[OFFER] Windows 95C OSR 2.5 beta

[DiskingRound]

This build is from October 23, 1997. (The RTM is from Nov 26, and there is a PWA sceneleak, not sure if it's related, of a beta from Nov 6, both confirm positive it is a beta). Most of this build, just like the final version of OSR 2.5, is just 1111 RTM. There is one file, SECUR32.DLL on the disk, that is in the final but in the CABs (1111). The build number on that file is 4.10.1057. Therefore, is this build number 4.10.1057? For now, I'm labeling it and upload it to the BetaArchive FTP as that.
Unfortunately it appears who leaked this thing got lazy, and does not include the Internet Explorer seen in the final. Therefore this build may be considered incomplete, I'm not sure.
Screenshot:

(P.S. ignore those October dates in the bottom, that was due to me adjusting the BIOS date).
This is one of the strangest builds I've ever seen, and it requires an OEM Serial. I put it on megaupload: https://mega.nz/#!OhdGjZqR!ZPg44an61H50 ... rqSWap0Ec0

[Win7]

It looks nice... But how could this build be incomplete? Also, this is not an OSR2.5 beta, but it more likely comes from the OSR2.1 branch. Those builds used to be branded as Windows 95C, even though they had nothing to do with the actual Windows 95C (that is, the one with Internet Explorer 4.0).

It is a weird leak for sure...

Win7

[Overdoze]

Except OSR2.1 was already finished months before this build, and OSR2.1 builds identify as "Windows 95 OPK2.1 [Version blahblah]" in command prompt. This one says just "Windows 95 [Version 4.00.1111]", the standard OSR2 string. It does contain a second version string (like all OSR2 and later builds), which says "Windows 95 OPK3. [Version 4.10.1053]".

It also includes DirectX 3.0, while OSR2 and 2.1 include 2.0a. OSR2.5 final includes DirectX 5.0.
MOS.INF in root of the CD contains this comment at the top: "; Modified for OSR 2.5, ; -- 10/29/1997 Brian R. Daugherty, MSE (MSN Setup build 350 for OSR2.5)"".
There are in fact some IE4 files in SETUPW95.CAB.

With that said, I disagree this is an OSR2.1 build, as it's clearly OSR2.5. As for the actual build number, I have no idea.

EDIT: And setup also complains about a bunch of files, so it's definitely incomplete.

[mrpijey]

Could we have this build properly verified and checked that it's not some kind of frankenbuild etc? I don't know if it should be added to the FTP as complete or not. And we need to get the proper release name and build for it.

Thanks for providing the build!

[DiskingRound]

For now let's label it simply as 4.00.1111. There are three OSR 2.1/5 builds on the FTP with this build number.

[TheOtherGuy]

Could we have this build properly verified and checked that it's not some kind of frankenbuild etc? I don't know if it should be added to the FTP as complete or not. And we need to get the proper release name and build for it.

Thanks for providing the build!

Well OSR2.5 is just OSR2.1 with updated DX, IE4 and a few other web related apps included, [msn and whatnot].
This release has OSR2.1 cabs untouched, with any updated files placed outside of the cabinet files so setup see's them before the original OSR2.1 files inside of the cabinets, seeing that the IE4 beta appears to be missing other than one file, SETUPW95.CAB, and a slightly later DX version, nothing else makes this installation any different to a regular OSR2.1 install, apart from the fact that the setuppp.inf places the letter "C" after the build version in system properties.

[Overdoze]

As you said yourself, these changed are exactly what's different in OSR2.5. So I'm not sure why this would be labeled as anything else.

[TheOtherGuy]

As you said yourself, these changed are exactly what's different in OSR2.5. So I'm not sure why this would be labeled as anything else.

Because other than the letter "C" in the system properties and a slightly later DX, nothing else in this release is any different to a regular OSR 2.1, the major changes that OSR 2.5 has are missing, that's all I'm pointing out.
Not that this wasn't a real 2.5 pre release when it was complete.
I could throw the extra files external to the cabinet files from this release into a 2.1 iso and get the same result.
Maybe sourcing the IE and msn beta builds would complete this iso.