Nine Thoughts About the Current Windows Vista Beta
Build 5308 is still cranky in some respects, but it is, clearly, a step forward. The OS still didn't identify my sound card (integrated SoundMAX audio, to be precise) during setup, but I was able, for the first time, to get it working in Vista. So far, no third-party applications have conked out, and there are fewer mysterious holes in functionality. (Like, for instance, the fact that the Windows Photo Gallery couldn't actually display photos in earlier betas.)
Source: PC World's Techlog