Absolutely Do Not Install The Windows 11 Test Build Doing Rounds On The Internet

 

In case something goes wrong with the so-called Windows 11 on your PC, Microsoft will not be able to provide any help or support in fixing whatever's happened.

Have patience, lovely people. The official Microsoft announcement about the next version of the Windows operating system, is not too far away. It is expected to be called Windows 11. But whatever it is finally called, it’s expected to be the biggest update that Windows has received since Windows 10 released in 2015. It wasn’t soon after that Microsoft confirmed an official announcement for June 24, a supposed test build was found doing rounds on the internet. Since then, there are suggestions that Microsoft has confirmed that build is legitimate. It hasn’t. All Microsoft has done is issued a DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) copyright infringement take-down request to Indian tech site, which in no way confirms that the entirety of the software that is being considered a test build, is actually that.

If you’ve been enticed by the surprise availability of the next Windows update, or Windows 11, much ahead of the official release, our advice would simply be to hold off on downloading and installing this supposed test build operating system on your PCs just yet. Yes, you’d have seen images of this operating system on the internet, with the supposed center placement of certain elements on the task bar, a supposed new multitasking experience and even the addition of widgets. But there is an inherent risk with installing official test builds too. They are unfinished and unstable. They may have bugs and functionality may be broken. Some of your software and apps might not work. That’s what happens with work in progress software, and which is why we recommend not installing beta versions of software and apps, on primary computing devices. The thing with this Windows 11 build is, it isn’t even official. This isn’t even a beta yet, let alone a stable beta.

Mind you, this supposed Windows 11 build isn’t being distributed via official Microsoft channels. It is being hosted by all sorts of websites, and that is a recipe for disaster. This is exactly the sort of thing that hackers love, malicious software and virus finds its way into, and phishing as well as snooping scams happen. Your data can and may be at serious risk. Assuming it may be a genuine test build that leaked from the super-secret Microsoft facilities, there is absolutely no way for you to know how many times it may have been modified since, with malware injected along the way to quietly cause trouble while running in the background. Or whether the security and data protection systems are actually well and truly in place as you begin to access the depths of the world wide web from this test build. In case something goes wrong, Microsoft will not be able to provide any help in fixing whatever it is that’s happened, since they do not officially support this build of the software and would not have the tools for remote support, if that is needed. Once the official release of Windows 11 happens in the coming weeks, it might be a lot safer to try one of those test builds at some point via the Windows Insider route, which is official, and you’ll be eligible for support too if required.

But what is in store for the future, and the update that the that Microsoft has teased as “the next generation of Windows” at the Build 2021 keynote, last month? It is expected that Microsoft will be implementing significant changes to how Windows works as a whole, including a visual overhaul. Microsoft has been working on new visual elements with Windows 10 over the past few months, including new system icons as well as File Explorer improvements, and clues could reside in the now-shelved Windows 10X operating system development. The Windows Store for apps and games, is also expected to receive an overhaul, in line with the company’s promise to app developers and creators, for a better app store experience on Windows PCs. “Our promise to you is this: we will create more opportunity for every Windows developer today and welcome every creator who is looking for the most innovative, new, open platform to build and distribute and monetize applications. We look forward to sharing more very soon,” Nadella had said during the keynote.