Learn how to download genuine Windows 11 for your PC

Several new features and improvements will be landing in the Windows 11 Dev channel in a matter of weeks - find out what the latest Windows 11 update will bring!

Microsoft plans to release the first major update for Windows 11 in the coming weeks. The update is reportedly codenamed "Sun Valley 2" and is expected to ship with a new Task Manager, improvements to the Start menu and taskbar, and more.
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Also of interest: Three reasons why you should buy Microsoft 365
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What is Windows 11?

Windows 11 is the latest version of Microsoft's flagship operating system and the successor to Windows 10. This operating system brings major changes to the Start menu and taskbar, extensive application reworking, settings and a widget panel designed to provide news and reminders.

Windows 11 is a major feature update that includes the much-publicised Sun Valley update to the Windows user interface and a revamp of key Windows applications that fall into the Windows Inbox applications category. For example, the new video-capable media player and calculator, the Snipping Tool and Mail and Calendar.

There are a lot of changes to come, including the reintroduction of the iconic blue screen of death error warning (for a brief period, Microsoft was playing with making it black, for some reason).

You can detect where large unused files are located, delete temporary files automatically and empty the recycle bin on a scheduled basis.

Hardware requirements for Windows 11

A more disruptive change is Microsoft's controversial minimum hardware requirements for Windows 11. So, while Windows 11 is a free upgrade for Windows 10 users, it will not necessarily be available to all Windows 10 users.

Requirements include a 1 GHz or faster processor with two or more cores on a compatible 64-bit processor or System on a Chip (SoC). You will need 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB or more of storage. Your PC should support UEFI, Secure Boot, support Trusted Platform Module version 2.0 and have a DirectX 12 or later compatible graphics card with WDDM 2.0 driver and a high definition display of more than 9″ diagonal, 8-bit per colour channel.

Microsoft will continue to support Windows 10 with security patches until October 2025 and assumes it can deploy a massive global hardware refresh in the enterprise during that period. Enterprise IT asset management firm Lansweeper estimated that around 55% of PCs in the enterprise are not compliant with Microsoft's Windows 11 requirements.

Microsoft has not clarified a precise end date for the free upgrade offer, but its new hardware requirements cover Intel and Arm CPUs, and require at least 4 GB of memory and 64 GB of storage, plus TPM version 2.0.

Microsoft's minimum hardware requirements also apply to virtual machine platforms such as Microsoft HyperV, VMware and Oracle VM Virtual Box. TPM 2.0 could be complicated in the enterprise as less than 1% of virtual machines have it enabled.

How do I get Windows 11?

Microsoft hasn't been entirely clear about when Windows 11 will actually come to all eligible Windows 10 PCs. However, it launched the PC Health Check app to help users self-assess whether their hardware is up to scratch.

The PC Health Check application will allow you to see if your current PC meets the requirements to run Windows 11; if it does, you can get a free upgrade sometime after it is deployed.

You can also go to 'Check for Windows Updates' on a Windows PC or select the start button and then go to Settings> Updates and security> Windows Updates.

Historically, Windows releases have been rolled out gradually. For Windows 11, this could take several months: Microsoft said this process is likely to "continue this 2022" and, in general, it is newer PCs that are upgraded first. When it comes to your PC will depend on a number of factors.

The company plans to use "intelligence models that consider hardware eligibility, reliability, metrics, device age and other factors" to roll out to additional PCs in the market. It will use Windows Update to notify Windows 10 users when their devices are eligible to move to Windows 11.

How do I get to the Windows 11 preview?

Assuming you still want to try out the latest Windows 11 preview features on a test device, you can join the Windows Insider programme, which Microsoft describes as "a community of millions of the biggest Windows fans who can be the first to see what's next".

Testers can provide feedback on builds that go directly to Microsoft engineers working on the project. To install Windows Insider Preview Builds, you must be running a licensed version of Windows on your device.

You can then join the Windows Insider programme or sign in to your Windows Insider account. To sign up, you must sign in with your Microsoft account or work account in Azure Active Directory. You can then "Start making builds", Microsoft's term for running Windows Insider Preview Builds on a device.

People who want to try out Microsoft's latest experiments can access the Developer Channel, but this channel includes state-of-the-art updates. Other options include the Beta Channel. If you want something "extremely stable", you can try the latest version of Windows, but with continuous updates of advanced quality and key features in the Release Preview Channel.

Microsoft notes that if you install an Insider Preview build on one channel and want to switch to a different channel, you may need to perform a clean install of Windows and reset the Windows Insider settings on that device; the prompt to run previews is for test and tech-minded machines only.

Is it a good idea to install Windows 11?

All major operating system updates are shipped with bugs. Apple often has problems with iOS and macOS updates. As more users adopt the latest version, companies have the opportunity to fix bugs that users discover.

Windows 11 is no different. While Microsoft believes the update is going well for most users with eligible hardware, it suspended support at the launch of Windows 11 for devices with certain versions of hardware drivers for Intel Smart Sound Technology (Intel SST). This is causing a Blue Screen of Death Error (BSOD).

What's going to happen with Windows 10?

The company launched Windows 10 version 21H2 in mid-November 2021, and finally revealed its plans for future Windows 10 feature updates.

On 16 November, Microsoft began rolling out Windows 10 21H2, also known as the Windows 10 November 2021 Update. In a nutshell, Windows 10 feature updates will occur once a year, not twice a year from 21H2 onwards.

The next Windows 10 feature update after 21H2 will arrive in the second half of 2022. And the Home and Pro editions of the 21H2 update will get 18 months of support, while the Enterprise and Education editions will get 30 months.

Why are taskbar widgets so important?

Some of the great new features in Windows 11 include Mac-inspired consumer features, as well as taskbar widgets, easier virtual desktop switching, pen stylus for drawing, and tweak gestures.

Enhanced widgets are a star player now that Microsoft has decided to remove the Windows 8-era Live Tiles that were its response to Apple's iPad design. Also in the junk pile is the Windows 10 timeline feature. And also gone is the wallpaper on various devices.

Apps that won't be pre-installed include Windows 3D Viewer, OneNote for Windows 10, Paint 3D and Skype. However, Windows 11 is gaining a Microsoft Teams chat button that replaces the Skype button.

How to activate Windows with a genuine licence?

At Licencias Directas we offer you genuine Windows licenses at an affordable price, our customer service is available 24/7, so you can text to us via chat or mail.

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