Windows Longhorn build 4048

6.0.4048.idx02.030925-1900
	Build of Windows Longhorn
OS family
Architecture	x86
Compiled	2003-09-25
Timebomb	2004-03-23 (+180 days)
Works in
About
SKUs
	Professional
Key
	TCP8W-T8PQJ-WWRRH-QH76C-99FBW

Windows Longhorn build 4048 is a Milestone 7 build of Windows Longhorn. On 23 January 2020, this build was listed on a thread by UX.Unleaked blog founder Grabberslasher to be released to the BetaArchive FTP server, and was released in the third set of his 33 Longhorn/Vista builds on 26 January 2020, alongside multiple compiles of build 5000 and build 5001.^[1] The shared ISO image is incomplete, hence parts of install.wim as well as all files below it are missing. As of 2023, the complete ISO of this build has yet to be found.

File Recovery[edit | edit source]

The first two indexes (WinPE) of install.wim survived and the third index (Longhorn) got partially cut off. The file table is missing due to it being at the very end of the image, however it is possible to reconstruct the file table based on 4051's. The metadata resource of the first two indexes are intact, hence information such as attributes and timestamps is available. The third index is missing a good portion of compressed data and all of its metadata resource, so recovered files do not contain any (valid) metadata. Community member lucasm published a patched install.wim with a reconstructed file table and metadata resource for the third index based on 4051's install.wim on 31 December 2021.

Installation[edit | edit source]

Currently, the only way of installing this build is by copying the recovered files from the third index of install.wim onto a partition with build 4042 (Lab06_n) pre-imaged. Second stage setup will then finish with the 4048 files and you will get a single-use installation of build 4048. You will not be able to log on anymore once you reboot or log off, so it is suggested that you make a backup, or if you are using a hypervisor, a snapshot before the second stage setup.

An I386 repack with files taken from build 4051 is also possible, however you will encounter many driver prompts during installation due to the catalog files being missing, but it will still allow you to log on after rebooting or logging off.

Changes[edit | edit source]

A new winver banner has been added, which was first seen in build 4044.
The watermark has been changed to read "Windows® Code Name "Longhorn"" instead of "Longhorn [SKU name]". This was also first seen in build 4044.

Bugs[edit | edit source]

General[edit | edit source]

It is recommended to not log off or restart on this build. If triggered, you will not be able to log on anymore (unless you are installing it using the I386 method). Therefore, it is recommended that you make a backup before the second stage, or if you are using a virtual machine, a snapshot is recommended.

Setup[edit | edit source]

It is unknown whether this build includes the redesigned Setup as seen in build 4050 due to the setup media being corrupted from install.wim onwards, making files containing setup assets unrecoverable. However, the setup.exe file located on the disc root suggests that this build most likely contained the redesigned Setup.