Windows XP build 2410 (main)

Windows XP build 2410 (main) is a pre-Beta 2 build of Windows XP, which was released to testers on 4 January 2001.

Changes from build 2296

 * Changed all references of "Beta 1" to "Beta 2" in setup.
 * Unlike previous builds and even build 2416, a product key is required during installation.
 * Support for VESA BIOS extensions has been introduced in the built-in VGA driver, which enables high color and true color modes without additional drivers as long as a VBE-compatible graphics adapter is present. This also means that the Setup and Safe Mode are running in the highest color depth supported.
 * Several applications have been updated, such as Internet Explorer is updated to 6.0 beta 2 (which calls itself 6.0 rather than 5.60 in the about box), Windows Media Player 8 (as included in the RTM) and Windows Messenger 3. System Restore from build 2267 is enabled by default and can be found in the Start Menu.
 * Paint can now save files as other formats besides bitmap, such as PNG and JPEG.
 * A new ZIP extractor is included, which can allow the user to extract ZIP-compressed files.
 * The "Whistler" wallpaper first seen in build 2267 is set by default.
 * The Professional theme has been renamed to Watercolor.
 * The Sample Test Visual Style has been added, which is available in two variants called Chartreuse Mongoose and Blue Lagoon. They are slightly buggy though, and have rendering problems with some applications like Solitaire.
 * New icons, which would later be shipped with the final version, have been introduced.
 * A new setup autorun is used, which is now full screen and resemblant to the final design in Windows XP.
 * The OOBE has been updated. Merlin now properly works again and guides the user through the OOBE, although he has placeholder text "Some temporary string here" on some areas. The OOBE will prompt the user to activate Windows and connect to the internet.

Windows Product Activation
This build is currently the earliest build to have some form of Windows Product Activation to be added or mentioned. Besides its page in the OOBE, it also has a new application that when open, requests the user to activate their copy of Windows. The Windows Product Activation application can be open by executing. When open, the user can move onto the next page for the telephone method to activate Windows. Windows Product Activation is not fully implemented, as the timer for it does not tick down, so this build can still be used after the stated 30 days. It wouldn't be until build 2428 that a working Windows Product Activation would be included.

Start Page
Unlike other Whistler builds that came before and after, this is the only build to contain a functional Start Page. It is mapped to the Start button, so pressing on it will create a new instance of the Start Page. To access the regular Start menu, just press on the Start button while holding down Shift. To enable the Start Page, create a text document through Notepad with the following values to save with a .reg extension:

Open the file and then click on "Yes" and "OK" respectively on the message boxes that appear afterwards.

File differences
The following files have been introduced or removed compared to build 2296 Professional:

Bugs

 * Task Manager in this build has visual glitches if Watercolor and Sample Test Visual Style visual styles is used.
 * If the Lernout & Hauspie TTS Voices are not installed, Merlin might not talk on the OOBE.