CNET News.com observed the leaked Longhorn, dubbed Build 4015 by Microsoft, running on a Gateway 400XL notebook with 1.5GHz Intel Centrino processor and 512MB of SDRAM. The latest version of Longhorn includes a more streamlined, graphical installation process, which eliminates older text-based installation tools. Like earlier Longhorn leaks, the Milestone 5 user interface is more refined than Windows XP. Microsoft also appears to be pushing forward with a task pane, or sidebar, that by default adorns about a ruler's width of the right-hand side of the display. Similar task panes, but with different options, are available in Office XP, Office 2003 Beta 2 and MSN 8. The sidebar is one of the most significant changes to the Windows user interface. In its default setting, the sidebar adds to the Windows desktop a search option, quick access to frequently used programs, a rotating slideshow of images and a clock. A new option lets users change the position of the sidebar to the bottom or left-hand side of the screen, as well as adjust the size in position with respect to the traditional task bar. Microsoft has also increased support for portable storage devices, making it easier to save important data. One of the available options when plugging in a portable USB (universal serial bus) drive lets Windows users create a "Portable User Profile". By default, documents, music, photos, videos, user preferences and settings are synchronised with the USB device. Microsoft also has added new options for connecting to devices with digital images. When plugging in a USB drive containing digital photos, new option "Silent Transfer" skips Microsoft's typical wizard process and goes to the final step of moving the images to the computer. Longhorn M5 also features many changes to settings found in the Control Panel. A new Portable Audio Devices control could simplify working with portable music players. Microsoft also added new feature called Parental Controls, which creates user restrictions based on Internet programs, total hours using the computer or specific games. The Internet feature is not enabled in the newest leaked Longhorn, while the others are tied to specific user accounts. Microsoft also tweaked the User accounts feature, adding more control over login features and managing users who are part of the Administrator's group. The Windows Component Wizard, which is used for adding or removing OS features, allows further customisation based on "platform". The component installer would allow the user to add features supporting Tablet PC, which is based on Windows XP Professional. Microsoft also updated the Internet Information Services option to version 6.5, which supports FrontPage 2002 server extensions, among other newer options. As previously reported, the Windows Media Player 9 Series Player found in the leaked Longhorn is a newer build, 2991 vs. 2980 for the one publicly available, as is the version of Internet Explorer included with the new operating system. The new test version also contains Windows Messenger 5, which is in separate beta testing.
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