ReactOS 0.4.15: Windows XP alternative with many corrections

The ReactOS project has officially released version 0.4.15 of the Windows XP alternative. Various bug fixes and improvements have been included, the developers explain.

In the release announcement, the ReactOS maintainers explain that the new version contains "plug-and-play fixes, audio fixes, memory management fixes, registry healing, improvements in accessories and system tools including Notepad, Paint, RAPPS (a small ReactOS tool for downloading, installing and updating some apps), the input method editor and shell improvements". It is the largest release to date, the developers explain, and contains more than eight times more commits (code changes) than version 0.4.14 –, which was released as a separate branch in 2020, more than four years ago.

ReactOS: Various improvements

Thanks to changes to the plug-and-play manager in the ReactOS kernel, more third-party drivers now work. In addition, booting from USB devices now works on devices with EHCI, OHCI and UHCI USB controllers. The developers were able to iron out a bug that could send USB drivers into an endless loop if a USB device had not reached the "Ready" status.

ReactOS 0.4.15 is also a treat for the ears. It supports more audio formats, loop playback of wave files, higher sample rates and more output channels. The AC'97 driver from the Windows Driver Kit (WDK) has been imported into ReactOS, which enables sound output in Virtualbox with the ICH AC'97 audio controller set and on old mainboards from 2004 and earlier.

The developers have corrected a long-standing error in the Memory Manager and Cache Controller. It meant that apps could not be started from remote drives. The corrections also made it possible to import the Microsoft FAT driver from the WDK, which is more stable and faster than the previously used driver. Incidentally, external drives with a FAT file system can now be ejected cleanly using the new driver.

The handling of the Windows registry has become more robust. Previously missing basic mechanisms such as registry healing, flushing and caching have now been added by programmers. This should lead to more stable systems, especially after unexpected power failures or crashes. Healing corrects a defective registry, flushing regularly writes changes to the registry to the drive. Caching, on the other hand, speeds up registry access.

No more full access for everyone

The security subsystem (Se) of the kernel no longer allows everyone access to all system objects, but carries out access checks and prevents unauthorized access. "As a result, the Windows kernel works with the vast majority of ReactOS modules," write the developers.

System accessories such as Paint or Input Method Editor (IME) have received performance improvements and some new functions, among other things. The ReactOS shell supports large taskbar icons and can handle ZIP files natively. Minor corrections lead to the correct display of icons in Microsoft Office 2000 or Visual Basic 6, for example. An Internet browser icon is available on the desktop by default, but still without a stored web browser.

The developers also give an outlook on further development. The 0.4.15 branch was launched around six months ago. Since then, the master developer branch has already received new functions for UEFI support, symmetric multiprocessing (SMP), a new graphical installer, a new NTFS driver, power management and newer app support. ReactOS development is therefore continuing at a faster pace.

ReactOS 0.4.15 can be downloaded from the project page. However, the ZIP of the current live image triggers false alarms from some virus scanners, as does the unpacked ISO. The antivirus manufacturers should correct their signatures shortly. An official detailed changelog is still pending, but there is a community changelog with detailed, small-scale changes.

Around a year and a half ago, the ReactOS developers reported an interim status. In November 2023, they documented some development progress – such as UEFI support or DirectX.

(dmk)