A new version of Windows 10 for PCs is live

Oct 12, 2015 19:08 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft has just released Windows 10 build 10565 to users who are part of the fast ring in the Windows Insider program, thus delivering a new set of improvements before they could be implemented in the final version of the operating system.

First and foremost, Windows 10 build 10565 comes with the Skype messaging app, which allows for “free calling and messaging to other Skype users across phones, over 3G/4G and Wi-Fi tablets and to PCs Wi-Fi,” as Microsoft itself explained.

Microsoft is also preparing some improvements for Windows 10 Mobile in this regard, with quick reply from action center expected to arrive on smartphones, too.

Microsoft Edge finally received tab preview options, so you only need to hover over open tabs to get a preview of the loaded website. This feature has already been spotted in leaked builds, so this is the first version that it brings it to users.

At the same time, Edge also gets options to sync favorites and reading list items, so if you have more devices running with the same Windows 10 account, you should find it easier to browse the web with the new app because your content is automatically migrated everywhere.

Activation improvements

Cortana has also received a bunch of improvements and can now intelligently understand inked notes, which should make it possible to set reminder on locations, times, and numbers from digital annotations.

Title bars have also been revamped to match the color theme, while the Start menu context menus are now more refined and match the ones in the operating system. Some new icons for the device manager are also available, and so is a new design for the Registry Editor icon.

But one of the biggest changes concerns device activation. Microsoft explains:

“If you install this build of the Windows 10 Insider Preview on a PC and it doesn’t automatically activate, you can enter the product key from Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 used to activate the prior Windows version on the same device to activate Windows 10 by going to Settings > Update & security > Activation and selecting Change Product Key. If you do a clean install of Windows 10 by booting off the media, you can also enter the product key from prior Windows versions on qualifying devices during setup.”

Keep in mind that build is only available to insiders enrolled in the fast ring, so if bug hunting goes well, slow ring users could it as well very soon.