14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has silently released new Windows 10 ISO images, allowing users who want to test-drive the upcoming Redstone 3 update (officially called Fall Creators Update), to start from scratch on a new system or with a virtual machine.
The new ISO files are for Windows 10 build 16251, which was released to insiders in late July, with the same build published for the Slow ring last week. In most of the cases, shipping a specific build to the Slow ring means Microsoft considers it to be stable and reliable enough to be installed on more machines, and the company typically ships new ISOs as well when this milestone is reached.
Windows 10 build 16251 ISO images are available in 5 different flavors, namely the standard Insider Preview builds, Enterprise, Education, Home Single Language, and Home China.
RTM expected in September
There are also five additional packs for Windows 10 testers, namely Symbols MSI, Features on Demand Pack (distributed in 2 different archives), Language Pack Bundle, and Inbox Apps Bundle. All are aimed at Windows 10 build 16251.
Microsoft is projected to finalize Windows 10 Redstone 3 (Fall Creators Update) in September, so we’re only about a month away from this important milestone, which means that installing build 16251 brings you pretty close to the final build.
The company has promised to let users know when RTM is shipped, so expect the next few builds to be entirely focused on bug fixes and performance improvements, as the priority right now is to refine the experience with the update before it’s being pushed to the production ring.
The most recent build for Windows insiders in the Fast ring is 16257, and Microsoft is expected to release a new update this week, though there’s a good chance the Slow ring will have to wait a little bit longer until a new build is published for users enrolled in this channel.