Windows Vista build 5384.4 is the official Beta 2 build of Windows Vista, which was released to the public along with its server counterpart on 23 May 2006,[1] and was made widely available for download on 6 June of that year. It was released in English, German, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese.
Windows Vista Build 5384 Beta 2
In terms of names, what Microsoft referred to as Vista Beta 2 was build 5384. Build 5456 is an improved version of Beta 2 that fixes the bugs discovered in 5384. One further point, Microsoft say that Build 5456 will be the first version that can be upgraded to Windows Vista RC1 (Release Candidate).
Whether you have build 5384, 5456 or 5472, I now recommend you switch to this page Vista Beta 2 Build 5472. I also have instructions for older Vista builds, they are probably obsolete, but just in case that is the only version you have, here are the references: 5308,5270 and 5112.
What lulled me was the fact that build 5456 had good graphics from the start and silly me thought the slow performance was down to a checked beta version, the reality was the slow performance was down to lack of Virtual Machine Additions.
In terms of names, what Microsoft referred to as Vista Beta 2 was build 5384. Build 5536 is an improved version of Beta 2 that fixes the bugs discovered in 5384. One further point, Microsoft say that Build 5536 is a pre-release of Vista RC1 (Release Candidate), moreover, you will be able to upgrade from Build 5536 to future versions.
Whether you have build 5384 or 5536 then this page should help you with the Virtual PC install, I also have instructions for older Vista builds, they are probably obsolete, but just in case that is the only version you have, here are the references:5472, 5456, 5308,5270 and 5112.
What lulled me was the fact that build 5456 (and 5672) had good graphics from the start and silly me thought the slow performance was down to a checked beta version, the reality was the slow performance was down to lack of Virtual Machine Additions.
February CTP Refresh (built on March 21, 2006, with a build number of 5342.2) was released March 24, 2006. This build was shipped to technical beta testers and some corporate customers by Microsoft and was being used as a testing board for the extensive feedback they got from the February CTP. They described this release as an "External Developer Workstation", with the intent of providing an interim build between CTPs. Microsoft claimed it was still on track to deliver the next CTP in the second quarter, the build that will be the last in the Beta 2 fork. The build included minor UI changes, most notably improvements to the Media Center, new Aero and Aurora effects, a faster setup process, some new Sidebar gadgets, and slight improvements in overall performance and stability. The paint was also slightly improved, there's a new screenshot snapping/saving tool included and a slightly redesigned Network Center. This build did not meet CTP quality measurements, and was available only in Ultimate Edition, for both 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64) systems.
Windows Vista Beta 2 Preview (built on May 1, 2006, with a build number of 5381) was leaked on May 2, 2006, and was officially released on May 6, 2006, to Microsoft's technical beta testers. It featured mostly performance tweaks and only a few minor changes compared to build 5365. With this build, Microsoft entered Beta 2 "escrow".
Windows Vista Beta 2 (built on May 18, 2006, with a build number of 5384), was released to Microsoft Developer Network subscribers (the first since 5308) and Microsoft Connect testers on May 23, 2006, in conjunction with Bill Gates's keynote presentation at the WinHEC 2006 conference. On June 6, Microsoft extended the availability of Beta 2 to all users, making Vista available as a free download in several languages from their website. Some technology websites described this release as "the largest download event in software history".[36]
Build 5456 (build date of June 20, 2006) was released on June 24, 2006. Some of the new features included a revamped Aero subsystem and a completely overhauled and significantly less obtrusive User Account Control interface. "List view" in Windows Explorer was brought back, after having been removed in Beta 1. Microsoft developer Ben Betz later explained in a blog entry that, while they felt that removing List mode made sense based on usability research and its inability to support Windows Explorer's new "grouping" feature, the feature was restored based on a great deal of feedback from beta testers.[41]
Release Candidate 1 (RC1) (built on August 29, 2006, with a build number of 5600.16384) was released to a select group of beta testers on September 1, 2006.[50] On September 6, RC1 was released to MSDN and Technet subscribers, as well as registered Customer Preview Program (CPP) members with Beta 2 PID's. On September 14, Microsoft re-opened the CPP to new members. The CPP ended on November 26, 2006.
Build 5728 (build date of September 17, 2006) was released on September 22, 2006, to technical beta participants. The following day, Microsoft released a 32-bit version of the build to the public, with a 64-bit version arriving on September 25. On October 1, Microsoft reached its goals for program participation and no longer offered the build to the public. In response to a significant amount of feedback from RC1 testers, 5728 contained many improvements, one of which was the inclusion of a check box in the Sound properties that allowed the user to disable the Windows Vista startup sound.[56] The Welcome Center was also improved with new icons, eliminating the use of one icon for several different items, and all of the old icons in the User folder were replaced. With this build, Microsoft neared its goal of Vista installing in 15 minutes,[57] with some reviewers reporting that 5728 took as little as 16 minutes to do a clean install.[58] However, performing an upgrade installation from Windows XP was still slow, sometimes taking more than an hour to complete.[59]
Release Candidate 2 (RC2) (built on October 3, 2006, with a build number of 5744.16384), was released to CPP members, TAP testers, MSDN/Technet subscribers, and other technical beta testers on Friday, October 6, 2006, and was available for download until October 9 in preparation for the final release of Windows Vista. Because of an aggressive development schedule, this was the final build that would be officially released to the general public for testing. Nevertheless, all pre-release product keys will work until the final RTM build. Several testers reported that RC2 was faster and more stable than build 5728.[60] However, because RC2, which was a regular interim build, and not a major milestone as the name suggests, was not as rigorously tested as RC1, RC1 may have been more stable in certain situations. This build fixed many compatibility issues that plagued previous builds. Vista's GUI, which continued to be improved, contained some minor tweaks, one of the more prominent of which was the new ability to customize the color, but not the transparency, of maximized windows. In previous builds, windows became predominantly black when maximized, an effect that could not be altered by users.[61] A Control Panel icon for Windows Sideshow was also added.
Build 6001.18063 (release date of June 24, 2008). Microsoft Released KB952709 as a Reliability and Performance update for Windows Vista this build is notable for two reasons. First, This is the first publicly released update that increases Vista build number beyond the 6001.18000 (final) build of Service Pack 1. Second, this build replaces the 6001. longhorn_rtm.080118-1840 build a string of SP1 with 6001.vistasp1_gdr.080425-1930. The longhorn build string was present during the early development of Vista but was not seen in the official release build or any update after until it was reintroduced during the SP1 beta and was left in when SP1 was released, this build marks its removal from the only release version of Vista to contain the longhorn codename prominently.
Earlier today, Microsoft released the highly anticipated Beta 2 (Build 5384) of Windows Vista, which some say will make or break the operating system. While I have only spent a short amount of time with the new beta, others around the web have had a chance to release some brief reviews. Are the critics impressed?
It seems that the command prompt stack limits has changed under Windows Vista (at least for Beta 2 build 5384). And it seems that the stack limits in the command shell under Windows Vista is smaller than that in Windows XP. To see this, create a batch file, say test.cmd and add one line to call itself recursively: 2ff7e9595c
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