Windows AlphaBetas

Revision as of 04:31, 3 October 2023 by Dartz (talk | contribs)

Windows AlphaBetas is a bootleg Windows 2000 SP4 edition, which was created by ddrmaxromance of Troy's Work. It released to OSBetaArchive in September 2005, and was added to the archive on December 5, 2022.

Windows AlphaBetas
Crusty Windows bootleg
The desktop of Windows AlphaBetas
The desktop of Windows AlphaBetas
Original OSWindows 2000 SP4
Release dateSeptember 2005
Authorddrmaxromance of Troy's Work
CountryUnited States
Language(s)English
Architecture(s)x86 (32-bit)
File size232 MB
Download linkWindows AlphaBetas Build 905.iso
Date addedDecember 5th, 2022

Description

The bootleg is a modified Windows 2000 SP4 ISO. The bootleg is mostly intended to be an enhancement to Windows 2000 by adding unused/beta content from various Windows releases, as per the name. It has some software bundled with it, which you can install on the CD itself.

The ISO was made using nLite 1.0 beta 6 on Windows 2000, making it one of the earliest known bootlegs to use nLite.

Changes from Windows 2000 SP4

  • New branding on the autorun, Setup background, Winver banner and in a few other places
  • The boot screen has been edited to have a green and black progress bar with the author's branding on it. The logo is changed to a Windows Neptune style logo, and a Watercolor-themed window is added, with nine of the major Windows betas and releases with their corresponding Windows default shell icons
  • New icon set. The "My Computer" and "Network Neighborhood" icons have been changed. The start menu icons have been changed to their original icons from different angles in various background colors.
  • Nearly every sound has been removed from the system. There have been some new sounds added though, like the Windows 95 startup sound which is the default startup sound, and a low quality version of the Windows NT 5.0 beta startup sound which is the logon sound

Software on the CD

  • CursorXP
  • Firefox 1.0.7
  • Best of Microsoft Entertainment Pack
  • Trillian 3.1
  • Unknown Device Identifier 4.0
  • Windows Messenger 5.1

Notes

  • When the Setup is copying files, two files (ir50_32.dll and winver.exe) will "fail" to install. You can skip them just fine, it won't actually affect the installation.
  • The start button has no text and uses the 16 color Windows XP start button icon, making the taskbar resemble that of Windows CE 5.0.
  • The taskbar is unlocked by default, and the Quick Launch toolbar is shown with nothing in it.
  • The shortcut arrow is now a big gray arrow pointing to the top right.
  • The Windows directory is titled "WINABCS" instead of the original "WINNT".
  • The Documents and Settings directory has been renamed to "Users".
  • There are some additional images in the Extras folder.
  • The icon for "My Computer" in this build has been taken from Windows 95 build 189.

Gallery