A new variation – Windows 11 Validation OS – was quietly released. Microsoft has probably kept this news silent because this new variation of Windows is not for the regular PC user.
Windows 11 Validation OS
This new Windows 11-based operating system is released for professionals to diagnose and fix hardware defects during Windows device manufacturing. “Windows 11 Validation OS” is reportedly very fast, lightweight, and customizable so that the professionals on the factory floor can easily use it to find the defects and fix them. It won’t be wrong to call it a variation of Factory OS.
In a blogpost, team Microsoft explains that Validation OS boots into a Command-Line environment to increase reliability on the factory floor and supports running Win32 apps, smoothing the transition from early hardware bring-up to the retail OS and apps development.
The Validation OS ISO is available as a free download on the official website. Users can also create the bootable Validation OS media from USB, or from a hard drive that’s had the image applied. Furthermore, this OS is not limited to the built-in tools and supports running Win32 apps.
The official website contains detailed tutorials about the downloading and usage of this new variation of Windows 11. A detailed step-by-step guide to set up a bootable Validation OS installation is also available on their website.
The purpose of this new release is basically to help the manufacturers use the manufacturing tools to deploy their customizations to new Windows 11 devices, update the operating system, drivers, and packages, and refresh or refurbish the after-market devices. Microsoft has seemingly informed the vendors directly about this new development but if you have somehow missed it, you can check the details here at microsoft.com.
