Some testers expecting an early Windows 7 Beta 1 present

[AWS]

There’s talk that Microsoft has signed off internally on the Beta 1 Windows 7 bits. Word is the build number of what goes out to testers will be 6.1.7000.0.081212-1400.

What do all those digits mean? And when will testers actually get their hands on the code?

Windows power users and long-time beta testers probably need no explanation, but the rest of us undoubtedly could stand some schooling. Here’s how it works:

 

• 6 = Major NT OS version number (Windows 7, as the Softies have said, is built on the Windows Vista kernel, which they call NT Version 6)
  
• 1 = Minor version number
  
• 7000 = Major build number
  
• 0 = Minor build number (if needed otherwise omitted on most builds)
  
• 081212-1400 = Build date stamp (08 = year, 12 = month, 12 = day, 1400= 2 p.m. using a 24-hour- format time stamp)
  

Once a release of Windows is released to manufacturing, the major build number is only changed when service packs are introduced. Example: VistaSP2/2008SP2 is build 6002. (The RTM build of Vista was No. 6000.16386.061101.2205, for those keeping track at home.)

 

 

Source: All About Microsoft