Microsoft has released a new test version of Windows 11 for development channel users running its latest version of Windows. On 8 July, Microsoft released build 22000.65, with some minor changes and a number of fixes.
As a reminder, Microsoft delivered its first official test version of Windows 11, build 22000.51, on 28 June, which included some of the features presented by officials at the virtual product launch on 24 June… but not all of them.
The 22000.65 update released last Friday includes a search box in the Start menu, the ability for the taskbar to display on multiple monitors when enabled in settings, and updates to several system alert boxes for low battery, display settings changes and more.
The test version also allows the “power mode” to be set on the power and battery page in the settings.
Patch to stop PrintNightmare
This release also includes a fix for remote code exploitation in the Windows Print Spooler service (known as “PrintNightmare”).
It also adds fixes for various taskbar display issues, resolution of various issues related to settings, search and widgets, etc.
The full list of fixes and updates in today’s release can be found in Microsoft‘s blog post.
Microsoft plans to expand Windows 11 to other members of its testing network beyond the Dev Channel at some point.
Its officials say that Windows 11 should be available pre-installed on some new PCs this holiday season.
It should be available to those using existing and qualified Windows 10 PCs from this autumn, via Windows Update, until early 2022.
Windows 11 is free?
Windows 11 will be free for users of Windows 10, Windows 8 and Windows 7.
Migration from these older versions to the new one will be done as an upgrade available from early 2022.
Of course, Windows 11 will lead to the release of new PCs and tablets with the new operating system.
The price of the OS will then be included in the price of the terminals.
How to download Windows 11?
Windows 11 is available in beta version. To download it, you just need to subscribe to the Windows Insider programme on the publisher’s website.
Another possibility is to go via Windows 10 to the Settings > Updates and Security > Windows Insider Program menu, then activate the Insider Preview channel. The OS will then guide you according to the hardware specifications of your machine.
This beta allows you to try out all the new features announced by Microsoft at the June 24 conference (see above), but also to access a pre-release version of the new Microsoft Store that accompanies the new version.
The final version of Windows 11 will be integrated into the new ranges of Windows terminals and tablets that will be marketed from autumn 2021.
Windows 10 users will then be able to benefit from it free of charge in the form of an update at the beginning of 2022. The only condition is that they have a machine with the required configuration. For Windows 7 users, Microsoft should provide an upgrade wizard as it did with Windows 10.
My PC is compatible with Windows 11?
The minimum hardware requirements to run Windows 11 are as follows:
- A 1 GHz 64-bit processor with two or more cores (or a system-on-a-chip)
- 4 GB of Ram,
- 64 GB of storage,
- A DirectX 12 / WDDM 2.x graphics card,
- A 9-inch HD display.
Why are the hardware requirements for Windows 11 controversial?
To run Windows 11, processors must support TPM 2.0 (or Trusted Platform Module).
This technology is designed to limit crashes by supporting a new Windows driver standard, while ensuring compatibility with existing applications.
The downside is that it leaves many 3-4 year old machines by the wayside. As for the processor models supported by Windows 11, Microsoft has published a list limited to the latest generation of AMD and Intel processors.
This did not fail to cause a stir on social networks. In a post published on 28 June, the editor nevertheless wants to reassure.
“We are confident that devices running on 8th generation Intel and AMD Zen 2 processors as well as Qualcomm 7 and 8 series will meet our security and reliability principles and the minimum system requirements for Windows 11,” the Windows team explains.
“In partnership with our OEM partners, we will conduct tests to identify devices running on Intel 7th generation and AMD Zen 1 processors that may meet our principles.” Windows 11 makes the most of the developments envisaged for Windows 10X.
Originally intended for dual touchscreen flip terminals that would be released in 2022, Microsoft has finally announced the cancellation of this product strategy.
In a post published on 18 May, the group said it “wants to accelerate the integration of 10X technology into other parts of Windows and other products”.
John Cable, vice president of Windows Servicing and Delivery program management, said:
“Some of it was already reflected in the latest Windows 10 developments, such as the new application container technology we’re building into Microsoft Defender Application Guard, as well as an improved voice input experience and a modernised touch keyboard with optimised key sizing, sounds, colours, and animations.”
Trusted Platform Module
In order to install and run Windows 11, Microsoft will require that the user’s computer has a TPM 2.0 chip.
Here’s what you need to know about these security features that have become a must-have on PCs.
What is the Trusted Platform Module?
Trusted Platform Module is an international standard for the implementation of a cryptoprocessor.
In other words, it is a technology aimed at integrating on the motherboard a chip entirely dedicated to cryptographic operations.
These chips appeared in the early 2000s, in particular to support the development of e-commerce and to secure online payments.
However, they are used for many other applications, which use cryptography to secure exchanges and communications, to verify the integrity of a message or to store secrets such as passwords.
In particular, TPM chips are used to certify the integrity of the computer boot sequence, to ensure that it works as intended and has not been tampered with.
The TPM specification is developed by an organisation known as the Trusted Computing Group.
It brings together researchers and engineers from several major computer manufacturers, and aims to develop so-called ‘trusted’ technology standards.
The group is frequently criticised by open source advocates who accuse them of trying to lock down access to certain parts of the computer and restrict the user’s possibilities.
If the specification is drawn up by the Trusted Computing Group, manufacturers are then responsible for implementing TPM chips in their computers, following the recommendations.
Some manufacturers, such as Infineon, Nuvoton or STMicroelectronics, have offered chips that are certified by the Trusted Computing Group as compliant, and others also offer chips that comply with the specification.
Do I have a TPM 2.0 chip on my machine?
There are several ways to check. If you’re concerned about your device’s compatibility with the next version of Windows, Microsoft is currently working on software to tell you if your device is compatible with the Windows 11 requirements.
But to be perfectly honest, Microsoft’s communication on the subject is still a bit confusing, so it may be best to wait a little longer before diving in.
If you want to know if you have a TPM, you can quickly check from Windows by typing tpm.msc in the search tab. This should open the Secure Platform Module management tool and tell you what version it is. If it tells you that it is missing, you may need to enable it on your motherboard by accessing the BIOS.
Microsoft and Apple, opposing strategies
Microsoft has clearly done a lot of work on the look and feel of Windows 11, but has not done much to publicise its technical underpinnings, other than to say that it will run faster, more efficiently and more securely.
As with Big Sur, however, the ability to support mobile applications is a significant addition, which will surely take some time to build, as it did for Apple.
The launch of Windows 11 provided a timely opportunity for Microsoft to propose an opposite strategy to Apple’s app shop.
But the days are long gone when Windows was simply a placeholder for Apple.
More fundamentally, for Microsoft, after years of focusing on the cloud, AI, mixed reality, Teams, Xbox Game Pass, GitHub, Surface and everything else but Windows, the announcement of Windows 11 was a long overdue opportunity to celebrate its founding client platform and the PC, and to catalyse the marketing efforts of its hardware partners. Conversely, while Apple can credibly boast that it loves the Mac and has welcomed it into its new homegrown silicon family to great effect, it represents just one element in an ever-growing family of client device platforms, vying for the company’s marketing and development affection.
Microsoft Teams integration
Another surprise is that Microsoft Teams is integrated into Windows 11. The tool appears in the form of a simplified interface accessible from the OS taskbar.
It integrates chat, but also audio and video calls, not to mention video conferencing for several people. This will most likely be the free version of the video conferencing solution.
A new game engine
With Windows 11, Microsoft has not forgotten gamers. Like Windows 10, the OS obviously supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, which allows for immersive graphics at high frame rates. In addition, Microsoft integrates two technologies from its Xbox console: Direct Storage, which accelerates the loading speed of games and reduces latency, and Auto HDR, which introduces high-resolution broadcasting regardless of the game.
A redesigned marketplace that integrates Android apps
With Windows 11, Microsoft is redesigning the Microsoft Store. And not just in terms of the graphical interface.
The marketplace will now include not only applications, but also games and film offers (including third parties such as Disney+).
Alongside Universal Windows Apps (UWP) from Windows 10 and progressive web apps, the marketplace will include older generation Windows software (Win32), particularly in .msi or .exe format. Accessible since the Windows 11 beta, the new store already includes a multitude of tools that were previously absent.
This is the case for Zoom, Canva, WinZip and Adobe Acrobat Reader. Software that will soon be joined by Firefox and games from the Steam and Epic Games catalogues.
With Windows 11, Microsoft’s OS introduces support for Android applications for the first time, which can be downloaded via the Amazon app store.
This is one of the biggest surprises. For publishers, it will no longer be necessary to pay a commission to Microsoft to be present in the marketplace. The Redmond company is striking a blow here.
“We won’t be able to run all Android applications, especially those that are closely related to the core operating system.
The idea will nevertheless be to benefit from about 80% of Android applications on Windows 11,” Bernard Ourghanlian, technical and security director at Microsoft France, told JDN.
“These applications will have to be present on the Amazon store to be able to access them from the new Microsoft Store.”
“We are building a Windows for the next decade, a development and delivery platform with new business model opportunities for content, application and game publishers,” said Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft.
How does Windows 11 work in tablet mode?
With Windows 11, Microsoft is clearly trying to unify the desktop and tablet modes of the OS.
The taskbar is self-adapting according to the size of the screen and its tactile nature, and is unique in both modes.
On the downside, the window management in touch mode is heavier and less easy to handle.
On the other hand, the animations are smooth, bringing the Windows 11 tablet mode closer to that of the iPad.
Switching from portrait to landscape is significantly faster. In addition, the OS now manages the overlapping of application windows, which was not present in Windows 10.
Users can now stack windows on top of each other and thus benefit from multitasking. Finally, voice input, very useful in mobile situations, has also been improved.
Windows 11: what changes for developers?
In Windows 11, Microsoft introduces a solution aimed at reconciling its old-generation application technology (Win32), which was used in Windows 7, with the Universal Windows Platform (UWP), introduced with Windows 8.
Called Project Reunion, it equips Win32 with APIs that allow developments made in this mode to be reused within modern UWP applications without having to recode.
As mentioned above, Windows 11 supports Android applications. This is the main surprise of this new version. To run them, Microsoft has built into the OS an Android subsystem modeled on the Linux subsystem already present in Windows.
Nestled in virtual machines compatible with the AOSP (Android Open Source Project) technology, Android applications will not need to access Google Play to run. Microsoft will initially offer a selection of Android apps that can be downloaded from the Amazon Appstore.
More informations https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-11
