Windows Vista RC1 (build 5564)

Unfortunately rumors circulating on the Internet suggesting that Microsoft had discontinued the practice of declaring the person installing the OS to be the default administrator are false. In Vista RC1, it is still possible to install the OS and not create a password yet enjoy full administrator privileges--we did so. This is a dangerous proposition, as remote attackers can use this lack of an all-power administrator password coupled with a disabled UAC to escalate privileges on your system and therefore take over your PC. In other operating systems, such as Max OS X and Linux, operating as administrator without a password is not possible. We were also able to create new users without password protection; a simple dialog-box warning told us that one or more users did not have password protection, but the accounts were created nonetheless.

Individual password-protected accounts are critical to Windows Vista's new built-in Parental Controls feature. Present in previous builds, Parental Controls don't look all that different in RC1, but behind the scenes they're supposed to be smarter. We couldn't find direct evidence of that in our initial testing; the configuration panels have not changed much since Beta 2, but Microsoft Windows Vista group product manager Chris Flores suggested that filters within RC1 are more sensitive to age ranges, allowing parents more granular control of the sites blocked automatically. Windows Vista will use the same filters as Windows Live OneCare Family Safety. Without password protection on any of the accounts, however, we were able to switch the user back to administrator and tweak our Parental Controls account more to our own liking.

Eye candy in Windows Vista RC1
The Windows Photo Gallery has been tweaked and now allows you to play videos within slide shows you can create by simply clicking your selected images or clips. You may also tag your video and images, allowing more flexibility in sorting and searching.

Windows Media Center has also been tweaked further in RC1 and now displays a visual image that responds to the songs being played or will play a slide show of images culled from your Windows Photo Gallery.

A new feature resides within the Windows Mobility Center, a collection of tools used by laptops, such as the battery meter and the control to switch the display to a projector or other monitor during meeting presentations. New in RC1 is the ability to default to a neutral desktop wallpaper during presentations and to turn off screensavers, IM messages, and system messages (such as UAC). This should prevent cute pictures of your kid or a quick IM from an old college buddy from distracting your clients during a sales presentation.

Another useful enhancement is tucked within Windows Meetings Space: an ad hoc wireless collaboration tool used to share or transfer any file from one system to another that warns of potential dangers in accepting certain file types. In Windows Vista RC1, Microsoft has imposed the same blocked extension rules used by Microsoft Outlook, meaning that EXE files, for example, would trigger a warning that accepting such files might expose your system to malware.

Buried deep within Windows Vista RC1 is the latest iteration of WinFX technology. Renamed .Net Framework 3 in RC1, this new technology allows developers to create new graphics-dependent browsers, such as the new viewer being built by Microsoft for the New York Times online. Unlike previous .Net technology, .Net Framework 3 will be native to Windows Vista and not require an additional download.

Overall, Windows Vista RC1 still feels unbaked in spots, and I wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft exercised its option to roll out one more release candidate (RC2) before sending coding to manufacturers or setting a final ship date for customers. Windows Vista RC1 is good, but don't be alarmed if some aspect of this ambitious new operating system doesn't work as advertised.

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User reviews

• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 46 reviews
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• 4.0 stars

  10 out of 10 people found this review helpful

  "Great beautification"

  by peter.mortensen on September 4, 2006

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• 3.0 stars

  11 out of 18 people found this review helpful

  "Still not even OS X Tiger, let alone Leopard"

  by natejohnstone on September 6, 2006

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• 3.5 stars

  6 out of 6 people found this review helpful

  "Far better than Beta 2..."

  by JWilliams06 on September 3, 2006

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Where to buy Windows Vista RC1 (build 5564)

This product is still in beta.