Windows 95 build 34

Windows Chicago Build 34 is one of the earliest confirmed builds of Windows 95. It is mentioned in  from later Chicago builds (e.g. 58s, 73g, etc.).

''PLEASE NOTE: Some information below is based on observations from the video and speculation. Therefore it should be treated as such, rather than fact, in relation to early development of Chicago.''

system.ini, Boot, "shell="   ,"shell=mergereg.exe" system.ini, 386Enh, "device=?Pcommdrvr.386" system.ini, 386Enh, "device=?Pw3_prtcl.386" system.ini, 386Enh, "device=?Pxon_xoff.386" system.ini, 386Enh, "device=?Pcts_rts.386" system.ini, 386Enh, "network=vbrowse.386" system.ini, 386Enh,"cachepages=" system.ini, 386Enh,"device=regvxd.386" system.ini, Boot,,"scrnsave.exe=stressme.scr"
 * Nagaras MergeReg.exe as the shell
 * Remove these as of build 34. Were reverting back to Win 3.1 Comm support.
 * Remove these as of build 34. Were reverting back to Win 3.1 Comm support.

The file also contains the following line:


 * !:README.EF     removed for M32 external release. MC.

is a remnant of previous Chicago builds, together with,  ,   and. It gives a pretty good insight into the installation process of pre-58s builds. These files indicate that early Chicago setup was merely a rebranded Windows 3.1x setup and did not include major changes or new features. The new setup was likely introduced as part of M4 stage.

Early leaked builds also include the old Windows 3.1x-like bootscreen,, which is also a leftover from previous builds and may have been used in build 34.

Antitrust documents
Microsoft Antitrust document PX05549 claims there was an early PDK from M3 stage sent to 40 ISVs in March 1993. The build supposedly had "Win32s level support for 32-bits" and lacked the new shell (Chicago Shell/Explorer). According to PX05651, "M3 prebeta MS release" was made on 22nd January 1993. The first PDK release, mentioned above, is now referred to as "M32" and was released on 8th March 1993, according to the document.

Judging by the information gathered from  and the antitrust documents, it appears build 34 could be the M3/M32 external release from early March 1993 that was sent to a few people, which means it would be likely be compiled in February or early March 1993.

YouTube video
There is also a video claiming to show this build by user George Wolfowitz. As this build remains unleaked, the authenticity of the video can't be confirmed. Some observations from the video:


 * "Personal" and "Programs" folders on the desktop are only links to these folders
 * The help start menu icon is from build 58s, but the computer icon is still there
 * Help menu is missing some items
 * The bootscreen shown is SYSLOGO.RLE, also found in later builds
 * "About Chicago" dialog displays user and company information (unlike build 58s)
 * Controls.sys titlebar icon is different
 * 3 control panel item are missing while some others have different icons

Fake screenshots
Several screenshots of this build were posted by betaguy224 but they were proven to be fake by the [Usability Testing Builds] video.