Windows Longhorn build 4042 (Lab06_n)

6.0.4042.Lab06_n.030909-1709
	Build of Windows Longhorn
OS family	Windows NT
Version number	6.0
Build number	4042
Architecture	x86
Build lab	Lab06_n
Compiled on	2003-09-09
Expiration date
Timebomb	2004-03-07 (+180 days)
SKUs
	Professional
Product key
	TCP8W-T8PQJ-WWRRH-QH76C-99FBW
About dialog

Windows Longhorn build 4042 (Lab06_n) is one of the first Milestone 7 builds of Windows Longhorn, which was shared on BetaArchive on 25 April 2011.^[1] Prior to its publication, Grabberslasher described the features of this build in his UX.Unleaked blog on 7 June 2008.^[2]

This build is notable for being the first build to introduce the Slate theme and Ripe Field wallpaper. It is also the last known build to allow a custom login screen background.

New features and changes[edit | edit source]

Boot screen[edit | edit source]

This build introduces a new boot screen, which features the "Windows Code Name Longhorn" wordmark written in the Segoe UI font and the Windows XP flag above it. The three progressing bars present in the progressbar are now also colored orange instead of blue, intended to match the Slate theme rather than the Plex theme.

The verbose boot screen now utilizes a color scheme of black and grey with light blue top and bottom lines, rather than the previous dark blue and light blue Windows XP Luna scheme. The Windows logo located in the top right corner has also been removed and simply replaced with the Longhorn wordmark.

User interface[edit | edit source]

Branding[edit | edit source]

The product name string no longer uses Pig Latin, and as a result, the same "Longhorn Professional" string as in build 4020 is now used.

Shell[edit | edit source]

The user interface has received a major overhaul, with the entirety of the system now utilizing the Slate theme, a replacement for the placeholder Plex theme. The Slate theme uses a gray-ish design throughout the operating system, although many parts of it still show traces of the older Plex theme, such as in the entirety of the Windows Setup, the "About Windows" dialog box, the "Longhorn Screen Saver" or in some Aero Wizards present in the operating system.

A new "Ripe Field" wallpaper is now set by default. As indicated by its name, it shows a ripe wheat field on a partly cloudy day.

Login screen[edit | edit source]

The login screen now uses a dark blue to light blue gradient background, the Slate theme and the Windows XP flag. Otherwise, the login screen uses the same design as previous builds.

Taskbar and Sidebar[edit | edit source]

It is no longer possible to move the sidebar to the top or bottom edge of the screen. Similarly, many sidebar tiles have also been removed in this build, and as a result, only the Classic Tray, Clock, People, Quick Launch, Slide Show and Sync tiles remain.

The context menu of tiles has been updated to match the Slate theme. Rather than using a blue top and bottom bar with content in the middle being on a gray background, the entire menu is now displayed on a light gray to dark gray gradient, along with the Options menu hidden in the top right corner.

The button located on the right-side of tiles has been removed and replaced with a triangle located in the top right corner. However, unlike the button, this triangle serves no purpose and is non functional.

The design of the Clock tile has been updated. The clock itself now uses a glossy, shiny glass effect and a blue second watch hand, and alongside the time, the current date is now also present and seperated by a comma. The context menu of said tile is now oriented horizontally rather than vertically, with each seperate month now having a respective calendar picture, rather than just a single picture of a field. Subsequently, the Alarm feature has been removed.

The Pause, Back and Forward buttons have been removed from the Slide Show tile. The option to launch this tile's settings menu has also been removed, and as a result, the tile will only cycle through pictures located in the My Pictures folder.

The Synchronize tile's context menu now features a gray-ish banner with the word "Synchronize". Below the banner is each item set to synchronize in the Sync Manager, along with progressbars underneath each item, meant to indicate when each individual item will finish syncing.

Start menu[edit | edit source]

All folders have had their "My" prefix dropped, excluding My Contacts and My Documents. The My Documents folder, while still accesible, now also has a Library counterpart named just "Documents".

Windows Explorer[edit | edit source]

Many preview banners have been updated to match the Slate theme. The My Computer banner utilizes a dark gray-blue gradient, the Games folder a light green gradient, the Documents/Folder banner a dark blue gradient with a picture of a document in the background, the Music banner a dark red gradient with two music notes in the background, the My Contacts banner an orange gradient with two MSN Messenger user icons in the background, and the Photos and Videos banner a purple gradient with an image of a photo and video tape in the background.

The "Carousel", "Panorama" and "3D View" view modes are now absent.

Aero Wizards[edit | edit source]

A Device Sync Setup wizard has been added, which can be opened by selecting the Properties option in the Sync Manager. The wizard asks the user if it should synchronize the displayed folders, and then quits.

A Order prints online wizard has also been added, which can be opened by selecting its respective task in the My Pictures folder or the Photos and Videos library. Although, this wizard is non-functional, and instead displays messages describing on how the feature is going to work, along with a "Coming Soon!" message.

Sticky Notes[edit | edit source]

A Sticky Notes application can be found inside the %windir%\WinSXS folder. Dragging any empty text file onto the application will launch it. The application supports typing, handwriting, resizing and colorization. In the Tools menu of the tab, the option to launch the "Options" menu is grayed out and the audio controls do not work either. If more than one sticky note is created, only one taskbar button will be present for all of them.

Buddy Matchmaker[edit | edit source]

This build of Longhorn introduces an early version of Buddy Matchmaker, a feature intended to allow users to play games with their Windows Messenger contacts. The version in this build is labeled as "Play A Game With Friends".