[Intro]
As everyone already knows, support for Windows XP ended on April 8, 2014, which at the time the video was taken - 8 years ago
Windows XP was the base for such Russian popular at that time builds as Windows XP Zver, Windows Game Edition, Windows XP SamLab, Windows XP CHIP and many others,...
...the list could go on and on.
But people still make bootlegs based on this system, even if its support is discontinued, and its share of the market has practically disappeared.
But who cares and who is stopping it?
That's right - nobody.
And various kinds of enthusiasts, and just any people, make bootlegs based on this system.
For the most part, they are some shitty builds with "cool" fonts and themes.
But, among all this there is not only something disgusting, but there is also something really interesting, and even unusual.
In this video we will look at these kinds of creations: Windows XP/Server 2003-based bootlegs, which at least caught my attention because of their uniqueness.
Download links will be provided in my Telegram channel (RUS).
And now, let's get started.
Let's start with the most unusual: Remember that video where I showed for educational purposes the program that cut Windows XP down to 35 megabytes?
So, some genius went ahead and made Windows almost the same size, and essentially rolled back the system to the Windows NT 3.1 period in terms of design.
To begin with, the archive with the hard disk image weights 12,9 MB
So, let's start.
There will not be any loading screen: the file paths for launching will showed and a screen with information about the build will appear.
The Native Shell and the disk check at startup also work on this screen. I have already made a video on the channel about what Native Shell is and why it is needed at all.
So, after a full start, we have the Program Manager: just like in the first Windows NT and Windows 3.x.
There is only one group in the manager, which contains the registry editor, command line, task manager, notepad and file manager from the Windows 3.x era
When we open the "About" window here we will not see any pictures that tell us what system is installed; and the name and organization will be as "OEM".
There will naturally be no help center here. On the contrary, it would be very strange if it were here.
And the structure of the system itself in terms of folders looks like this...
..There is almost nothing but the most important here.
I even connected a hard drive with the original XP and tried to run its original applications,...
...but it doesn't make sense - explorer.exe is blaming a missing DLL, and I can't get any MMC application to run at all.
The system reports that "it do not know this format and does not know what to do with it"
To me it is really very unusual and probably would be useful to study old Windows - if someone really becomes interested in how some old systems work.
Have you ever seen a beta version of Windows XP?
These are experiments with design, functionality.
The first version of the Luna theme appeared here, which became the main design theme in Windows XP.
And there was some enthusiast who decided, based on the original Windows XP, to recreate the design and aesthetics of the later beta builds of this system, to bring back the lost features and programs from previous versions of Windows.
And it's all called Windows XP Delta Edition.
The image weighs 737 megabytes and is safely available for download on the Archive.org
By the way, in addition to Windows XP Delta Edition, there are builds based on Vista and 7 for the same purpose. Sounds like some kind of an anthology.
The text installation is not at all different from the original. But the graphical installation is reminiscent of the later beta versions of Windows XP.
And the loading screen and the OOBE video are different.
Yes, there's even an assistant from the betas. And in general, the OOBE is almost unchanged.
Complete the OOBE, and look, here is a different welcome screen and login sound.
So what we have here is an installed system that is very similar to the beta XP.
Doesn't it look like it?
The desktop has shortcuts to "My Documents", "My Computer", "My Network Places", a shortcut to the browser...
...and in the bottom right corner is a "bag from Pyatyorochka (meme about russian market)"
But there are also two shortcuts, one of which opens a text file with the history of versions and a list of known bugs,...
...and the second opens a file with a full description of the project and other answers to questions.
In the design sense, there are wallpapers from both Windows XP and Windows Whistler. The same is true of the design themes here.
I told you earlier that the purpose of the build is "to recreate the design and aesthetics of the later beta builds of this system, bringing back lost features and programs from previous versions of Windows."
Okay, we looked at the design, it does look like those betas, but what about the functionality?
And the functionality here is very interesting...
Two Movie Makers - one from Windows ME, the other original from XP
Windows Media Player here is the ninth version, but its icon is styled like the old one
Dialer application from Windows NT, CD player from Windows 2000, character editor, clock
The "Welcome to Windows" program is from Windows 2000, but it's styled as if it were from XP, and it's quite nice btw...
And a bunch of versions of tutorials on Windows XP: one is a test one, another from XP Beta 2, and the third is the original, but with its own demo screenshots.
Otherwise, it's just standard XP.
And honestly, it's one of the creations reviewed in this video that hooked me the most.
There is also a package of additions to this build, but other than new themes, it does not add anything else.
Well, let's get on with it and review our next creation.
The next build we will look at is Windows XP 2003 Edition.
The image weights over 1 GB, run from it and we see a complete graphical Windows PE-based installation, straight from Windows Longhorn.
The installer is made quite stylish and pleasing to the eye - the icons and the whole style tries to repeat the style of Windows XP.
The product key here is from the beta build of Windows Longhorn [edit. - Windows Vista]
Select the drive, wait a few minutes and one reboot, and that's it - in front of us a complete system, which even already shows the welcome screen.
The fact is that the entire system is packaged in a WIM file, and just the installer from Windows Longhorn was not taken for nothing - ...
...it simply unzips the WIM file with the system already preconfigured, but not completely finished, to the specified disk and reboots.
After a long welcome screen, we are greeted by the OOBE, which consists of...
...a little window that asks you to enter the name of your future account.
And after entering the name we are asked to reboot the system - just very much in the spirit of Windows 9x systems, when after installing or changing the settings of any driver you were forced to reboot.
As you may have noticed before: the system design has been almost completely redesigned, from the welcome screen to the system startup screen.
And the design of the system, I would say, is made for the amateur.
After the first launch and the OOBE, a "Feedback" shortcut appears on the desktop,...
...notification named "Where do you want to go today?"
And when you click on it, it opens quite a non-standard, and in some ways beautiful tutorial.
[except that the pictures for the tutorial could have been photoshopped better]
The "Feedback" shortcut simply opens a "how to submit a report" help box and explains tips for making a report correctly.
In fact, it is an unnecessary application because: first, it is unlikely that Microsoft now accepts reports and second, what is a Windows Longhorn application doing here?
Okay, there are a lot of applications and add-ons that were made by Microsoft: here's the search bar and the Windows Search engine from Vista,...
...here are the apps from Windows XP Tablet PC, apps from Microsoft Plus! for Windows XP.
There are even Snipping Tool here, but they don't work for me personally
The programs in the Start menu are sorted into groups the way they are in older versions of Windows.
It also has its own app store. Well, almost its own :D
The point is that it simply opens the Windows XP-style application manager program from ReactOS and the same program tries to update the list of applications to be downloaded by contacting the ReactOS server.
In principle, there is nothing more to say about the applications.
The kernel here is NT 5.2 - that is from Windows Server 2003, although there may be some confusion along the lines of "how so, because everywhere it says Windows XP and the kernel 5.2, then this is the 64-bit version of Windows XP".
But no, the image of this build is 32-bit, so the option that here is a remade 64-bit version of Windows XP, falls away by itself.
[or maybe I don't understand something]
The boot loader of this system is taken from beta builds of Windows Vista (Windows Longhorn) and, in theory, this system has UEFI support.
How you can make Windows XP and UEFI work together, I told you in a separate video, though without a voice - I just described everything there, but I showed it anyway :)
To summarize, I can say that this build is really unusual, from the appearance to the boot loader.
Naturally, this is my personal opinion and you may not agree with it. But now we can move on to the next build.
Windows XP by nCore
The LWGAME TEAM did a build based on Windows Server 2003 with integration of functions from the One Core API, which allows to run applications from modern Windows on Windows XP/Server 2003
Judging by the description of their VK group, this build "is based on the original Windows Server 2003 SP2 with tight integration of One Core API functions...
...It contains all the latest updates, is tuned for optimal performance, and is as adapted as possible for general users."
We are listed the differences in the form of support for modern hardware, support for DirectX 10/11 and understanding more than 4 GB of RAM.
The One Core API is essentially an open source compatibility layer for Windows XP/2003 that allows programs for later operating systems to run on those systems.
This is essentially the NT6 feature layer.
The One Core API is based on Wine and ReactOS sources, but it is developed by a completely different team.
The installation of this build is almost completely automated. However, the graphical installation step is very minimalistic: just a picture with the name NCORE and in the middle left the progress of the installation.
It's hard for me to understand why it was necessary to do that, but okay - it's not for me to judge after all.
After installation there is no OOBE or login screen - we get right into the system.
But at the moment, the necessary Visual C++ Redists and other libraries are being installed.
The standard picture here is not "hills", but again the developer's logo with the word NCORE.
Internet Explorer 8 is installed here
There are no games - that's understandable, even in the original Windows server.
The theme engine is power on by default, and that's where the differences essentially end.
So, since there is a built-in One Core API, you can try to test some Windows 7 software in this build.
Pale Moon here does not start at all, although the installation of the browser works and succeeds. But when you run the executable file of the browser, the system reports that the required entry point is not found
OBS immediately refused to install because it was supposedly now fully open and had to be closed before it could be installed.
Although I put it here for the first time. But, I do not deny the fact that it may work already installed version.
7-Zip: it works everywhere, even in the original XP and Server 2003.
The latest version of AIMP works quite well, if not excellent: it installs and runs smoothly.
Its latest versions now require at least Windows 7. Support for Windows XP by the developer has been ended.
But I was very pleased with Sony Vegas 11: it started perfectly and works properly, but in the menu items all the inscriptions are crooked by 45°
But it's not critical in any way.
Remember that Sony Vegas 11 came out in 2011 - this is the first version where the minimum OS requires Windows Vista and above, and in fact, since this version officially dropped support for Windows XP.
I can't say anything about the actual use of this build, but it's at least a good attempt to integrate the One Core API into the system itself out of the box.
And the next bootleg is already much more interesting than the others.
Windows XP Integral Edition.
This build is for those who still love XP and want to install it somehow on a modern PC.
The build is based on the official English image and includes all the latest updates, official patches and fixes.
In addition, the author added a huge number of patches and drivers for LAN, WLAN, Chipset, SATA/AHCI and NVMe, which gave me a successful run on my old Acer from 2013, where the original XP would crash to a blue screen during installation.
The installer of this system here is the classic one from Windows 2000. And the installation is automated here, which in principle is no surprise at all.
After installing [the system] we are greeted by a program that offers to install patches, libraries, the most necessary programs and utilities in the form of 7-Zip, a browser and Unlocker
After installing [programs and patches] on the desktop there are shortcuts for Basilisk browser (a fork of Firefox, if anything),...
...Media Player Classic and a text document with links to recommended programs for Windows XP.
In addition to the programs mentioned earlier, there is BitLocker To Go Reader, audio and video codecs, and the RAM disk program ImDisk.
Other than the desktop themes, there is almost nothing special - just default Windows XP with patches for modern hardware and all the updates.
It's hard for me to say whether it's a shitty build or not, and yet everyone decides for himself.
In addition to the image itself are additions in the form of drivers for Wi-Fi adapters, support for drives like GPT, Windows Movie Maker and other minor modifications.
The build is still being updated, the last update was on June 16, 2022, where many libraries were updated.
Windows93XP.
A Windows XP build that tries to look like the windows93(dot)net entertainment site style.
A total trash that I just put in for fun and nothing more.
Anyway, that's about it.
Despite the end of support for Windows XP, enthusiasts still build on that system many years later.
Something is being added, improved, improved in terms of support and trying to make the system run on modern hardware.
As of 2020, though, Windows XP was used on 25 million PCs that go online every day.
The practical part and the need for these very assemblies everyone is looking for himself: for some it will be fine, for some it will seem like a nightmare.
But among this you can make one big conclusion - Windows XP among the people is still alive and still trying to improve it in any way.
That's all I wanted to show.
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