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Early Windows 8 build leaks to web

Screenshots: It was inevitable, really. An early Windows 8 build has leaked to the web, and though it's early days, some changes are afoot.
Written by Zack Whittaker, Contributor

An early build of Windows 8 has fallen onto the black market of the web: the torrent sites.

This early early build of Windows 8 (M1, build 7850; a very early build indeed) was compiled on the 22nd September 2010, and since many more screenshot leaks have emerged showing newer and more advanced features.

Though this build is hideously out of date by over six months, the enigmatic and mysterious taskbar icon that signifies a potential move towards a cloud-based roaming user profile may be nothing more than a user aesthetic. At least, for now anyway.

There is no branding relating to Windows 8 at this stage, sticking with its predecessor for now, with only a desktop wallpaper to differentiate it from the rest.

Gallery To have a sneak peek at the early build of Windows 8 - though, not much has changed, I will grant you that, head over to the screenshot gallery.

As it is such an early release, recent screenshots of auto-colourisation of active windows and the Windows App Store are not yet included. And while we here at ZDNet do not necessarily condone the act of piracy or downloading this build, it would be pointless to not at least make reference to the fact that this build exists.

I remember the good ol' 'Longhorn' days where we'd scrabble on a slow broadband connection, desperately trying to download a copy for a sneak-peek at the revered 'sidebar'. Those were good days.

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