Vista will be available for MSDNAA on Nov. 17th

[p1p3]

Just for the record I'm running a legal version of RC1 and plan to buy the real deal when its released. However i find it VERY hard to believe that the leaked version is not RTM. If you change the build number in the files to 6000 wouldn't that also invalidate the signing on the files as most of them are signed by Microsoft?

[Garry]

I can say one thing for sure ... the leaked RTM is definitely not the version that will be on MSDN/MVLS. Whether it's the version that's in shops I don't know.

How do I know this? My MSDN/MVLS keys don't work. ;)

[Hello1024]

isn't it possible new keys will be issued??

[Alex Bryan]

My uni's MSDNAA doesn't have the Vista RC and it doesn't show Vista ultimate so does that mean it's unlikely we'll get it or does anyone else not have those listed? We do have Windows 2000 and XP, so we should be signed up for Operating Systems.

[+Mirumir Subscriber¹]

due to the fact that consumers use many more devices and software than businesses

That's a pretty naive statement.

[Tom B]

My university doesn't have it set up so we can download software we have to go to the office and get a key/disk :( Oh well, i'll go there tomorrow and bug them about it ;)

[psyko_x]

That's a pretty naive statement.

Is it? There are more desktop users than businesses. That alone should say enough. Businesses run the same software and hardware for all their machines (for the most part). On the other hand, your neighbor's desktop pc probably has significantly different hardware and software specs.

Think about what kinds of things desktop users do. Upgrading video cards, a new wireless mouse, new soundcards, webcams, physics cards, testing shareware/freeware software (constantly installing/uninstalling) and so on. Desktop users do it all the time, businesses don't. They plan and set up what they will use for software and hardware at the beginning.

----

Anyways just one more day to wait :)

As for the people that don't see Vista listed, I'm not sure. Maybe your webmaster has been lazy updating the website or different school just end up getting it at different times.

holy, you have access to a whole lot more software than my MSDNAA site gives me access to... We were lucky to get XP Pro and Visual Studio 2005

Only certain students get free downloads for all of those MS software. The engineering dept here has a big budget so they can afford it but I guess the school can't afford to pay for enough licenses for all students (about 40,000).

[Max Veteran]

I can say one thing for sure ... the leaked RTM is definitely not the version that will be on MSDN/MVLS. Whether it's the version that's in shops I don't know.

How do I know this? My MSDN/MVLS keys don't work. ;)

Your keys do not work because the leaked ISO's were modified so that old RC keys can be used. If the files were put back, yours would be valid.

[HawleyTronics]

The cracked RTM (actually patched more than cracked), will most probably expire the same time that the RC1 will expire, around May 31st or June 1st, 2007.

Why?

Because when you install the BillGates RTM and use that patch, it is essentially replacing two files in your RTM build with two files from the pre-RTM build and you are using a RC1/RC2/Beta key to activate it.

So what happens when MS expires those Beta and RC keys? So does your patched RTM, it will expire as well because the key you used to activate it was not a true RTM key.

So why bother going through all the BS in downloading and burning the RTM and patching the install just to get something that is essentially the same exact thing as RC1??

Beats me...

[Max Veteran]

Because by the time it needs activating again, someone else would have properly cracked it or gotten some kind of VLK RTM key.

People want the RTM because the code is actually FINAL. Its what they will be getting and what they will be using. When I was testing the betas and RC's, I thought: "Lets format because in a couple weeks the next build is out. Whoop-de." I can no longer think that because this stuff is final and nothing will progress majorly from here unlike it did in the betas.

The cracked RTM (actually patched more than cracked), will most probably expire the same time that the RC1 will expire, around May 31st or June 1st, 2007.

Why?

Because when you install the BillGates RTM and use that patch, it is essentially replacing two files in your RTM build with two files from the pre-RTM build and you are using a RC1/RC2/Beta key to activate it.

So what happens when MS expires those Beta and RC keys? So does your patched RTM, it will expire as well because the key you used to activate it was not a true RTM key.

So why bother going through all the BS in downloading and burning the RTM and patching the install just to get something that is essentially the same exact thing as RC1??

Beats me...

[nemo]

OMG... i am so hoping my school gets this on AA... I'll be so excited!

[Andareed]

I'm using TAP build of 6000.16386 and have seen various bugs.

[Hello1024]

I'm using the same build, and have seen literally hundreds of bugs - for example:

The media centre UI is very slow

When opening a document with any program that allows printing, if the default printer is a network printer that is offline, the program will hang for 30 secs.

When running VLC, Flash, Java, and a few old apps, aero is disabled for all windows.

When a UAC prompt appears, instead of the "fade to grey" as designed, the screen just turns off for 3 secs before showing the prompt.

The system will BSOD if docked or undocked during bootup.

If the power cable is plugged into a laptop during setup, it won't charge but continue to run from the batteries.

Sleep, Standby, and Hibernate only have a 50% chance of working on your system - my system immediatly resumes from sleep after about 10 secs even though I didn't press a button. My laptop resumes from sleep except never turns the screen on.

When dragging windows, or any other operation that requires lots of pixels to be repainted, the mouse will "lag" (not jerk), and then only catch up about 0.5 secs later, so you always overshoot your target - this is with an ATI X300 with their drivers and aero.

The "show hidden files" option in windows explorer reveals files in places they shouldn't be - foe example desktop.ini files on the desktop.

The volume control program lists programs that make no sound (eg. calculator), and sometimes one control will adjust the volume of a totally different program (eg. windows sidebar gadget sounds)

Some actions have multiple UAC prompts for a single action - eg. an internet explorer addin requires accepting 3 warning boxes, as well as clicking the information bar.

Some files/folders don't ask for a UAC prompt when deleted, but instead simply say "access denied", when a UAC prompt would provide the relavent permissions to delete it.

A full boot takes ages - to get to the screen with the start menu is fairly quick, but to get all the startup apps and services started takes about double the time - the "welcome center" for example usually pops up after a few minutes of browsing the web!

There seems to be no driver for a "USB Mass Storage Device" - yep thats right, a standard usb flash drive won't work! Reboot with the drive inserted and it will work fine, but unplug and replug it again and it will refuse to work until the next reboot. (hardware installation failed error)

Thumbnails for images on a network share arn't loaded until the view is scrolled to show them, making it very hard to quickly scroll a list of images to find a particular one, as you've got to wait for each page-full to load.

Worst of all, Open the documents folder (with show hidden files enabled), now open "My Videos", or any of the other "my ..." folders - you get "X is not accessible. Access is denied" error - whats the point of having a my videos folder if you don't have access to it!!.

Thats the list of bugs I've found in just the last few hours, and thats excluding cosmetic bugs that don't affect usability! I'm sure when I start using all the applications I'll find loads more!

Rant over!

Edited November 17, 2006 by Hello1024

[tony-inpo]

Looking forward to this. Its still not on my list, but I'm in the UK and as someone above said, this will probably be a factor that slows up me getting it. I'll check tomorrow evening

[koppah]

Yeah well, I'm sure it can be automated. Microsoft changed them all, no reason why a small focused group of individuals couldn't, especially with what's at stake, being the first to give a proper release of Vista Final (in the warez community that's big).

Hell, I might even do it if it brought a sort of prestige to my name.

I strongly suspect that the BillGates/MSDN Patch releases are the RTM build which didn't make it through the QA process - the reason that RTM was delayed a week. This bug was reported to be an inability to upgrade from XP - something which almost everyone I read about installing the BG release are complaining about.

Incidentally, the build number 6000 refers to an entire two week's worth of builds. You need to also look at the minor build numbers and timestamps.

[ProclaimDragon]

How many people already has Vista on their MSDNAA websites? I'm eager and waiting for my univ. to have it and was just wondering if you any of you guys already got it downloaded from your's school MSDNAA account? Post a screenshot?

Also, if you have it, let's know where you are from and which univ/college/school/whatever you are from...

[mrastudent]

How many people already has Vista on their MSDNAA websites? I'm eager and waiting for my univ. to have it and was just wondering if you any of you guys already got it downloaded from your's school MSDNAA account? Post a screenshot?

Also, if you have it, let's know where you are from and which univ/college/school/whatever you are from...

Exactly what I came here to post. As soon as it shows up on another college's MSDNAA site I can show it to my MSDNAA program administrator so they can't give a "it's not available yet" BS answer.

[ProclaimDragon]

yeah... I kept telling to my MSNDAA program administrator that vista rtm was out some time ago and I was asking him if he already had it available for the students and he kept telling me that vista wasn't out yet...

[Ambroos]

The vista most people are using is indeed fake! Microsoft played it smart this time.

Anyway, we get Vista and Office for free from our school.

Does anyone have any info about the current office leak? Is it also not-RTM?

[ryanmcv]

Does anyone have any info about the current office leak? Is it also not-RTM?

The leak of Office Enterprise 2007 is indeed the same build that was released to manufacturing. The RTM build numbers were confirmed on an official Microsoft blog.

[Noveed]

grrr my uni does not have it yet, in UK, i hope it gets it!!!

[Huy]

I was told that my university (Sydney, Australia) would have it around December 1 which coincides with the business availability of Nov 30 (we're a day ahead).

Our university works on a loan system though, so we have to wait until they get their CDs and burn copies for us, ready to be picked up. Limited copies are available as always.

[psyko_x]

I edited the original post with an image. Just wanted to let you guys know that I wasn't able to download it from the schools site either because apparently MS's servers have been so slow that the school hasn't even been able to download Vista and put it up on their server.

[mrastudent]

I edited the original post with an image. Just wanted to let you guys know that I wasn't able to download it from the schools site either because apparently MS's servers have been so slow that the school hasn't even been able to download Vista and put it up on their server.

What school are you attending?

MSDNAA pages allow public access so you don't need to use a screenshot, you can link to it.

[chrismaddern]

+1, a link would be very useful

p.s. My UK MSNDAA page does not include Vista

Chris