Windows Longhorn build 4074

6.0.4074.idx02.040425-1535
Build of Windows Longhorn
Screenshot
Release nameWindows Longhorn Client Preview 2
OS familyWindows NT
Version number6.0
Build number4074
Architecturex86, x64, IA-64
Build labidx02
Compiled on2004-04-25
Expiration date
Timebomb+180 days after original install date
SKUs
Professional
Product key
TCP8W-T8PQJ-WWRRH-QH76C-99FBW
About dialog
LH4074 Winver.png
TCB.png TCBGallery.png

Windows Longhorn build 4074 is a Milestone 7.2 build of Windows Longhorn. It is the build given to attendees of Microsoft's Windows Hardware Engineering Conference 2004 in Seattle, Washington, held between 4–7 May, making it one of the only two pre-reset Longhorn builds that received a widespread release by Microsoft, the other being build 4051. It is widely considered to be one of the most notable pre-reset builds of Longhorn.

Having been released publicly, it is also one of the several Longhorn builds that has a timebomb set to evaluation mode that triggers after 180 days, and as such it can be installed on the current date. Once the timebomb is triggered, Windows immediately logs the user out and returns to the log on screen if the user tries to log on.

NFO files[edit | edit source]

The following NFO files were included as part of the BetasIRC and WinBeta releases.

  • BetasIRC

NFO contents

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          ███▓▒▓▓██                                
             ████   B E T A S I R C   P R O U D L Y   P R E S E N T S . . .
            ·························································─·─────┐
            ·                 Windows Code Name "Longhorn"                  │
            ·                     WinHEC Build 4074                         │
            │---------------------------------------------------------------│
            · RELEASE DATE.....: 05-2004     │ SUPPLiER.........: #Betas    │
            │ TYPE.............: Longhorn    │ PACKAGER.........: #Betas    │
            │ OS...............: Windows     │ CRACKER..........: N/A       │
            │ NO. OF DiSKS.....: 16x50mb     │ PROTECTiON.......: WPA       │
            └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

           ·····························································─·──┐
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           │    · ··───────────────────[  R E L E A S E   N O T E S . . !  ]┘ 
           └──·─····························································
          
             Windows Code Name "Longhorn" Build 4074, the anticipated
             release since PDC in October 2003.

           ·····························································─·──┐
           ·    ████ ████  ████ ████▀▀████ ▀████▀  ▄▄████▄▄  ████   ████    │
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           │    ████ ████  ████ ████▄▄████  ████  ████  ████ ████▄▄ ████▄▄  │
           │        · ··────────────────[  I N S T A L L A T I O N  . . !  ]┘
           └──·─····························································

             1. Unpack
             2. Burn
             3. Install with this key: TCP8W-T8PQJ-WWRRH-QH76C-99FBW

           ·····························································─·──┐
           ·      ▄████████ ████▀███  ▄████████▄ ████  ████ ████▀███        │
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           │      ▀████████ ████  ███ ▀████████▀ ▀████████▀ ████            │
           │            · ··────────────────[  G R O U P   N E W S  . . !  ]┘
           └──·─····························································

            All software included in this release is only intended for your use
            if you own a legal license to this software. We are not to be held          
            responsible for illegal use/installation of this software. If you 
            choose to install and test this software and you decide to keep it,
            you must purchase a valid license. If you do not own legal license 
            to this software we will not be held responsible for any charges 
            brought against you by any software companies or people working for
            any software companies. We do not support piracy, we are here only 
            to provide an evaluation.

            ·································································
                                  BetasIRC greets fly out to:
                                        Microsoft

            ·············─·─┬─────────────────────────────────┬──·─··········
                        ░▒▓█│    Today, Tommorrow, Forever    │█▓▒░  
                          ░▓│     last updated March 2004     │▓░
                           ░└───·─······················─·────┘░
  • WinBeta

NFO contents

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                           _       ___       ____       __                             
                          | |     / (_)___  / __ )___  / /_____ _                      
                          | | /| / / / __ / __  / _ / __/ __ `/                      
                          | |/ |/ / / / / / /_/ /  __/ /_/ /_/ /                       
                          |__/|__/_/_/ /_/_____/___/__/__,_/                        
  /-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  |                 Microsoft Windows Longhorn WinHEC Build 4074                      |
  <----------------------------------------------------------------------------------->
  |            - Source: BetasIRC              - Type: Operating System               |
  |            - Packaged By: WinBeta          - Image Format: iso                    |
  |            - Reason for release: Repack release was in error, see notes below     |
  <----------------------------------------------------------------------------------->
  |            - Files: WB-LH4074.rxx                                                 |
  |            - Number of DVD's: 1               - Protection: WPA                   |
  |            - Archives: 16 x 50 MB             - Release Date: 05/05/04            |
  <----------------------------------------------------------------------------------->
  |            - Review: http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/winhec/default.mspx            |
  <----------------------------------------------------------------------------------->
  |            - Hardware Requirements: 1ghz+ CPU, 128+ MB RAM, 3 GB HD Space         |
  <----------------------------------------------------------------------------------->
                                                                                       
  <---------------------------- R E L E A S E  N O T E S ----------------------------->
                                                                                       
                             
    "Longhorn" is the code name for the next major release of Microsoft Windows®    

    Repacking of the original iso was done in error due simply to the machine the
    packing was done on having no iso tools whatsoever except winrar.  This lead to
    the misunderstanding that the iso was infact an rar file and not an iso, which
    lead to the repacking of what was thought to be a non std (ie, rar not iso or bin/
    cue) pack.

    The confusion and misunderstanding between WinBeta and BetasIRC has been cleared up;
    props to them for sharing the iso.
                                                                                                                
                                                                                       
  <----------------------------- I N S T A L L  N O T E S ---------------------------->
                                                                                       
  1.) Unpack.                                                                          
  2.) Burn or mount                                                                                                   
  3.) Install.                                                                         
  4.) Use this CD-Key: TCP8W-T8PQJ-WWRRH-QH76C-99FBW                                   
  5.) Yes, this is bootable.                                                            
  6.) Enjoy!                                                                           
                                                                                       
 <------------------------ ENJOY ANOTHER FINE RELEASE BY WiNBETA --------------------->
 |                                    www.winbeta.org                                 |
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------/

New features and changes[edit | edit source]

User profile picture[edit | edit source]

The user profile picture has been replaced with a silver variant from MSN Messenger.

"Leaves" wallpaper[edit | edit source]

The default wallpaper has been changed to "Leaves", which was first seen in build 4067 (private/lddm_dev_tech(davidmo), albeit without any text.

Desktop Window Manager and MIL[edit | edit source]

  • This build, unlike many other leaked builds, is the first build to have complete Media Integration Layer (MIL) effects in Explorer and Internet Explorer from the Desktop Window Manager, thanks to an early version of MILExplorer. However, a registry modification is required to extend the effect into the full UI of Explorer and Internet Explorer. The green translucent effect called "Jade" is used natively in this build instead of transparent "Glass". Further modifications such as a re-created aero.msstyles file is required to replace the Jade window frames with Glass ones. See the Windows Aero page for instructions on how to enable Aero effects.
  • This build also contains Aero Stars, an animated desktop which shows stars bouncing around the screen. It does not rely on DWM and therefore works with DWM disabled. Despite this, it is somewhat buggy and some graphic adapters may have trouble rendering it. See the Windows Aero page for instructions to enable.
  • An early version of Flip3D has been added to this build. It lacks animations and can be unstable at some time. Unlike post-reset builds, it uses the same key shortcut as the default window switcher, leaving the latter inaccessible with DWM enabled.

Other Aero features[edit | edit source]

The ability to control DWM through the Ctrl+⇧ Shift+F9 key combination (seen in internal builds) has been disabled at compile-time.

Preview Pane[edit | edit source]

  • The Preview Pane has been overhauled in this build, after having been under construction in earlier builds, such as 4066. There is a new button which acts as a toggle between the tasks pane and the details pane. Its height has also been diminished by default; expanding the Preview Pane will show more tasks.
  • The banners for libraries have been majorly uplifted.
  • This build contains an Animated Preview Pane Aurora but requires some modifications in the theme file to enable it.[1]

LDDM-exclusive boot screen[edit | edit source]

A unique boot screen intended for machines containing graphics cards that are compatible with the Longhorn Display Driver Model is present in this build, depicting a glass progress bar that switches between each color in the visible light spectrum, with compliments made towards the user fixed below it. The only resolution supported by this boot screen is 1024x768.

As no LDDM-compatible graphics drivers are known to exist, the boot screen has not been made to work as of writing.

Help applications[edit | edit source]

Two unfinished Windows Help applications are hidden as HelpPane.exe and hlplgvwr.exe.

  • HelpPane.exe is an updated version of the one found in build 4039; it opens on the right side of the screen, shifting other open programs to the left. On the right there is an arrow button used to change the program to a normal window. Selecting "View all Tasks" from the Options menu presents the user with a list of general tasks, each containing a set of "folders" that correspond to different help topics. Most topics are unfinished.
  • hlplgvwr.exe appears to be an earlier version of the first app: it always opens as a normal window, lacks a button to send it to the right side and selecting "View all Tasks" simply opens a HelpPane window.
  • HelpPane.exe

    HelpPane.exe

  • hlplgvwr.exe

    hlplgvwr.exe

  • Tasks in HelpPane.exe

    Tasks in HelpPane.exe

  • A task

    A task

Buddy Matchmaker[edit | edit source]

"Play A Game With Friends" was renamed to Buddy Matchmaker. However, it will throw out errors unlike in other Longhorn builds such as 4051 and 4093.

New dialog boxes[edit | edit source]

  • A new program box has been added, saying that it is available and if the user really wants to change the access of the other program.
  • A new pre-release fallback box for drivers has been added.
  • A new application crash box has also been added. Albeit being similar to the pre-release fallback box, it has a debug button and different information.
  • A new error box has been added for Application Context exceptions.
  • The dialog box for when a program is not responding has been updated.
  • "A New Program Is Available" dialog

    "A New Program Is Available" dialog

  • Pre-release fallback warning

    Pre-release fallback warning

  • Application crash

    Application crash

  • Application Context Exception

    Application Context Exception

  • "Not responding" dialog

    "Not responding" dialog

  • Dialog after ending process

    Dialog after ending process

Other new features and changes[edit | edit source]

  • Windows Messenger has been updated to version 6.1, with a completely new interface.
  • A new driver installation system is implemented. As a result, most drivers that worked on Windows XP will often have the driver installation fall back to a "pre-release mechanism" upon installation. If a pop-up notifying about the pre-release mechanism appears, simply press cancel.
  • Internet Information Services has been updated, but in Windows Components Wizard it says that is version 7.0, but after installation it claims to be version 6.5.
  • The copyright date in winver.exe has been updated from 1985–2003 to 1985–2004.
  • This build improves support for Intel x64 processors with the EM64T instruction set. The previous x64 build, 4051, was unable to boot on those processors.
  • The new scheduled tasks were also implemented, which they might have lots of empty content and some pages might not be functional at all.
  • A hidden Speech Recognition application has been added and can be run under C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Speech\stsserver.exe.
  • An unfinished volume flyout is accessible under SndVolFlyout.exe. It has three options which are invisible unless hovering over them: "My Audio Devices" (opens Hardware and Devices), "Audio Video Preferences" (opens sound options applet) and "Reset Volume Defaults".
  • Windows Messenger

    Windows Messenger

  • This application was supposed to be a flyout as mentioned in the application name

    Volume Control (SndVolFlyout.exe)

  • Composite image showing hidden options and possible size

    Composite image showing hidden options and possible size

  • New Scheduled Tasks (jobfldr.exe)

    New Scheduled Tasks (jobfldr.exe)

  • Schedule Task (jobppage.exe)

    Schedule Task (jobppage.exe)

  • Sticky Notes

    Sticky Notes

  • Speech Recognition

    Speech Recognition

It is worth to note that features related to .NET Framework, such as the sidebar, MIL effects or Aurora, do not work on the x64 version. Basic DWM functionality is present, but can be enabled by directly calling relevant uxdesk.dll exports using rundll32 and a command prompt or extracting sbctl.exe from the installation media.

Bugs and quirks[edit | edit source]

Installation[edit | edit source]

  • This build cannot be normally upgraded from a previous build, and as such it can only be clean installed.
  • The Checked/Debug compile of the x86 version requires either a debugger or replacing drivers with ones from the non-Checked/Debug versions of this build due to the large amount of assert errors that prevents setup from installing the system properly.
  • Setup might disallow installation on IDE drives if SCSI drives are installed in the system. However, this seems to be hardware specific.
  • When the text mode setup on some hardware configurations reboots, if the disk drive is set to IDE and the disk drive controller is set to SCSI an Error loading operating system message will appear.
  • The Checked/Debug compile of the x64 version has an assertion error in the IDE driver that results in a bugcheck during "Completing installation" phase with an error code of 0x0000001E and 0xFFFFFFFF80000003 as there was no kernel debugger attached at that point. When this occurs, start WinDbg on the host, connect the debugger to the VM's virtual serial port (shut down the VM then add and configure one if there are none in the VM), then restart the VM and press the F8 key to select "Debugging Mode" and continue the setup. Once the "Assertion failed" message appears, type "ignore" or the letter I to the debugger command window. Repeat this on every message until the setup finishes.
  • This build's WinPE setup takes a very long time (about 2–3 minutes) to boot and has a chance to temporarily freeze for a short amount of time. This can be fixed by pressing F5 and then select Standard PC.

Broken PS/2 mouse driver in Preinstallation Environment[edit | edit source]

The PS/2 mouse driver is broken in this build's Preinstallation Environment, so a keyboard is required to navigate in the WinPE. This bug doesn't occur if using an USB mouse.

System sounds[edit | edit source]

Many system sounds do not work as they are pointed to the Windows directory instead of the Windows\Media directory. Even if the registry entry is modified to point to the Media directory, the sounds often do not work for unknown reasons.

Desktop[edit | edit source]

  • Showing hidden folders leads to a Search icon and a Help and Support Center icon appearing on the desktop. If the icons are removed from the Desktop namespace via registry editing, both aforementioned features would no longer be accessible.
  • Holding ⇧ Shift while right clicking on the desktop shows View options like Windows Explorer. Multiple views for the desktop can be selected, but it often results in display glitches or completely breaking the desktop.[a]
  • If Aero Stars is enabled, the icons on the desktop will disappear.
  • Desktop icons tend to change their vertical spacing quite a lot even if icons are not being auto arranged. The Recycle Bin icon jumps randomly on the desktop as well and sorting options are not saved between reboots. The desktop has also been reported to rearrange other icons automatically in certain cases.

Themes[edit | edit source]

  • Changing themes might cause the theme service to malfunction, causing the taskbar to have the classic theme visuals, and the start menu possibly being entirely black. Restarting the Themes and Desktop Manager service in services.msc or switch to the Windows Classic theme and then revert to Luna, Slate, or Jade themes will resolves the problem. It can also cause File Explorer failing to render entirely. Terminating explorer.exe sometimes fix it, otherwise the user will need to restart the system.
  • DWM works with most of the existing visual styles, causing visual glitches especially when using the Classic theme, which usually crashes Explorer itself.
  • On some configurations with the Slate theme applied, the window title may be displayed in incorrect font.
  • The Slate theme has its start button low-quality stretched if the sidebar is enabled, and the hitbox of it and the Aero theme does not reach all the way to the corner.

Composition[edit | edit source]

  • Performance might suffer greatly when DWM is running, even on fast computers.
  • Sometimes, Explorer windows with MIL effects may display the text overlapped.
  • When enabling DWM when using a visual style other than Jade (such as Slate), the DWM window frame resource in desksrv.dll is used due to the absence of the STREAM folder in all visual styles files except Jade, which makes the system uses the less transparent border in desksrv.dll (possibly due to limitations) compared to the borders in the Jade visual style, which is much more transparent. This quirk is also present in build 4066.
    • However, when turning off DWM and then turn it back on, desksrv.dll's border will be always used in next DWM enable attempts even when the Jade visual style is used. A workaround is to restart the theme service.
  • Incorrect scaling happens when using the Windows Classic theme with large fonts with DWM turned on.
  • Upon choosing a wallpaper, the desktop will glitch out if DWM is on.
  • There is a chance for the screen to flash repeatedly when turning on DWM, which renders the system unusable.
  • Windows Media Player 9's automatic hiding of the system frame does not work with DWM. The user will not be able to open or close the player or click on any menu until the user presses Ctrl+M key to show menu bar and then reopen Windows Media Player.
  • The title bar text will not update when under normal use with DWM turned on unless the user maximizes or restores down the window.
  • The Basket sidebar tile leads to an Explorer crash loop if a DWM theme is used. The only solution is to remove the tile from the registry.
  • Using DWM increases the chance of Explorer crashing under normal use. There is a chance that Explorer won't load properly and instead the system would suffer tremendous lag requiring the user to hard reset the machine.
  • This build (and other builds onwards) does include transparent glass notification UI, activated when turning on DWM. However, unlike build 4066, this build does not render it correctly, as a black background appears behind them. An assembly named System.Windows.Explorer.dll must be patched for the transparent glass notification UI to render correctly.

Creating folders[edit | edit source]

The option to create folders by right-clicking and selecting New does not work as the Folder entry is missing. Apply the following registry key to fix this problem:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.Folder]
@="Folder"

Memory leak[edit | edit source]

  • As with most later Longhorn builds, this build's Explorer tends to leak memory after a while. Turning off the Sidebar reduces the effect of the memory leak.
  • WinFS and related services are also affected by major memory leaks. Disabling WinFS solves the problem.

WinFS[edit | edit source]

WinFS functionality is not enabled by default on this build. To enable WinFS, the user must set the startup type of the following services to Automatic:

  • SAM WinFS Account Store
  • Computer Data Synchronization Manager

Programs that are dependent on WinFS (such as Outlook Express) may crash if the services listed above are not enabled or running.

Faulty file browse UI[edit | edit source]

The Explorer file browse UI has two noticeable bugs. The first being that the Navigation Bar only allows for navigation by clicking on parent directories in the bar. The second being that the Filter and Preview panes may occasionally appear black or show parts of content behind the window, and the chance increases when DWM is turned on.

Safe mode[edit | edit source]

Windows Explorer crashes in a loop by default under safe mode since the sidebar tiles are enabled by default. A prompt will appear titled "Desktop" and will ask to proceed to work in safe mode or start System Restore. Clicking either button will not perform any action and will bring up another exact prompt instead. The desktop will not appear with the prompt and Explorer may not launch. The only workaround is to remove all the sidebar tiles from the registry:

  1. Open the Registry Editor from Safe Mode with Command Prompt.
  2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Sidebar\Tiles.
  3. Collapse the "Tiles" folder, and then remove all the sidebar tiles from the registry.
  4. Type in explorer in the Command Prompt. Once done, explorer.exe will start in Safe Mode.

Additionally, when Windows Explorer is running in safe mode, clicking on Log Off from the start menu or initializing the shut down dialog box via Alt+F4 on the desktop with safe mode will bring up another exact prompt. To log off, shut down, or restart, press the Ctrl+Alt+Del key and then click on "Log Off", "Shut Down", or the ">" button for more options.

Other bugs[edit | edit source]

The Hardware and Devices folder is empty in Safe Mode.

Internet Explorer[edit | edit source]

  • The built-in download manager does not work, which leads to downloads not working at all.
  • Many websites hang under Internet Explorer even if they work under older versions of the browser.
  • The website URL is displayed as white by default which is difficult to read under the Slate and Jade themes.

Sticky Notes[edit | edit source]

This build includes a Sticky Notes app similar to the one found in build 4042 (Lab06_n), but it fails to start because of a missing DLL, namely stickynotebubble.dll. This missing DLL can be found in the \build\filerepository folder of the build 4081 installation disc. Copying the aforementioned DLL into the same directory of the StickyNote.exe file found in the \WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Windows\v6.0.4030 folder and typing in Run dialog %windir%\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Windows\v6.0.4030\StickyNote.exe /new, will launch Sticky Notes.

AutoPlay[edit | edit source]

There are some noticeable bugs that user can encounter with the AutoPlay dialog:

  • The DirectX spinning icon animation of the prompt might spin too fast on newer hardware.
  • The icon on the title of the prompt might have a black box as background when the icon is not rectangular.

Parental Controls[edit | edit source]

Parental Controls are not functional in the x64 version of this build and returns a Visual C++ runtime error.

Other bugs[edit | edit source]

  • DNS requests might not work properly on certain network configurations when a DNS server is automatically acquired via DHCP. Configuring DNS manually fixes this problem.
  • On some multi-core configurations and at random times, Windows hangs significantly rendering the operating system almost unusable a few seconds after logging in. The only solution is a hard reset.
  • This build relies on Terminal Services and the User Profile Service to properly log users on. If Terminal Services are disabled or set to manual, the operating system hangs at a black screen with the watermark. If the User Profile Service is disabled or set to manual, the user will be able to logon, but Explorer would not be able to load properly, and profile specific settings would be lost.
  • Some services cause this build to hang at the logon screen for about one minute, which is unrelated to the Ctrl+Alt+Del requirement.
  • Pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del at the login prompt (when it is required/enabled) has a chance to either hang the system or cause a 0x00000050 or 0x0000008E bugcheck. This chance increases the more users have logged on and off and Disabling Fast User Switching.
  • If a contact is pinned to the sidebar, an error message would be displayed on certain occasions that the contact cannot be updated. This error can be safely ignored.
  • Edits made to certain Explorer features such as the top bar are valid only for the open window and do not persist, even for the same folder.
  • Sometimes, inserting CD and DVD discs has a chance of crashing with UDF_FILE_SYSTEM.
  • Sometimes, while booting to the desktop, there is a chance of crashing with 0x000000D1.

Itanium build specifics[edit | edit source]

The IA-64 compile also contains all of the bugs and quirks from the x86 compile. However, there are some notable exceptions:

  • Because this build architecture lacks WinFS, applications dependent on the framework (such as Outlook Express), alongside with WinFS-provided virtual folders/libraries, do not function. WinFS-related folders can be removed from the Computer system folder by editing registry entries.
  • Due to the heavier nature of 64-bit binaries, Explorer will consume a copious amount of memory right after logging in, even with advanced features such as the Sidebar disabled.
  • Certain graphics drivers may cause performance degradation when .NET features (such as the sidebar) are enabled.
  • Explorer works properly in safe mode, unlike its x86/x64 variants. Clicking Yes on the safe mode information dialog dismisses it, and Explorer starts normally.
  • Upgrading to this build will result in Setup failing to properly configure the system registry and NVRAM boot entries. If installing over a previous build, the hard disk must be completely wiped and the system's EFI firmware cleared of previously created Windows boot entries, as the build will not boot due to an NVRAM-related error. Entries and dual-boot installations on separate partitions created by later versions of Windows (such as Windows Server 2008 R2) may be left alone.
  • Explorer may randomly crash when opening folders with a Fatal Execution Engine Error.
  • Opening DirectX Diagnostics (or using any DirectX-using feature including the AutoPlay prompt) after changing display resolution will hang the system.

Gallery[edit | edit source]

Windows Setup[edit | edit source]

Interface[edit | edit source]

Applications and Features[edit | edit source]

Themes[edit | edit source]

DWM themes[edit | edit source]

This build of Longhorn includes 2 types of DWM themes - Aero and non-Aero. The only Aero theme included in this build is the Jade theme, which may be used to draw translucent window borders with DWM turned on. The Aero Glass theme, commonly referred to as simply "Aero" was at that time still a private theme, hence it is not included in this build.

Notes[edit | edit source]

  1. This menu is used to enable the Aurora desktop background in some pre-reset builds like build 4066 or earlier.

References[edit | edit source]