New Windows Vista Test Build Expected

Tablet PC feature integration, UI tweaks and parental control filters are all expected to be part of the December CTP release. But Beta 2 is still months away, it seems. (Microsoft Watch)

Windows testers will get a new beta version of Windows Vista, dubbed the December Community Technology Preview beta build, just before next weeks holidays, according to tester scuttlebutt.

New to the December release, testers say, will be a number of features and user-interface tweaks.

A new defrag module; tight integration of Windows Defender (the product formerly known as Windows AntiSpyware); and a functional parental-controls filter are all rumored to be in the December Vista build.

Resource Library:

Click here to read about Microsofts revamped Vista preview schedule.

OEMs and ISV partners are expected to get the December CTP any day now. And MSDN (Microsoft Developer Network) and other Vista testers will be able to get their hands on the build by Monday or Tuesday, if Microsoft Corp. sticks to its plans, the testers claim.

While its uncertain exactly which Vista build Microsoft will christen the December CTP, most testers are expecting it to be 5270.

While some testers claim to have seen Vista build 5276, it sounds like 5270 is more likely to get official approval for external testing.

This week, Vista build number confusion hit some testers. Some testers said they thought the Vista build that included in the December MSDN deliverables was the December Vista CTP. In fact, however, it was actually the October CTP build, aka Vista build 5231.

As reported last month, Microsoft did not release a Vista November CTP. Instead, the company opted to label build 5259 as an Integrated Developer Workstation build, claiming it was not of CTP quality.

Read the full story on Microsoft Watch: New Windows Vista Test Build Expected Next Week

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