Articles about Windows Insider Preview

For Windows Insiders, the Fast ring used to be something of a misnomer, with new Windows 10 preview builds trickling out on a rather infrequent basis. Microsoft promised to change that in the new year, and it’s already been as good as its word. Six days after the last new build, there’s already another available to install.

There’s a big jump in build numbers too. Last week’s release was Build 11102, and the new version is 14251. That might signify a major leap forward, with loads of changes and new features, but don’t get too excited.

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It’s been a while since we’ve had any new Windows 10 preview builds, thanks to the holiday season, but Microsoft has at last pushed out a new build to the Fast ring. The software giant plans to make the Fast ring live up to its name this year with an accelerated release schedule.

In the future Microsoft’s criteria for releasing builds to the Fast ring will be much closer to its criteria for releasing them to its internal rings, which means new builds are likely to be buggier and suffer other issues. Build 11099, which is available for Insiders to download now, should be relatively stable however, as Microsoft has had a while to iron out any big problems.

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Microsoft has promised that Windows Insiders get Windows 10 builds faster in 2016, and it's Windows 10 Mobile users who get the first release of the new year. It's a few weeks since the release of build 10586.36 and now build 10586.63 is available for those on the Fast Ring.

You might expect from the relatively small jump in version numbers that this is something of a minor update -- and you'd be right. But despite the somewhat trifling nature of the changes, this release is noteworthy for a fluffed launch.

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The first week of the New Year is out of the way and Windows Insiders are eagerly awaiting the first Windows 10 build of 2016. The waiting may be over soon, as Microsoft says that it should be just "a few more days" before testers' patience is rewarded.

It's only a few weeks since the Redstone branch of Windows 10 became public, and Microsoft's Gabe Aul suggests that a new build could be on the way next week. The Windows 10 team just needs time to recover from Christmas and the New Year, and then we should also start to see more frequent build releases.

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The Windows Insider program was designed to help anyone test driving preview builds of Windows 10 to provide feedback and help shape the future direction of the operating system. But what happens with all of the feedback that's submitted?

Microsoft is starting to publish a new series of articles to the Insider Hub that seek to assure people that their feedback is not just disappearing into a black hole. The 'Made by you' sees Microsoft providing feedback on feedback, and helps to give Insiders some reassurance that their input is valued. The first article is about how Windows 10 handles display scaling.

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If you've signed up to the Windows Insider program, you're enjoying preview builds of Windows 10 before the vast majority of people. Whether you are on the Fast or the Slow Ring, getting hold of Insider preview builds is a great way to stay on the cutting edge -- but it comes with its drawbacks.

One of these -- aside from the need to download gigantic updates from time to time -- is that Windows 10 will constantly pester you for feedback. While it could be argued that this is very much the point of the preview program, some of you will almost certainly just want to get on with using Windows 10 without being asked 'Would you recommend this build to a friend?' or 'What do you think of the latest features of Windows 10?'. If you want to kill the feedback popups, here's how to do it.

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Desktop users have been rather spoiled when it comes to preview builds of Windows 10, but the same cannot be said for mobile users. After a quiet few weeks, Microsoft today releases Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview Build 10586 to the Fast ring.

The official launch date for Windows 10 Mobile draws ever closer, this will be the final preview build Insider get to see. How do we know? This is the RTM build that comes pre-installed on new Lumia devices and Build 10586 sees Microsoft putting the final finishing touches in place. There are no new features this time around, but bugs have been squashed -- there are just a few things to watch out for.

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With Windows 10, Microsoft's Windows Insider program proved immensely popular. The chance to try out new features ahead of an official launch gave millions of people an insight into the development process and provided an opportunity to give feedback and influence the future of the operating system.

Today Microsoft is giving Office the same treatment. With the launch of the Office Insider program, Office 365 subscribers are being given the chance to try out upcoming releases of Office 2016.

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Threshold 2 is now available to Windows Insiders on the Slow Ring. Users on the Fast Ring received Windows 10 Build 10586 last week and now more cautious fans of the preview get to try out the November Update, Fall Update, Threshold 2, Windows 10 Build 10586 -- call it what you will.

With the official rollout of Windows 10's biggest update since launch is widely expected to take place tomorrow, 10 November, Slow Ring users may not be given much of a head start, but it does still -- just about -- qualify as an early glimpse.

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Windows Insiders working with the preview builds of Windows 10 are used to the odd quirk here and there. Windows 10 Build 10586, released yesterday, is no different.

This latest build is widely believed to be the Threshold 2 release that is expected to roll out later this month. While it fixes numerous issues and adds new features when compared to the RTM build, it can also remove the Insider Hub. Here's how to get it back.

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As Microsoft has released numerous preview builds of Windows 10, testers have been able to provide feedback and make suggestions via the UserVoice website. In two weeks, this feedback system dies completely.

The killing of UserVoice actually took place on 30 October, but the site remains accessible until 16 November -- almost coinciding with the expected release of Threshold 2. Before you start to panic that Microsoft is killing the feedback that has been provided, there is a contingency plan.

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Windows 10 has been with us for a few months now, and the time has come for its first big update. Known variously as Threshold 2, the November Update, and the Fall Update now has a release date -- 10 November.

In just over a week's time -- according to a Microsoft Support Engineer writing on Microsoft Answers -- the November update is due to launch bringing, amongst other things, Cortana support to India. Windows Insiders on the Fast Ring who have tried Windows 10 Build 10576 already have an idea of what to expect.

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In a first for Microsoft, today sees the release of not just a new Windows 10 Mobile build, but also a new build of Windows 10 for the desktop. Windows 10 Build 10576 is now available to Insiders on the Fast Ring. This is the latest update to the Threshold 2 branch, the final build of which is due for release next month.

This is more than just a bug-fixing build -- although there are a number of bug fixes, you'll be pleased to hear -- there are also new tools and features to try out. Taking a leaf out of Google's book, Microsoft Edge gains media casting, PDF can be navigated with Cortana, and there's a new Xbox beta app. But it doesn't end there...

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Since the launch of Windows 10, anyone who has joined the Insider program has been treated to a number of updates in the form of preview builds -- particularly on the Fast ring. Regular users have not been so lucky, but Microsoft's Windows 10 roadmap includes a number of Service Pack-style updates on the horizon.

It is through these bigger updates that Microsoft is expected to deliver the long-promised extensions to its Edge. But anyone who is looking to extend the capabilities of Microsoft's browser could have something of a wait on their hands. The next update to Windows 10 -- known as Threshold 2 -- won't bring extensions. In fact, it won’t be until the Windows 10 Redstone update later in 2016 that Edge gets the feature everyone is waiting for. But will it be too late to claw back users from Chrome and Firefox?

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Microsoft pushed out Build 10565 to Windows Insiders on the Fast ring three days ago. This preview includes Skype integration, Microsoft Edge improvements, Cortana enhancements, some new icons, and support for nested virtualization. It also introduces a change to the way the activation process works -- you can now activate Windows 10 using a Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 product key.

New Fast ring preview builds can usually only be obtained through Windows Update, but Microsoft has today taken the unusual step of making Build 10565 available to download as an ISO to allow Windows Insiders to try out the new activation paths.

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