Windows 95 build 90c

4.00.90c
	Build of Windows 95
OS family	Windows 9x
Version number	4.00
Build number	90
Build revision	c
Architecture	x86
Compiled on	1994-03-29
Product key
Beta Site ID	140743
Password	d8f20fe0a
About dialog

Windows 95 build 90c is an internal Milestone 6 build of Windows 95, which was originally leaked by Dark Lord of warez group SCOTCH on 14 April 1994 and considered lost, but was later found and uploaded to BetaArchive by Battler on 17 November 2017.^[1] It is a re-compile of builds 90 and 90b, based on the letter following the build number. In general, this build has a very similar feature set to build 89e, including all of the bugs from the previous build.

New features and changes[edit | edit source]

This build includes an application to play CD Audio. It can be run via PLAYCDA.EXE, but it fails to load due to insufficient memory.
The Games folder has been moved to inside the Accessories folder.

Setup[edit | edit source]

Setup now features an option to recover the setup process when launching it after a crash. This would later evolve into SmartRecovery and then into Safe Recovery.
On the "Customize" page, the "Select directory" button has been moved to a new "Advanced.." page.
The final message has been changed to prompt the user to remove all floppy disks from the floppy drives.
The "User Information" page has the company field filled out with "Microsoft Corp. (Build90)". There is now also a "Product Identification Number", also being filled out by a string of letters.

Windows 94 and 4.0 references[edit | edit source]

This is the only known build of Microsoft Chicago that includes a reference to Windows 94.^[2] A dialog used by setup mentioning Windows 94 was discovered by the BetaArchive member Lucas Brooks. This find is interesting as the first build to use Windows 95 branding was build 189, which was compiled six months after build 90c.

This find also suggests Chicago was planned to be called Windows 94 in the first part of 1994. It's also possible this was one of a few final names considered at the time. This Windows 94 reference was already replaced by Chicago in the next build.

Dialogue with Windows 94

In addition to this, there is also a Windows 4.0 reference. When creating an emergency boot disk, setup will prompt the user to label the disk as "Windows 4.0 Emergency Boot Disk".

Bugs and quirks[edit | edit source]

Setup[edit | edit source]

Due to missing files, there will be two errors that a file could not be copied during setup; one of them being SERVICES.INI. They can be safely skipped in order to allow setup to continue. This does not apply for some copies.
After system detection, an error will appear that Windows Help could not be initialized.
It is currently not possible to upgrade to this build due to an error appearing after system detection. Clicking on OK will exit setup.
This is the first build where the setup does not initialize from an existing Windows installation. It is possible that this block was implemented due to setup still being buggy when launching it from there. It was removed temporarily in the official Beta 1 and permanently in build 267.

File differences[edit | edit source]

The following files have been introduced or removed compared to build 89e:

Added files
Name	Description	Version
GENERAL.IDF
MSADLIB.IDF
PLAYCDA.EXE	Play CD Audio Tracks	4.00
SSFLYWIN.SCR	Flying Windows screen saver	4.00.90
SSMARQUE.SCR
SSMYST.SCR	Mystify screen saver	4.00.90
SSSTARS.SCR	Stars screen saver	4.00.90

Removed files
Name	Description	Version
DIGITALV.MCI	DV-MCI Command Table	4.00
FLYWIN.SCR	Flying Windows screen saver	4.00.89
IMAADPCM.ACM	IMA ADPCM CODEC for MSACM	4.00
MARQUEE.SCR	Marquee screen saver	4.00.89
MSADPCM.ACM	Microsoft ADPCM CODEC for MSACM	4.00
MSG711.ACM	Microsoft CCITT G.711 (A-Law and u-Law) CODEC for MSACM	4.00
MSGSM610.ACM	Microsoft GSM 6.10 Audio CODEC for MSACM	4.00
MYSTIFY.SCR	Mystify screen saver	4.00.89
SERVICES.INI
STARS.SCR	Stars screen saver	4.00.89
VCR.MCI	MCI VCR Command Set	4.00