Update: April 12 @ 3:14 PM: We have added four screenshots at the end of the post to verify the legitimacy of this build.
Hold onto your seats, as this story will be a work in progress over the next 48 hours: We are beginning to receive word that Windows 7 build 7106’s rumored leak is not a hoax after all.
The images below represent some preliminary images of Windows 7 build 7106’s setup.exe. The executable’s build string is verifiable, but something peculiar is afoot with the file’s certificate chain. The certificate was issued by an authority called “Microsoft Test PCA.” The only reference we could find on Google of any relevance was this post, where a user was unable to install the WinFX SDK because of an invalid Microsoft Test PCA certificate. Two Microsoft employees said they were looking into it, and the second was able to somehow get that download updated to nuke the bad certificate.
At this time we have no additional information on this certificate chain other than to reason it might be something internal to Microsoft for reasons unknown. If anyone has additional insight on this matter, we’d appreciate it if you left a comment.
Word of this build first cropped up 24 hours ago on behalf of a Chinese user going by the name of Skullangel. After discussions regarding the veracity of the claim — and an expired availability deadline — it was collectively decreed that the announcement was a hoax. Fast-forward to this morning and the same user has returned to provide some proof to support his announcements.
ISO Details
Skullangel provided the names of the ISOs we can expect:
7106.0.090408-1623_x86fre_client_zh-cn_Retail_Ultimate-GRC1CULFRER_CN_DVD.iso
7106.0.090408-1623_x64fre_client_zh-cn_Retail_Ultimate-GRC1CULXFRER_CN_DVD.iso
7106.0.090408-1623_x86fre_client_en-us_Retail_Ultimate-GRC1CULFRER_EN_DVD.iso
7106.0.090408-1623_x64fre_client_en-us_Retail_Ultimate-GRC1CULXFRER_EN_DVD.iso
These four files indicate that build 7106 is being released in US English and Simplified Chinese in x86 and x64 varieties. The build was compiled at 4:23 PM on April 8, 2009. At this time we have no hashes for the ISO, though they are forthcoming. Please sit tight.
Build 7100 series
As we discussed last Tuesday, it is believed that the 7100-series of builds are in line to become the RTM copy that gets shipped for retail manufacturing this fall. All the bug fixes that get tested and verified on the 7000 line are mirrored in the 7100 line so Microsoft can continue developing the most stable Windows 7 codebase possible. There are many additional details regarding the separate lines of builds in our Tuesday post, so we highly recommend you give it a read and see what the fuss is all about.
Screenshots
We can now confirm that the leak of build 7106 is in fact legitimate, but as of right now it is only in simplified Chinese. The following screenshots were taken on VMWare 6.x:
Installation screen
Boot screen
Login screen
Winver build string
The leakers of this build are reporting that the English version is on the way, so we’ll have to wait and see.
Articles RSS