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Secret links for Windows Live Essentials Wave 4 beta

By | July 29, 2010, 7:28am PDT

Summary: I’ve been impressed with the Windows Live Essentials Wave 4 beta, especially with the new Photo Gallery and Movie Maker. But the one thing that’s missing from the official download page is an offline installer. Never fear: I’ve found it.

I’ve been using the Windows Live Essentials Wave 4 beta for a while now and continue to be impressed with its pieces, especially the new Photo Gallery and Movie Maker.

One thing I’ve heard lots of complaints about, though, is the new installer, which consists of a small stub (roughly 1.15 MB in size) that then downloads the much larger main installer file and installs all the components automatically. Here’s the download link:

Windows Live Essentials Wave 4 Beta

Notice anything missing? Unlike previous versions, there’s no obvious way to download the full installer files so you can install on multiple machines. But it’s there if you know where to look in the Windows Live Solution Center:

Windows Live Essential Offline Installer links for Wave 4 Beta

The page has links for the full setup files (wlsetup-all.exe) for English, Spanish, French, Japanese, Dutch, Portuguese (Brazil), and Chinese (Simplified). Oddly, the links aren’t clickable. You have to copy and then paste them into a browser address bar to begin the download.

The other change I’ve noticed recently is that the web-based installer now offers the option to choose which programs from the Essentials package you want to install.

In previous builds, every program was installed, including the Bing browser toolbar and Family Safety. Although you could go back and remove the unwanted programs, that was a needless step. It’s no longer required.

If you’ve used the Wave 4 beta, please leave any feedback in the Talkback section.

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Microsoft Windows Live, Beta, Web Browser, Microsoft Windows, Web Browsers, Operating Systems, Software, Internet, Ed Bott

Ed Bott is an award-winning technology writer with more than two decades' experience writing for mainstream media outlets and online publications.

Disclosure

Ed Bott

Ed Bott is a freelance technical journalist and book author. All work that Ed does is on a contractual basis.

Since 1994, Ed has written more than 25 books about Microsoft Windows and Office. Along with various co-authors, Ed is completely responsible for the content of the books he writes. As a key part of his contractual relationship with publishers, he gives them permission to print and distribute the content he writes and to pay him a royalty based on the actual sales of those books. Ed's books are currently distributed by Que Publishing (a division of Pearson Education) and by Microsoft Press.

On occasion, Ed accepts consulting assignments. In recent years, he has worked as an expert witness in cases where his experience and knowledge of Microsoft and Microsoft Windows have been useful. In each such case, his compensation is on an hourly basis, and he is hired as a witness, not an advocate.

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Ed does not accept gifts from companies he covers. All hardware products he writes about are purchased with his own funds or are review units covered under formal loan agreements and are returned after the review is complete.

Biography

Ed Bott

Ed Bott is an award-winning technology writer with more than two decades' experience writing for mainstream media outlets and online publications. He's served as editor of the U.S. edition of PC Computing and managing editor of PC World; both publications had monthly paid circulation in excess of 1 million during his tenure. He is the author of more than 25 books on Microsoft Windows and Office, including the recently released Windows 7 Inside Out.

Talkback Most Recent of 26 Talkback(s)

  • Haven't had time to use the beta
    What are some of the improvements/changes compared to the previous release of Live Essentials Apps?
    ZDNet Gravatar
    bobiroc
    29th Jul 2010
  • RE: Secret links for Windows Live Essentials Wave 4 beta
    @bobiroc Biggest Improvement for me is the new Photo Gallery. Details about the changes can be found here: http://www.winsupersite.com/live/wlwave4_photog.asp
    ZDNet Gravatar
    cgdams
    29th Jul 2010
  • RE: Secret links for Windows Live Essentials Wave 4 beta
    Please try again and let me know if something else happens! fake rolex watches uk
    ZDNet Gravatar
    beijing2008
    14th Sep
  • RE: Secret links for Windows Live Essentials Wave 4 beta
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    ZDNet Gravatar
    xiaodou
    26th Sep
  • RE: Secret links for Windows Live Essentials Wave 4 beta
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    ZDNet Gravatar
    xiaodou
    26th Sep
  • RE: Secret links for Windows Live Essentials Wave 4 beta
    I've been using the Beta since Paul Thurrott called it to the attention of his readers. By the time I got it, the choice of parts was already available. (I even included the Bing toolbar--and used it long enough to decide to disable it--disabling and removing are what I do with toolbars.)

    @bobiroc, the biggest change is probably in Windows Live Messenger (which I don't use). It "wants to be" social, with access to your Twitter, Facebook, etc.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    John Baxter
    29th Jul 2010
  • RE: Secret links for Windows Live Essentials Wave 4 beta
    "especially the new Photo Gallery"

    I have some mixed feelings -they really killed the tagging system in wave 4.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    CobraA1
    29th Jul 2010
  • RE: Secret links for Windows Live Essentials Wave 4 beta
    I really like the new photo gallery, but, it's slower than molasses in comparison to Picasa on the same computer. I've been using Irfanview to review images from Security cameras because that blows both options away in speed.
    That said, I do like the Wave 4 applications and hope there are some tweaks to improve the few minor headaches before they go RTM.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    hysonmb
    29th Jul 2010
  • Hmmm
    In previous builds, every program was installed, including the Bing browser toolbar and Family Safety. Although you could go back and remove the unwanted programs, that was a needless step. It?s no longer required.

    Do you mean previous "waves"? I have been able to pick and choose what to install for as long as I can remember using WLE.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Cylon Centurion
    29th Jul 2010
  • RE: Secret links for Windows Live Essentials Wave 4 beta
    @NStalnecker Me too . I am surprised to see that statement by Ed. Anyways, I am very much impressed by the Photo Gallery. I love the "Phot fuse" feature.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    jagansai
    30th Jul 2010
  • RE: Secret links for Windows Live Essentials Wave 4 beta
    @NStalnecker
    I agree with your assesment. However it does seem to me that since some bad press recieved even after all of the new security adjustments everything is now tied into WL Messenger.
    Should one choose to not install Messenger with Wave 4 it would seem logical that all of the Whats New feeds could become disfunctional! Any thoughts?
    ZDNet Gravatar
    CustomComputers
    30th Jul 2010
  • RE: Secret links for Windows Live Essentials Wave 4 beta
    Ed- I have to stress two points brought up by others. (1) the beta is UNBEARABLY slow. It takes minutes to load and show the first thumbnail. Part of the problem is that it constantly regenerates thumbnails, and always the ones I need at this moment. This must be fixed. (I've used the 'fix' to regenerate this db, but it makes no difference.) (2) How could MS NOT provide an easy option for finding a specific tag in Quick Find -- AND take that away from the nav bar. (I've added Tag Hierarchy to my QAT.) Lastly, I miss the explicit details in Undo/Redo, which could list every step, as well as the location below the edit area instead of tiny QAT button. The new Undo is consistent with other apps and poorer for that. // As for Writer: Am I the only one who misses the option to insert the link of the page I was browsing? (Or, let me customize the citing function so that the page title is before the blockquote, not after.) I'm still a big fan of Photo Gallery and Writer, but I'm disappointed with the beta. peace, mjh
    ZDNet Gravatar
    mjhinton
    30th Jul 2010
  • Does it work in XP?
    Ha?ve you tried to install it in XP? I?m very please in my W7 and in my Vista, but i do not know if i can run it in XP? Do you know something about this?
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Luis Matoso
    30th Jul 2010
  • No
    @Luis Matoso

    XP is no longer supported by WLE.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Cylon Centurion
    30th Jul 2010
  • YAMA
    yet another microsoft advertisement disguised as a blog
    ZDNet Gravatar
    deaf_e_kate
    31st Jul 2010
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