Windows Longhorn/6.0.4074.idx02.040425-1535

Windows "Longhorn" build 4074 is the official WinHEC 2004 preview build, which was leaked on May 2004.

There are three different architecture compilations of this build. These are x86, amd64, and IA-64; all of which have been leaked and are available on the BetaArchive FTP server.

Features
Note that only the x86 version has these features.


 * User interface changes - This build came with the Jade visual style, and the Segoe UI font. Many icons from Windows XP were replaced with new, high-resolution versions.
 * Complete DWM Aero effects - This build, unlike many other leaked builds, is the first build to have complete Aero effects in Explorer and Internet Explorer. However, a registry modification is required to extend the effect into the full UI of Explorer and Internet Explorer. The green translucent effect is used natively in this build instead of transparent "Aero Glass".
 * Aero Stars - An animated desktop which shows stars bouncing around the screen.
 * Improved preview and filter panes - This build has these panes improved, especially the preview pane, which is more functional than its leaked server counterpart, Windows Server 2008 build 4066
 * Animated Preview Pane Aurora - This build contains an Animated Preview Pane Aurora, but requires some modification to enable it.
 * Buddy Matchmaker
 * Sidebar tiles
 * Sticky Notes
 * A hidden Volume tile which is also present in builds 4066 and 4093 may be added.
 * Spinning icon on the Autoplay window

A feature, NGSCB, was removed from 4074.

Issues
There are some bugs/issues present in this build, some of which are:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.Folder] @="Folder"
 * Folder Creation Bug - There is a bug present in this build that prevents occasional creation of folders in Explorer. However, several unofficial patches have been created to address this issue. You can try this fix (that may or may not work). Save the following in a text file and change its extension to . Then double-click it to add it to the registry.


 * Faulty File Browse UI - The main 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.


 * Safe Mode -   crashes in a loop by default under safe mode since the sidebar tiles are present by default. The prompt will appear titled "Desktop" and will ask to proceed to work in safe mode or to System Recovery. Clicking on any 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 unless you remove all the sidebar tiles from the Registry via instructions below:


 * 1. Open  from Safe Mode with Command Prompt.


 * 2. Navigate to.


 * 3. Collapse the "Tiles" folder, remove all the sidebar tiles from the registry, and then close Registry Editor.


 * 4. Type in  in the Command Prompt. Once done,   will start in Safe Mode.


 * Another issue, when  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, it 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.


 * Cannot connect to Internet - This build may not connect to the Internet. Changing the DNS manually can solve this issue.

Sticky Notes
Sticky Notes files are contained in, but because   is missing, Sticky Notes do not work by default. WinMonKey and stan_fisher™ released a package to allow Sticky Notes to work in this build:

Enabling Aero
This is a guide on how to enable Aero in Longhorn build 4074, adapted from the tutorial at the Experience Longhorn Project. The patched ISO known as 'Longhorn The Way It Was Meant To Be' (Longhorn TWIWMTB) has all these features in place. But if you have a standard ISO of this build, here's how to get Aero working:

Note: This guide only works on the x86 version.

Video Drivers and Theme Files
You should use the SVGA driver pack if you have VMware 7.1. Installing this driver is fairly simple: go to the Device Manager, and under 'Graphics' click 'Update Driver' with the mounted or burned driver pack ISO. Now we need to reconstruct the Aero theme files. This is done by using the Jade theme files and copying these to the desktop. The 'Jade' folder and the files 'Jade.theme' and 'Jade.msstyles' should be renamed, respectively, to 'Aero' (folder), 'Aero.theme' and 'Aero.msstyles'. Now, open 'Aero.theme' as a text file and change: DisplayName=@themeui.dll,-203 to DisplayName=Aero. Replace all instances of 'Jade' with 'Aero' then in the text file. Save the theme and put the theme files back into the directory.

The Transparency and Desktop Composition
Now we need to go to the registry. Navigate in the registry to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer and create 2 DWORDs. Call the first DWORD MILExplorer and set the value to 1. The second is optional (setting it enables Aero stars on the Desktop): call it MILDesktop and set the value to 1. Save the registry. Go to Control Panel -> Display -> Themes and choose the Aero theme. After some seconds, you will see a lovely transparent taskbar and sidebar. If you added the MILDesktop key and if you have the drivers, you will also see the Aero Stars (animating stars on the desktop). At this moment we run into a problem. Trying to open a window will do nothing. That's because the window is completely transparent. Even though we enabled Aero transparency, we haven't yet enabled the Desktop Composition Engine.

To start the DCE, create a Notepad text file and paste in the following code. Save it as a '.bat' (batch file). Then run it, and the DCE should be on. @echo off %systemdrive%\windows\i386\sbctl.exe start rundll32 %systemdrive%\windows\system32\uxdesk.dll,DwmStartComposition %systemdrive%\windows\i386\sbctl.exe stop tskill explorer.exe %systemdrive%\windows\i386\sbctl.exe start

Please note that if you don't install the drivers, DCE will likely not load. Also, if you restart, the transparency will disappear by default. This can be avoided by adding a shortcut to your DCE-starting batch file to the Startup folder.

BetaArchive forums

 * Question: Longhorn 4079 - WinFS Storage fold. in my computer (thread is about 4074, post by Smartie77 explains how WinFS worked in the build)
 * A question about Sidebar tiles in LH 4074
 * Communication History in Longhorn