Windows Longhorn build 4084

Windows Longhorn build 4084 is a Milestone 7 build of Windows Longhorn. The full build was uploaded to BetaArchive on 16 October 2011. Previously, only the Preinstallation Environment of this build was available.

Microsoft realized that in its current form, Longhorn was not feasible, so many features were removed and were scheduled to be added in subsequent versions of the operating system. This build, along with other builds bearing the 408x branch, are a result of that decision. This build is mostly componented and only includes a few features, running at the bare minimum working configuration.

Fixes

 * The Sounds control panel applet is now present again.
 * Device Manager is able to install or update drivers again, (unlike builds from 4081 to 4083).

Installation

 * As typical of builds in this build range, it tends to take a long time to install and can be unstable.


 * Partition and format a drive from a previous or later build prior to starting installation.

No mouse driver in WinPE
On some computers and virtualizers, the WinPE doesn't support the mouse, so you must use the keyboard to navigate the WinPE. This seems to be related to using a PS/2 mouse, as USB mice seems to work fine for the setup.

Upgrade
Attempting to upgrade from other builds is not possible, causing either of these 2 things:


 * 1) A bugcheck with error code 0x7E after the second reboot. This is commonly observed when trying to upgrade from non-componentized builds, such as 4074 (via a registry tweak that reports it as a componentized build).
 * 2) An error while copying files.

WordPad
WordPad does not start, as it will display with  instead.

Outlook Express
Outlook Express does not start due to registry errors and certain dependencies on WinFS.

Themes

 * The Windows Classic theme will not function due to a broken  file.

Explorer

 * CD and DVD drives behave like local disks.
 * Help and Support crashes Explorer.
 * Explorer will crash after adding the display tile in sidebar and won't launch again. A workaround is to create a new account via cmd.

Control Panel

 * Hardware and Devices folder does not open.
 * Task Scheduler from Control Panel shows a nameless folder and generic folder icon.
 * By default, the Phone and Modem Options Control Panel applet name is empty.
 * Computer Management displays script errors due to missing registry entries.

Graphics
Enable VGA Mode after installing video drivers or the system will result in a blue screen of death with a error code.

Windows Product Activation
Windows Product Activation is missing.

Safe mode
The Safe mode is completely broken and results in a bugcheck with code 0x7B. This is because the  key, located in    is largely incomplete and missing a lot of entries. Restoring the key from a build with working safe mode enables this build to boot in safe mode, but the display is not initialized properly which leads to no video output (which is seen as a black screen).