Sincerely, Microsoft Windows Whistler Product Team

The following general release notes document a few of the issues you may hit installing or using build 2428. This is by no means a comprehensive list.
 * "Net use * \\server\some-folder" may fail on this build. Workaround is to do a "net use z: /d" to release the z: drive letter (even if it doesn't show as specifically used) or specify actual drive letter.   This is fixed in newer builds.
 * If you have Office 10 prior to RC1 installed, ActiveSync may fail to work. Workaround is to upgrade your Office 10 to RC1 or newer.
 * If you have any of the following laptops, setup may hang. You should wait for the next interim build if you have one of these machines.
 * Toshiba Satellite 2210
 * Toshiba Portégé 7200
 * Compaq Armada M300
 * If you upgrade from Windows 2000 preinstalled SONY VAIO laptops, you will lose functionality of SONY utilities. We are working on fixes for future build.  You will regain those features back, once we have fix in place.
 * If you have an error message during setup about a failure to register eventcls.dll, you should try unplugging your network cable and rerunning setup. We have seen this with machines directly connected to the Internet (DSL and Cable) during setup. This has been fixed in newer builds.

For ia64 users only:
 * If you dual-boot your Itanium with multiple copies of Whistler, you must upgrade your primary partition with a build >= 2428 first. Do this before attempting to install 2428 IDW to the second partition. If you try to install into the second partition before upgrading the primary partition, setup will fail to boot into text mode setup.