Windows 8 build 7989

Windows 8 build 7989 is a Milestone 3 build of Windows 8, which was originally released on 18 June 2011 in the x64 architecture, then on 8 February 2020, an x86 checked/debug version of it was uploaded to BetaArchive.

The unmodified version of the AMD64 architecture's ISO image was later found on 19 June 2022.

Unlike in build 7985, the "Welcome" text on the boot screen is still as small as in the fbl_core1_kernel_npc compile of build 7973.

Redpill
When the "Share" button from the charms bar is clicked, a cat image called  is created in the   folder, with text saying "U can haz no pix. GIMME FISH" along with a bug ID at the bottom. The text is most likely a reference to the strict Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) that existed during Windows 8's development, implying that no images of the operating system can be shared.

Compatibility
To install or run this build in VMware Workstation, you must set the hardware compatibility to version 8.x or below; otherwise, a partially garbled system crash message will occur which will say "Your computer needs to restart. Please hold down the power button", with error code 0x0000001E or 0x0000000A. This error would occur right when the system kernel takes over the startup process but immediately crashes.

EFI
The x64 version of this build (2011 leak) appears to not support hardware with EFI, due to being bundled with a  file from x86 version of Windows 7 build 7600. To try and solve this, copy  into an x64 installation disc of build 7600 or 7601, or deploy the image through DISM. Note that this fix might not work for some UEFI configurations.

Start screen

 * When enabling Redpill, the start screen may appear to be empty.
 * Similar to build 7985, you have the option to "uninstall" the desktop from the Start screen.

Aero Glass in Starter and Home Basic
This build automatically enables Aero Glass transparency even when installing the Starter or Home Basic SKUs, which is not supported by default. However, changing the color scheme (visual style) to another one and then back to the default one will disable Aero Glass.

Redpill
In this build's x64 compile (2011 leak) the  file that is installed by default does not work with this build and will result in a broken system if redpilled. To fix this, run the following command in a command prompt and reboot before running Redlock: