Author: Blue Horizon
Despite this being another NT 5.0 build to surface - something I normally wouldn't expect much from, it does introduce some interesting features that would become staples for future versions of NT down the line.
Setup is basically the same as 1729, just with a bigger sized window - continuing this pattern of big and small from build to build. There's also a new icon for Command Prompt as shown in the minimized window on the bottom left corner.
I don't recall seeing this wizard in any of the NT 5.0 builds I've played with, so here is a screenshot.
In the system tray, there is a "Network Connections" icon that displays activity on local networks. Clicking on it directs you to Network Neighborhood. The bug with Outlook Express' icon not displaying correctly has also been fixed.
There's this bug with the start menu I encountered a couple times where when opening a new menu, the text turns bold. This visual bug also only seems to be unique for this build.
One other minor thing is that the start menu no longer has a line that separates the main functions of the menu from the shortcuts at the top.
The main page for HyperHelp has been changed to use "blue square" branding prevalent throughout the NT 5.0 era.
This is the very first build to introduce MSINFO32, something which would carry on to just about every newer build of NT since.
The explorer shell has very minor changes compared to 1729; some toolbar buttons have been rearranged (putting the glitched pink color schemes aside) such as the "Up" button being to the right of a newly added "Search" button.
You might also notice the lack of a floppy drive directory here, as I've actually had to delete fdc.sys from the system32\drivers directory as it kept crashing the system. This brings us to the next new feature this build introduces...
Advanced boot menu options! For the first time in Windows NT history, Safe Mode among other variants make their debut. The menu can be accessed during the boot loader sequence by pressing F5, and Esc to exit the list.
Once a boot option is selected, it is displayed in red text at the bottom left. In this instance, Safe Mode is referred to as "Minimal Services Boot".
It works exactly as expected just like in Windows 9x. This also allowed me to easily delete the floppy disk controller driver that was causing Windows to crash of all things. I'd really like to know even during development; why a floppy driver suddenly becomes an unsuspecting death trap.
1738 is the last build of NT to feature this dialog after shutting down, as later builds incorporate a different "safe to shutdown" screen and/or would turn off automatically for machines that support ACPI.