Windows Vista Team Blog : Windows Vista RC1

Another Update on Interim Windows Vista Build 5728: Japanese Version Available

Nick White — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 23:17:00 GMT

Another follow-up to my original post on Build 5728: the Japanese download page for both 32- and 64-bit versions is live.

That means that this link is now active!

Update on Interim Windows Vista Build 5728: 64-bit Version Available; Build Availability Window Closing Soon

Nick White — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 13:11:00 GMT

Per my post from last week, I've got some news for you regarding the release of interim build 5728:

The 64-bit version of build 5728 is now availabile in both German and English.
The window is rapidly closing for download of the English build, as we're nearing our targeted download quantity. If you've not yet downloaded the build, I would suggest doing so today.

Thank you to all of our beta testers who've downloaded this build to date -- we didn't expect your response to be so rapid and enthusiastic!

Interim Windows Vista Build 5728 Released Today

Nick White — Sat, 23 Sep 2006 02:12:00 GMT

Today we released an interim build of Windows Vista, also known as an EDW, or External Developer Workstation. This build is number 5728 and serves as an update to RC1 and runs in parallel with that release. The build is available to the public.

Here's our official message to our testers:

Updated Test Build Available (September 2006): Microsoft is looking for volunteers to help test an updated, interim release of Windows Vista. This build (5728) has a number of improvements and updates from RC1, but has not been put through the same internal testing process as RC1. We are making this release available for a limited time only in order to get broad distribution and testing in a variety of PC configurations. Click here if you are interested in testing this release. Otherwise, please use the links below to download RC1 (build 5600).

You can get the new build in the following languages:

(Due to localization lead times, links to the German and Japanese downloads will not be ready at the same time as English, so please be patient.)

Links to ISO files for the new build will be labeled in this fashion: "Windows Vista RC1 update (5728), English 32-Bit Edition."

One more thing to note: users of Toshiba models M400, M4 and M5 should do a clean install (not upgrade) of this build.

If you're interested in the seeing the changes that have been made since the release of RC1 on 1 September, then I'd encourage you to check out build 5728.

Silicon Valley Campus Windows Vista Install Fair CLOSED

Nick White — Sun, 17 Sep 2006 18:07:00 GMT

Regarding my post from last week, please note that the Silicon Valley Campus Install Fair is now closed.

Please also take into consideration that we're not simply giving away copies of Windows Vista at this event -- it's necessary to register for it and then when present at SVC, work with our tech staff to ensure your copy of RC1 is correctly installed on your particular machine.

RC1 CPP Now Available to General Public

Nick White — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 18:00:00 GMT

A quick update on CPP status:

Windows Vista RC1 is now publicly available. This means that 32- and 64-bit downloads for all three languages (English, German, and Japanese) are live. If you did not receive and email in the previous wave, you can now both download the ISO image and request a product key (PID).

More importantly, how do I get access to the RC1 build? Go here.

Silicon Valley Campus Install Fair Invitation

Nick White — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 15:55:00 GMT

The folks at the Silicon Valley Campus asked me to share the following invite with you. If you find yourself in the San Francisco Bay area on one of these dates, feel free to drop in and pick up the latest version of Windows Vista for your current workstation. Everyone who participates will be given a copy of Windows Vista Ultimate once it's released.

Install Fair Invitation

Participants will receive a free copy of Windows Vista Ultimate after release!

Dates: Saturday October 7^th & Sunday October 8^th, 2006

Two Locations:

Microsoft Silicon Valley Campus / Mountain View. Email us to register.

Silicon Valley Code Camp / Foothills College in Los Altos – Visit this site to register.

Timeslots: There are a maximum of 80 openings per timeslot each day.

9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
1:00 PM to 4:00 PM

The goals of the Install Fair are to:

Upgrade Windows XP SP2 (Home, Professional, Tablet PC and Media Center Edition) PC’s or Laptops with unfamiliar applications, configurations and devices to the latest pre-release version of Windows Vista Ultimate Edition.
Acquire valuable feedback about the Windows Vista Upgrade experience from the broader community to ensure that Windows Vista will be the most rock solid release of Microsoft Windows ever.

Checklist/Criteria to attend:

All important data has been backed up!
My PC’s Operating System is Windows XP SP2 (Home, Professional, Tablet PC or Media Center Edition) English x86.
My PC has an Intel/AMD Processor running at 1 GHz or higher.
My PC has a minimum of 512MB of RAM.
My PC’s Video adapter is AGP4x/8x or PCIe with a minimum of 64MB of RAM.
My PC’s Hard Disk has a minimum of 15GB of free space (on the same partition as Windows XP) to allow for upgrade.
My PC has a DVD-ROM Drive.

Resources we provide:

Monitors, Keyboards, Mice, Network Cables, and Speakers.
Windows Vista Ultimate Edition DVD.
Food, beverages and a gift for participating!

You need to bring:

Your PC, its power cable and a DVI-to-VGA converter if necessary…

We hope you will be able to participate! J

~The Windows Vista Install Fair Team

RC1 Public Availability Pending

Nick White — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 08:19:00 GMT

I know I'm sounding like a broken record (just read my comments on previous posts relating to RC1), but keep an eye on this blog for upcoming news on when and where to get your PID (product key) and image download when the public portion of the Windows Vista Customer Preview Program (CPP) opens.

Stay tuned ...

-- Nick