Windows 10 Starter, was it a thing back then?

[Sherman2600]

Just recently I heard that a Starter version of Windows 10 Build 10537 was uploaded to archive.org, not sure if it is real or not since this build identifies itself as Windows 8 Starter (although there was NO Windows 8/8.1 Starter back then, last Windows Starter release was Windows 7 Starter for netbooks). Before this I've seen Build 15025 Starter and a whole 6:18 video about this SKU.

Here's Build 10537's "Starter" so you can see if it's legit or not:
https://archive.org/details/10.0.10537. ... _x64_EN-US

I can't use the Image Uploader just yet since I don't have 3 approved posts, but oh well.

and for YT videos:



BetaWiki doesn't even mention that Build 10537 had a Starter SKU so I'm pretty sure it's either fake or very obscure.

So with that out of the way, is Build 10537 Starter legit or fake? I would like to know since I'm wondering.

Thanks!

[anonymous74]

The "Windows 8 Starter" branding looks super fake, other SKUs of the same build identify as Windows 10. Also, it uses the Windows 8.0 default wallpaper, which seems strange considering when this build claims to be from.
Either way, it looks interesting. I'll update once I've got it installed.

[Magirus - Deutz]

It looks like a lite version of Windows 10, but I can't say the same to Windows 10 15025. Also if I remember correctly that the Starter SKU also has a KMS key and I think I tried to the key. But it didn't seem to be any different from the Home SKU.

[ToMi1]

As far as I know, the Starter SKU was used internally as a base for other editions, but otherwise I don't think any Starter builds exist.

[Whistler2419]

I suspect that this is a Microsoft Confidential SKU.

[Windows Thunderstruck]

The "Windows 8 Starter" branding looks super fake, other SKUs of the same build identify as Windows 10. Also, it uses the Windows 8.0 default wallpaper, which seems strange considering when this build claims to be from.
Either way, it looks interesting. I'll update once I've got it installed.

well, windows 8 starter is real, for proof check the mui files


screenshot isnt mine

10537 is an unstaged build, meaning it contains all skus used during windows development, this includes starter

[Whistler2419]

The "Windows 8 Starter" branding looks super fake, other SKUs of the same build identify as Windows 10. Also, it uses the Windows 8.0 default wallpaper, which seems strange considering when this build claims to be from.
Either way, it looks interesting. I'll update once I've got it installed.

well, windows 8 starter is real, for proof check the mui files


screenshot isnt mine

10537 is an unstaged build, meaning it contains all skus used during windows development, this includes starter

WOW!
We just leaked an undocumented Windows 8 SKU!
I can upload it to the FTP if you want to.

[SONBTV]

The "Windows 8 Starter" branding looks super fake, other SKUs of the same build identify as Windows 10. Also, it uses the Windows 8.0 default wallpaper, which seems strange considering when this build claims to be from.
Either way, it looks interesting. I'll update once I've got it installed.

well, windows 8 starter is real, for proof check the mui files


screenshot isnt mine

10537 is an unstaged build, meaning it contains all skus used during windows development, this includes starter

WOW!
We just leaked an undocumented Windows 8 SKU!
I can upload it to the FTP if you want to.

I hope that it is will not be fake build, as fake builds is not allowed on FTP, and also we don't want fake builds, so... make sure that it is not fake build.

[Whistler2419]

The "Windows 8 Starter" branding looks super fake, other SKUs of the same build identify as Windows 10. Also, it uses the Windows 8.0 default wallpaper, which seems strange considering when this build claims to be from.
Either way, it looks interesting. I'll update once I've got it installed.

well, windows 8 starter is real, for proof check the mui files


screenshot isnt mine

10537 is an unstaged build, meaning it contains all skus used during windows development, this includes starter

WOW!
We just leaked an undocumented Windows 8 SKU!
I can upload it to the FTP if you want to.

I hope that it is will not be fake build, as fake builds is not allowed on FTP, and also we don't want fake builds, so... make sure that it is not fake build.

If Windows 8 Starter is real, then is Windows 10 Starter real?

[anonymous74]

I finally got the download to finish, and VMware wouldn't have anything to do with it. It showed the "press any key to boot", I'd press a key, and then it would throw me straight into network boot. I tried again with BIOS instead of UEFI and it gave a BSoD with error code 0xc0000605. Oh well, I'll try some more things to get it running tomorrow.

[SONBTV]

I finally got the download to finish, and VMware wouldn't have anything to do with it. It showed the "press any key to boot", I'd press a key, and then it would throw me straight into network boot. I tried again with BIOS instead of UEFI and it gave a BSoD with error code 0xc0000605. Oh well, I'll try some more things to get it running tomorrow.

Try to change BIOS date, as it is common for flightsigned builds

[anonymous74]

I finally got the download to finish, and VMware wouldn't have anything to do with it. It showed the "press any key to boot", I'd press a key, and then it would throw me straight into network boot. I tried again with BIOS instead of UEFI and it gave a BSoD with error code 0xc0000605. Oh well, I'll try some more things to get it running tomorrow.

Try to change BIOS date, as it is common for flightsigned builds

Thanks, that worked! I've got the build installed. I dug around a bit and found that files have a matching build number, although that doesn't tell us much because the build itself is real. It does definitely identify as Windows 8 though, winver banner and all! It doesn't mean the SKU hasn't been modified, but a quick check hasn't revealed anything. Very strange.

[Whistler2419]

I finally got the download to finish, and VMware wouldn't have anything to do with it. It showed the "press any key to boot", I'd press a key, and then it would throw me straight into network boot. I tried again with BIOS instead of UEFI and it gave a BSoD with error code 0xc0000605. Oh well, I'll try some more things to get it running tomorrow.

Try to change BIOS date, as it is common for flightsigned builds

Thanks, that worked! I've got the build installed. I dug around a bit and found that files have a matching build number, although that doesn't tell us much because the build itself is real. It does definitely identify as Windows 8 though, winver banner and all! It doesn't mean the SKU hasn't been modified, but a quick check hasn't revealed anything. Very strange.

Yayyyyyyy! This means it's real! Put the ISO on Google Drive so anybody can download.

[SONBTV]

I finally got the download to finish, and VMware wouldn't have anything to do with it. It showed the "press any key to boot", I'd press a key, and then it would throw me straight into network boot. I tried again with BIOS instead of UEFI and it gave a BSoD with error code 0xc0000605. Oh well, I'll try some more things to get it running tomorrow.

Try to change BIOS date, as it is common for flightsigned builds

Thanks, that worked! I've got the build installed. I dug around a bit and found that files have a matching build number, although that doesn't tell us much because the build itself is real. It does definitely identify as Windows 8 though, winver banner and all! It doesn't mean the SKU hasn't been modified, but a quick check hasn't revealed anything. Very strange.

BTW does it have the same restrictions as Windows 7 Starter?

[ActivateYourTech]

The videos are different versions, one is 1607 but the other one is 2004.

[anonymous74]

Yayyyyyyy! This means it's real! Put the ISO on Google Drive so anybody can download.

It's already on archive.org, just get it from there. As I said before, it could be a modified copy of that build (which was already available), that had been changed to have starter branding.

BTW does it have the same restrictions as Windows 7 Starter?

It doesn't appear to be any different from any other Windows 10 install. All the apps are there, and the only real changes seem to be the Windows 8 branding and wallpaper. (which is very suspicious in my opinion, I would understand having 8.1 branding, but all of this is 8.0, while being a windows 10 build. Very confusing.)

It's worth noting that the login screen has the default Windows 10 wallpaper that you would expect in other SKUs, it's only the desktop wallpaper that's been changed. It also has a copyright date of 2012, which is strange.

Here are some screenshots:

winver:


Start menu:


Start Menu Programs:


Wallpaper folder:

There's only one wallpaper present, and it's the 8.0 default. No Windows 10 wallpapers are even there at all.

[Sherman2600]

The videos are different versions, one is 1607 but the other one is 2004.

This is actually Build 15025, a Creators Update (v1703) Build

[ActivateYourTech]

But the videos have the Windows 10 wallpapers. In the videos, the winver was also different. They had Windows 10 branding (1607 and 10537). Also that copyright date in winver? The NT version is 10.0 though.

[Whistler2419]

This is a VERY confusing build...

Offtopic Comment

BTW if you remove the start button you'll get 8.0

[stepraddpratama]

What an interesting build!
By the way, what's the full build string of this build? Maybe it's compiled by another lab rather than th2_release.

[Applegame12345]

Builds 10537 and 10540 have all SKUs in WinSxS, including Starter. Here's the screenshot of my botched attempt at making 10537 unstaged (no, unfortunately it does not install).

Although the ISO that OP posted is modified, it is indeed real, despite having Windows 8 branding (10537 Starter indeed identifies itself as Windows 10 Starter and not Windows 8 Starter).

[Whistler2419]

Builds 10537 and 10540 have all SKUs in WinSxS, including Starter. Here's the screenshot of my botched attempt at making 10537 unstaged (no, unfortunately it does not install).

Although the ISO that OP posted is modified, it is indeed real, despite having Windows 8 branding (10537 Starter indeed identifies itself as Windows 10 Starter and not Windows 8 Starter).

"Windows Longhorn Client\..."
Very ironic. It's not Vista.

[Fanta Shokata]

Builds 10537 and 10540 have all SKUs in WinSxS, including Starter. Here's the screenshot of my botched attempt at making 10537 unstaged (no, unfortunately it does not install).

Although the ISO that OP posted is modified, it is indeed real, despite having Windows 8 branding (10537 Starter indeed identifies itself as Windows 10 Starter and not Windows 8 Starter).

"Windows Longhorn Client\..."
Very ironic. It's not Vista.

That's strange seeing references to Vista's codename during Windows 10 setup

[Californium-252]

Interesting compile. Starter was likely an SKU considered during the development of Windows 8, but I'm not sure if it was considered during Windows 10.

For the Windows 8 branding: I know that some Server 2016 builds (Technical Preview 5 - 14271-14283) used Windows Embedded 8 branding in winver. This doesn't explain the "Windows 8 Starter" branding in the watermark and the 2012 copyright date in winver though. Those Server 2016 builds had the right branding in the watermark and copyright date in winver.

And it's weird that the wallpaper folder only has the Windows 8.0 default wallpaper. You'd at least expect other wallpapers (whether it be Windows 10's or 8.0's) to be there.

[MIDILIVETECH]

I recently did a video on this so called Windows 10 Starter release.
it was based on Windows 10 insider preview build 10537 (th2_release).

it had the default Windows 8 default wallpaper and branding on the watermark, classic system properties, and winver dialog.
the OS also had all personalization options removed from the control panel. like a regular starter SKU would.
Where i knew it was fake was when i restarted into the advanced recovery options and saw it say exit and continue to Windows 10.

Here is my video demo of the OS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKXwFvBmXZQ
It's honestly weird, but interesting at the same time.
Someone must of had a lot of time and resource hacker to create this so called OS.