Windows NT 3.5 build 683

3.5.683.1
	Build of Windows NT 3.5
Release name	Beta 2
OS family	Windows NT
Version number	3.5
Build number	683
Build revision	1
Architecture	x86, DEC Alpha
Compiled on	1994-06-08
SKUs
	Workstation; Server
About dialog

Windows NT 3.5 build 683 is the official Beta 2 build of Windows NT 3.5. The Workstation edition was shared by a warez group in 1994, but the floppy disks were mistakenly dumped in 1.44MB images instead of DMF (1.68MB), resulting in unrecoverable data loss. This means most of the disk images are broken and the Workstation SKU of this build is unusable. The floppy version of the Server edition on this build was included on the Chinese warez CD set "立人软件大补贴", of which all but one CD was uploaded by 老光盘交流群 member 独鹤与飞 on 24 March 2019,^[1] reuploaded to the Chinese website BetaWorld on 19 October 2019,^[2] and reuploaded to the Internet Archive on 2 September 2022.^[3] The ISO image of the Server SKU of this build was found and shared to BetaArchive on 27 September 2020.^[4]

This build is also mentioned in the file NETWORKA.WRI from Windows NT 3.51 build 854.1.

New features and changes[edit | edit source]

The boot menu entries have been changed to include either the term "Workstation" or "Server".
This build updates the copyright date of the command prompt from 1985-1993 to 1985-1994.
This is the first build to include drivers for the NCR (later Symbios Logic) 53c810 PCI SCSI adapter.

Setup[edit | edit source]

This is one of the first builds to introduce the /B parameter for WINNT32.EXE to install or upgrade Windows NT without the use of floppy disks.
When saving configuration at the end of the graphical part of setup, a progress bar is now shown instead of an info dialog.
The Emergency Repair Disk creation can now be canceled properly, as it has become optional.
It is no longer required to setup a network for the Server SKU, as the option to set up a stand-alone server has been introduced, This also means that servers now also can join workgroups.

Bugs and quirks[edit | edit source]

The system freezes if creating a new primary partition in Disk Administrator. To create a new partition, boot into a MS-DOS/Windows 9x boot disk and create the partition with FDISK.