Windows Vista/6.0.5048.winmain idx02.050401-0536

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Windows "Longhorn" 6.0.5048
Kernel version	NT 6.0
CPU architecture	x86, x64
Edition	Professional
BIOS date	April 2, 2005

Windows "Longhorn" build 5048 (with a build tag of 5048.winmain idx02.050401-0536) is the first Omega-13 build of Windows Vista to leak after the development reset of Windows "Longhorn". It was released to attendants of WinHEC 2005, and was known as the "Longhorn Developer Preview."

A "Longhorn" concept seen in the AERO Feel promotional video displaying a search box on the Start menu. Build 5048 realizes this feature.

Build 5048 includes a number of design concepts and features that would be present in the RTM version of Windows Vista, including the Windows Aero theme and visual effects, a search box in Windows Explorer, a new Category organizational structure for the Control Panel, and the Sync Manager. It is the first known build to include an instant search feature on the Start menu—a feature previously present in "Longhorn" concepts—and also introduces a treeview for the "All Programs" view on the Start menu. This build also notably includes the "Show Picture Preview on Hover" feature for pictures in Windows Explorer that was present in pre-reset builds, but it does not work.

While Microsoft had made a significant amount of progess in reinstating "Longhorn" features, many were surprised that this and similar builds more closely resembled Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. Technology blogger and Windows enthusiast Paul Thurrott once stated:

"My thoughts are not positive, not positive at all. This is a painful build to have to deal with after a year of waiting, a step back in some ways. I hope Microsoft has surprises up their sleeves. This has the makings of a train wreck."

This build includes DWM, but it can crash when starting. Betaarchive user ovctvct wrote a tutorial on how to enable DWM without any crash.

Features

Windows "Longhorn" Build 5048 includes preliminary versions of core features that would appear in the RTM version of the operating system. Build 5048 is also the first build to be released publicly by Microsoft after the development reset—some of its features were present or indicated for pre-reset builds—a fact that makes this build notable and significant.

Some of its features include:

• A new zoom feature in Microsoft Paint previously observed in Windows "Longhorn" Build 4051
• Desktop Window Manager
• Help and Support Center (Help Pane)
• Instant Search
• "Longhorn" Error Reporting
• Microsoft Anna speech synthesizer
• Network Location Awareness (NLA)
• New Category Control Panel viewing mode and applets for installed programs
• People Near Me
• Scalable icons (Holding the CTRL key and using a mouse scroll wheel)
• Self-Healing NTFS
• Speech recognition
• Start menu features, including a search box and inline "All Programs" menu
• Sync Manager
• User Account Control
• Windows Diagnostic Infrastructure (WDI)
• Windows System Assessment Tool (WinSAT)

Gallery

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  Build 5048 displaying its default Start menu configuration.

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  A search box on the Start menu makes its first known appearance in Build 5048.

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  Options to configure the Start menu notably include links for "My Games" and "My Hardware."

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  Folder Options in Build 5048 notably displaying the "Show Picture Preview on Hover" feature that was previously included in pre-reset builds.

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  Build 5048 Error Reporting.

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  A preliminary "Problem Reports and Solutions" UI in Build 5048.

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  Speech recognition and synthesis options in Build 5048.

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  The Microsoft Anna Speech Synthesizer previously included in Windows "Longhorn" Build 4093.

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  The Help Pane in Build 5048.

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  The Sync Manager included in pre-reset builds as seen in Build 5048.

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  The People Near Me peer networking feature in Build 5048.

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  A webpage displaying help for WinSAT.