Windows 8 build 7850

Windows 8 build 7850 is a build of Windows 8, which was originally uploaded to BetaArchive as an x86 Enterprise SKU version on 12 April 2011, then on 17 January 2015, an x64 version of this build was uploaded to the aforementioned website along with additional SKUs for both the x86 and x64 architectures and its server counterpart. It is the earliest known x86 available build of Windows 8.

Due to its earliness, many areas still say "Windows 7" and the kernel version is still 6.1 (much like the earlier builds 7700, 7746 and 7814).

Redpill
The 2 March 2020 build of Redlock unlocks various features in this build. Its Metro interface is almost identical to the previous build. For unknown reasons, the Start screen has a yellow-orange background in debug compilations of this build instead of the white background seen in free compiles.

Other features include:


 * Support for 32-bit UEFI boot
 * Support for booting from an exFAT partition
 * 4K Native logical sector boot
 * Hybrid boot

General

 * On some machines, it is not possible to install this build due to a  bugcheck.
 * Some graphics drivers may prevent the system from booting and will result in an  bugcheck.

Installation

 * On some machines, it is not possible to upgrade to this build due to an error when booting into the OOBE.
 * The messages shown when the setup is starting or restarting the computer are cut off.
 * The original upload of this build from 2011 is bundled with the Windows 7 RTM pre-installation environment.
 * Setup may hang when restarting after the hardware portion. Resetting the machine will fix the problem.

Desktop Window Manager

 * The Windows Basic and the High Contrast themes do not properly render due to the enforcement of the DWM Aero theme.

Explorer

 * Changing the date has a chance of crashing the Explorer shell.
 * Using Desktop Gadgets significantly slows the OS down.

Timebomb
This build contains a non-functional timebomb and as a result can be installed on the current date.

Windows Aero
The Aero functionalities do not work on VMware Workstation versions 14.0 and above due to changes that are incompatible with the graphics stack.