Windows 10 21H2 will be the next big update to Microsoft’s operating system. Developed under the code name ‘Sun Valley’ and qualified as ‘fall update’ according to its temporary release, it is one of the most promising versions since the development saw the light five years ago.
Microsoft promised a few weeks ago at an IGNITE conference briefing “a huge year for Windows.” It was about time if the claim was more than just a marketing statement. Although Windows is no longer Microsoft’s flagship product in terms of revenue or strategy, it is still the software that welcomes the largest number of users and a source of entry to other services such as Office, Edge, Bing, Meet and others.
If the newest of the announced “new Windows” will be the Windows 10X variant, the most important for the bulk of consumers will be this Windows 10 21H2 currently being tested in preview phase on the Insiders channel and for which we expect an RTM during the summer and a general release of the stable version for October-November. Like the previous updates, it will be offered free of charge for computers with a valid Windows 10 license.
Windows 10 21H2, what’s new
“The next generation Windows 10 is incredible,” said product manager Panos Panay in reference to this release. Once it has been confirmed that the spring version 21H1 will be a mere Service Pack and that all the expected news (including some that will come from Windows 10X) have been delayed to the fall, you can understand the accumulated interest in this version.
Normally we follow the development of Windows from our Insiders account and through virtual machines. For the occasion, we have tested the latest version available in a complete installation from scratch on a high-end computer and we are going to tell you what we have seen and also the installation possibilities in case you want to try it out on your own. It is necessary to indicate to begin with that not all the planned novelties are still implemented and we hope they will arrive in the next few months. Let’s go with them.
User interface
The need to overcome the Windows 8 fiasco (related to Windows Mobile itself) and the objective of covering computers as different as a PC or a mobile phone with a single operating system, caused Windows 10 to drag a series of conditioning factors that have ended up weighing down its general design and user experience. The double interface to host what came from the “Metro” experience (later Modern UI) has caused an inconsistency that in the five years of the system has not yet been resolved.
Aware of this, Microsoft announced the Fluent Design language in 2017 and has been patching components here and there on that basis. It was a turning point, although the company clarified that it would take “years” to fully integrate it. In fact, we’ve only seen one-off changes without a significant update or a general rethink. Product Manager Panos Panay promised breakthroughs in a project “revitalizing and modernizing the Windows desktop experience.”
A “great facelift” that we hope will take place in Windows 10 21H2 and that will affect components such as the following.
Un menú de inicio flotante completamente nuevo y con mosaicos estáticos.
Centro de actividades rediseñado inspirado en el trabajo realizado en Windows 10X.
La barra de tareas también se rediseñaría con código moderno, aumentando el uso de la nueva capa WinUI para mejorar el Shell.
Nuevo paquete de iconos del sistema que incluye una nueva fuente Segoe y diseño Fluent Desing.
El Explorador de archivos heredado sería otro de los componentes mejorados.
El modo oscuro se ampliaría a más componentes heredados de Windows.
Nueva animación de arranque similar a la de Windows 10X.
La mejora de la interfaz se extenderá al modo tablet del sistema.Disk management
The elimination of the classic Control Panel in favor of the Windows 10 Configuration tool is unstoppable and the migration of legacy tools to modern versions continues to happen. In Windows 10 21H2, disk management has been moved in order to simplify the process of managing disks and volumes.
The ‘Manage Disks and Volumes’ utility supports better integration with storage settings and spaces. The tool has been rewritten and will initially allow you to view disk information, create and format volumes, and assign drive letters. More visual, but not fully featured. Personally, as an old (very old) Windows user I will miss the Control Panel.
News and interests
It is a new widget that is located on the taskbar and that offers diverse content. An up-to-date news window that provides quick and convenient access to a selection of current affairs; meteorological or other traffic-related information.
Microsoft has updated it in the latest compilation and the truth is that it seems well achieved in visual terms, with a vibrant and colorful design and better customization of the categories that the user wants to receive. It is located on the right side of the taskbar and can be minimized or hidden completely if not interested.
Microsoft has made Android its reference operating system in mobility once Windows Phone / Windows Mobile has been canceled and the “Your phone” app has confirmed the strategy to not lose the smart mobile segment, connecting the dominant platforms Android (and also iOS) with its best applications.
The following would come from Project Latte, which provides native support for Android apps in Windows 10 through the MSIX format. Microsoft’s great bet to unify the different installation systems that exist today. The project is similar to the one we have seen with the Linux subsystem for Windows.
DNS over HTTPS (DoH)
This protocol has the objective of improving the security and privacy of the equipment. In practice, it resolves the Domain Name System (DNS) through the secure HTTPS protocol. The feature strengthens security against eavesdropping and DNS data manipulation.
Windows 10 21H2 will have a function in the network configuration tool that will allow DNS resolution through this encrypted protocol, which in addition to increasing security can also improve performance.
GPU management
In order to give users greater control of the GPUs when the computer has two graphics installed (integrated and dedicated), Windows 10 will use the first by default to save energy and the second in tasks that require higher performance. These settings will be applied automatically depending on the type of device if the user does not modify it.
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Of course, the user will be able to modify this behavior in Settings> System> Display> Graphics settings and specify whether an application should use one or the other. We imagine this internal configuration tool will somehow sync up with preferences that can currently handle graphics cards like NVIDIA’s Configurator.
Goodbye to 3D
Microsoft has removed Paint 3D and 3D Viewer from the suite of applications that it pre-installs by default in the Insider version of Windows 10 and they will not be available in the final version Windows 10 21H2. The System 3D Objects folder, the least used of those that are included by default in the system file explorer, will also be removed.
3D and Windows 10
Actually its use has been minimal and popular searches for Windows 10 tricks have revolved around the elimination of all this type of software. They are related to the inability of the industry to promote VR and AR technologies in the consumer market. Good news for those of us who are committed to a system that is as clean as possible, without bloatware and with the minimum of pre-installed applications. In any case, they will be available in the Microsoft Store for users who want to install it.
Battery monitor
The sale of laptops (convertibles, 2 in 1 …) continue to rise while the sale of desktops continues to plummet. One of the main components of any mobility device is its battery and for it and its operation, new features will arrive in this Windows 10 21H2 and the current settings of the system configuration, information about the state of the battery, the pattern of use that we do of the same and an assessment of the real state of the health of the same.
Similar to the design that we can find in Android, it will show monitoring graphs of the daily or weekly use of the battery and the last time it was recharged. The improvements are welcome, although they are more informative than functional to increase their useful life and we will have to continue to carry out the calibration and care techniques for the use of a consumable material that with time there will be no choice but to replace.
Task Manager
Task Manager was one of the most improved internal applications at the launch of Windows 10 and has been expanding its functionality with each system update. For this version comes a minor novelty and that is that Microsoft has included a new column called ‘Architecture’, which lists whether a running program is a 32-bit or 64-bit process.
It is one of the oldest internal Windows applications and it is still a very useful management tool for professionals or middle-advanced users who want to thoroughly control the operation of their computer or solve some problems that arise from its use.
Alarms and clock
Although on a computer desktop it does not have the importance or the use that we give it in a smart phone, Microsoft has improved it for the occasion with the change of the top panel for a more discreet and collapsible side panel, new animations and the timer as a new section for default.
Its main functions do not vary, a clock -configurable with world times- and alarms, the timer or the stopwatch with partial times. It’s a residual app on a desktop, but it’s okay for Microsoft to extend the facelift to a greater number of components.
Feature update information
Within a huge number of minor and major updates, security, drivers or features, it is sometimes difficult to know the new functions added to the system. “We know that it is not always clear what changes made in a major update, or even how the user can learn and try new features and enhancements.”
Microsoft wants to change that and show “the real benefits that a new feature offers users.” This new post-upgrade experience to Windows 10 will be displayed in the Windows Tips app with a series of cards intended to promote the new features and how to use them on the system.
How to test Windows 10 21H2?
Remembering that it is a trial version not recommended for production environments since it may have undefined errors depending on the hardware where they are installed, drivers or the software they run, you can test the fall edition of Windows in several ways, such as:
ISO images. If you are not enrolled in the Windows Insider program or you belong to it, but you want to perform a clean installation, you can download the images of the version and “burn” it on an optical medium or USB flash drive to install the version on any compatible computer. For it:
Once installed you can update the system from Windows Update to the latest compilation that Microsoft has published for this branch. Remember that this is the most advanced version of the Windows timeline and therefore the stable hand.
Windows Insiders. If you are enrolled in Windows Insiders and you are running an older version of this test program such as Build 19043 corresponding to the spring version, you can jump to Windows 10 21H2 from Windows Update. In the same way, if you want to be part of the test program, nothing is easier than transforming your version of Windows to Insider from the Configuration tool> Update and security> Windows Insider Program.
by Juan Ranchal
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