Vista Limited Functionality Mode maybe not all that Limited
I just purchased a new computer today for another video series I'll be starting shortly. During the Vista installation today I chose not to activate my license and instead check out Vista's "Limited Functionality Mode".
As expected, Limited Functionality Mode brought me to a blue screen that allowed me to access Internet Explorer for the purposes of purchasing a license. Explorer was not available and my network card wasn't functioning, which made IE not all that happy either. So, I decided to play around.
I entered C:\windows\system32\command.com into IE's address bar (a very old trick in the Terminal Services world)...
...That brought up a command prompt. From the command prompt, I typed in explorer.exe, which immediately launched the shell. So, I guess limited functionality mode isn't all that limited after all!
There are still some other features of limited functionality mode like the auto-reboot feature and others that make it painful. But the applications I've tried appear to work just fine.
I'm not sure if this is already-known news in Vista circles, but it was an interesting revelation for me. Have you seen this behavior before? Let us know...
UPDATE: Looks like I might have spoken too soon. The higher-end functionality stuff like Windows Media Center is indeed blocked by a software restriction. But, at least things like calc and notepad work for basic functionality.
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