Inside Windows Vista Build 5231

On Monday 17 October 2005, Microsoft released another interim build of its new Windows operating system. Based entirely on the programming code that will be used in Beta 2 (which is not yet available), Build 5231 emphasises three points: diagnostics, collaboration and a new Internet Explorer for Windows Vista. This build of Vista is available only to developers, not the public. Read our preview of build 5231 for more information.

Solutions Center

To prevent system crashes, Microsoft has gathered tools to detect and automatically resolve problems associated with defective physical memory. In theory, you should see no more Blue Screens of Death.

Windows Disk Diagnostics

To guard against hardware failures, Windows Vista monitors the health of the hard drive and can proactively warn users of impending disk drive failure, allowing them to back up their data and replace defective hardware before the situation turns critical.

New Control Panel icons

The Control Panel icons in Build 5231 reveal controls for auxiliary displays, network map, peer-to-peer, secure startup, Sync Center and Windows Parental Controls. Some of these controls exist; others are mere placeholders at the moment.

Network Center

Want to share network media players, or just hook up a network router or wireless access points? The new Windows Vista Network Center replaces the My Network Places and the Network Neighborhood found in Windows XP, providing a one-stop location for all of your networking needs, interconnecting your computers and devices on your local network.

Windows Mobility Center

Microsoft has grouped together the tools you'll need to go mobile. From this control panel, you can adjust display brightness, power plans, volume control among applications, plus wireless, synchronisation and presentation status.

Sync Center

Windows Sync Center allows you to make offline copies of network files, as well as manage offline copies of Web pages saved from Internet Explorer.

IE 7 for Windows Vista Favorites Center

Although we saw an earlier preview of IE for Vista in build 5219, Microsoft is offering a more finalised beta with a reorganised Favorites Center. Here you can quickly access History, RSS feeds and, of course, your Internet Favorites. Other changes include grouping open tabs for reuse at a later time (say you like to read certain news sites; now you can open them all at once).

Quick Tabs in IE 7

With more than one tab open, IE 7 for Windows Vista allows you to view thumbnails of each page. Called Quick Tabs, you can quickly choose a destination by the contents displayed rather than having to remember the name of each tab. This is another benefit of the new Windows Presentation Foundation graphics system seen in last month's build.

Windows Media Player 11

There's also an advanced preview of Windows Media Player 11 in this month's build. We really like WMP's clean interface, with program controls prominently placed, à la QuickTime. Along with that, there's also a new taskbar control so that you don't have to open WMP to stop, start or skip to your favourite track.

Migration Wizard

Although it's not yet ready for public consumption, the new Windows Migration Wizard eliminates the need for third-party software to help transfer data from your old hard drive to a new disk, assist you with system upgrades or when your hard drive starts to go south.

Power Management Center

Here's a preview of Windows Vista's new Power Management Center, which is clearly still in the early stages of design.

New Calendar in Vista

Also getting a face-lift is the familiar calendar feature in Windows. Here's an early look. Remember, this build of Windows Vista is available only to developers, not the public, and many features are likely to change before a beta goes public.