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Windows 11 has been officially released
33 min. read
Updated onOctober 4, 2023
updated onOctober 4, 2023
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Key notes
Ever since the first leaked version ofWindows 11appeared on the internet, people have been constantly speculating on when the OS will officially be released.
Some even thought that this was all a big hoax, and all that was coming was only a system-wide revamp for Windows 10.
Now, on October 5th, we are happy to announce that Windows 11, version 21H2, has been officially released to the general public and will soon be in your home, provided your device has the necessary specs.
The rollout process will prioritize newer machines first and will continue to become available for everyone throughout 2021, until mid-2022.
What’s new in Windows 11?
Let’s start at the beginning, with the Out of Box Experience, and mention that the Installation UI will now show the Windows 11 logo insome places.
Also,some form controls have been updated to match the Windows 11 form controls in the Installation UI.When using the Home edition, you must set up an internet connection, to be able to install it.
During OOBE, you will not be asked to name your PC, instead of having Windows generate a name consisting out of random numbers and letters. A random name can still be set by skipping this step.
After connecting to the internet, you’ll see sign-in options that allow you to set up a local account with internet.
This entire experience has been redesigned from the ground up, with half the screen dedicated to animations to visualize what you’re doing.
But don’t go thinking that Windows 11 is just a reskinned version of Windows 10, because you couldn’t be more wrong.
At its core, it’s still a Windows OS, so there are of course many similarities, but this is a whole new and enhanced experience.
The Redmond tech giant sought to tweak and improve everything it possibly could. Here are some of the changes that you will surely enjoy while dealing with Windows 11:
Start + taskbar
User Interface and Experience
Windows Snap & sizing
The touch-targets for resizing windows is now much larger both when resizing individual windows as well as Snap compositions.
File Explorer
Settings
General
System
Bluetooth & devices
Phone
Network & internet
Personalization
Apps
Accounts
Time & language
Gaming
Accessibility
Privacy & security
Windows Update
Touch
Apps
Connect
Control Panel
Device Manager
Get Started
Internet Explorer
Microsoft Edge
Microsoft Store
Notepad
Paint
People
Power Automate Desktop
PowerShell
Register
Snip & Sketch + Snipping Tool
Task Manager
Windows Sandbox
Windows Security
Windows Subsystem for Linux
Windows Terminal
Other app changes
Fonts
Language and input
Emoji picker & Clipboard
Input Method Editor
Accessibility
Gaming
Features & technologies
System
Other features
Known issues
Since we’ve gone through almost everything new that Windows 11 brings to the table, let’s also have a peek at some of the known issues that this OS has.
You weren’t thinking that everything was just going to be perfect, were you? But don’t worry, because its mainly about some compatibility problems, nothing to be alarmed about.
Oracle VirtualBox and Windows 11
As we mentioneda few weeks ago, the Oracle VirtualBox VM won’t really work with Windows 11 as it did before.
Microsoft and Oracle have found a compatibility issue between VirtualBox and Windows 11 when Hyper-V or Windows Hypervisor is installed.
As a result, you might be unable to start Virtual machines and you might receive an error.
To safeguard your upgrade experience, we have applied a compatibility hold on these devices from installing or being offered Windows 11.
In order to mitigate the safeguard, you will need to remove Hyper-V or Windows Hypervisor until this issue is resolved with an update
However, if you are no longer using VirtualBox, uninstalling it should also mitigate the safeguard. Please note, if there are no other safeguards that affect your device, it can take up to 48 hours before the upgrade to Windows 11 is offered.
Intel Killer networking software and Windows 11
Some compatibility issues have also been found between some IntelKillernetworking software and Windows 11.
Thus, devices with the affected software might drop User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packets under certain conditions.
This creates performance and other problems for protocols based on UDP. For example, some websites might load slower than others on affected devices, with videos streaming slower in certain resolutions.
Keep in mind that VPN solutions based on UDP might also be slower.
The Cốc Cốc browser and Windows 11
Since we were discussing compatibility conflicts, here’s another one that might interest you, even if we are talking about software that’s not so widely used.
The Cốc Cốc browser might be unable to open and, on some devices, might cause other issues or critical errors.
In order to safeguard your upgrade experience, Microsoft applied a compatibility hold on these devices from installing or being offered Windows 11.
Removed features
As you might have imagined, certain features that we used and enjoyed during Windows 11’s predecessor are no longer available on the new OS.
Of course, you can continue using them if you still haven’t upgraded, but once you did, they will be gone.
Here is a complete list of all removed features, so that you get the general idea of what we’re dealing with:
Bundled apps
Windows shell
Start menu
Some functionality from the Start menu will be removed and replaced with other features.
Taskbar
Microsoft has listed News & Interest among the removals but instead says that it has been evolved. This part of the taskbar, introduced in Windows 10 version 21H1, is now called Widgets.
Architecture
Windows 11 only runs on the x64 or ARM64 CPU architectures. As such, the NTVDM subsystem, which was never available on these architectures, is no longer part of Windows 11.
This is only the first version of the new OS that has been released to the general public, but the Redmond-based tech company is working on bringing more improvements to it, as well as a second version.
Have you already received your Windows 11 free upgrade? Tell us all about your experience in the comments section below.
More about the topics:Windows 11
Alexandru Poloboc
Tech Journalist
With an overpowering desire to always get to the bottom of things and uncover the truth, Alex spent most of his time working as a news reporter, anchor, as well as TV and radio entertainment show host.
A certified gadget freak, he always feels the need to surround himself with next-generation electronics.
When he is not working, he splits his free time between making music, gaming, playing football, basketball and taking his dogs on adventures.
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Alexandru Poloboc
Tech Journalist
With a desire to always get to the bottom of things and uncover the truth, Alex spent most of his time working as a news reporter.
