Windows 10 S is a special locked down version of Microsoft’s new operating system. It’s aimed primarily at those in education, and can only run apps from the Windows Store, which offers security benefits, including protection from ransomware.
While the OS is predominately to be found on new hardware like the Surface Laptop, Microsoft last week made it available for developers, and from today anyone can officially download and install it. Here’s how.
In addition to using Windows Update, there’s also the upgrade option using Windows 10 ISO file. The only issue is that when you use a Windows 10 device to download the ISO from the Microsoft support website, you’re only given the choice to get the “Update Assistant” or “Media Creation Tool.”. How to download and install Windows 10 S. By Wayne Williams. Click the folder icon and navigate to the Windows 10 ISO. Download the Windows 10 S installer from the page we mentioned.
Firstly go to this page here. Although it’s for testing Windows 10 s on existing education devices, anyone can download the self-installer.
Read the information to make sure you understand what you can and can’t do. It’s important to note that while you can install Windows 10 S on devices running other editions of Windows 10 it’s not recommended to do so on a Windows 10 Home device as you won't be able to activate it. You'll also need to be running the Creators Update (1703), or later.
The Windows 10 S installer will overwrite your existing version of Windows, which means it could screw things up for you, and obviously it won’t be able to run any non-Windows Store software.
For that reason, we’d recommend that you either do a clean Windows 10 install on a spare PC, or better yet set one up in a virtualized environment using VirtualBox. To do the latter, you'll need to grab an ISO from here. Download the Media Creation Tool and run it. Agree to the terms, then select the option to 'Create installation media.' Select the version of Windows 10 you require. If it’s not the one currently selected, uncheck 'Use the recommended options for this PC' and select the correct version. Click Next and select 'ISO file.' Save the file to your hard drive.
To set up Windows 10 in VirtualBox, download and install the software from here. Run the program and click 'New' in the Manager window. In the Create Virtual Machine dialog box enter 'Windows 10' as the name of the operating system.
Windows 10 S Mode Iso Download Software
Select Windows 10 as the version. (Choose 'Windows 10 (64bit)' if you have a 64-bit ISO).
Hit Next, then set the Memory Size. The recommended figure should be fine. On the following screen choose to 'Create a virtual hard drive now' and click Create. Accept VDI (VirtualBox Disk Image) as the hard drive file type. You’ll be asked if you want the new virtual hard drive to be dynamically altered (it will resize as required) or a fixed size. The latter option is faster, so select that. The default size should be fine.
Click Create and VirtualBox will begin building the drive.
When done, select the entry in the Manager and click the Start button. In the 'Select start-up disk' window, click the folder icon and navigate to the Windows 10 ISO.
Click Start and Windows 10 should begin to load. Select your language settings, then click the 'Install now' button. The installation process will begin. Follow the instructions and install Windows as you would normally. You will to activate the installation, or else Windows 10 S won't be activated once installed (you can still install it if it's not activated of course, but you won't be able to personalize the OS afterwards).
Once it’s fully up and running, download the Windows 10 S installer from the page we mentioned earlier (here) and run it. It will check to make sure your PC, or virtual system, is compatible.
Assuming it is, it begin the installation process. If you change your mind, you can click 'Cancel installation' at this stage.
Windows 10 S will be downloaded, and once the files have been verified, installed.
You’ll be asked what you want to keep from your existing installation, with 'Nothing' selected.
Click Next and the installer will fetch some updates. Once done, your system will restart and the full installation process will begin. It will take a while to complete, and reboot several times, but when it finishes, and you've gone through the configuration steps, you’ll be ready to start using Windows 10 S.
If you change your mind about running the new OS, you will be able to remove it within 10 days by using the Windows Recovery option in Settings. If you leave it longer than that, you will need to re-install Windows 10 using your recovery media.
A few months back, Microsoft had announced that it was going to compete with Google’s Chrome OS with Windows 10 S. The streamlined version of Windows, was launched alongside the Surface Laptop and is developed for primary use in educational institutions. Built from the core of Windows 10 Pro, the Windows 10 S is meant to be faster, more secure, lightweight, and with improved battery life over its sibling operating systems. Although the standalone release is still a good few months away, Microsoft recently made the latest member of the Windows family available for developers and IT pros to download and test. The company has now released a self-installer app that allows you to test Windows 10 S on existing devices running Windows 10. If you’re interested in trying out the latest offering from Microsoft, here is how you can download and install Windows 10 S on your PC.
Note: Windows 10 S installer currently only supports devices running Windows 10 Pro, Windows 10 Pro Education, Windows 10 Education, and Windows 10 Enterprise. Devices running on Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 N editions are currently not supported.
Install Windows 10 S Using Windows 10 S Installer Tool
- Before proceeding, make sure to backup all your important data and connect your system to the internet before proceeding.
- Download the Windows 10 S Installer here and run it. Click on the “Next” button to proceed.
- Once you click Next, the system will now check if your hardware is compatible, that is, meets the minimum requirements for Windows 10 S. If your system meets the requirements, click the “Next” button to continue.
- The setup will now Download the Windows 10 S files onto your system and then begin installing it on your device itself. You can continue to browse the web or perform other tasks on the system. You can simply click on the “Minimize” button to send the setup to the background.
Windows 10 S Mode Iso Download Free
- Once the setup has been completed, you will be prompted to restart your device. Click on the “Restart Now” button to restart your device.
- Your system will now restart. Upon booting, you will be greeted with a blue screen where the actual installation will begin. Your system will restart multiple times during the installation. Make sure that the system is connected to the power outlet to avoid any issues.
- Once the system has finished installing Windows 10 S, the PC will restart on its own. You will now be greeted with the Setup page, similar to the normal Windows 10 installation, where you’ll be required to connect to a WiFi network, login with your account or add a new account, and configure other Windows settings. Once you’re done with it all, click the “Next” button to finish the installation.
Windows 10 Iso Download
- Your system will now boot into Windows 10 S. Simply log in with your account and you’re good to go.
Note: Do note that while your personal data will be preserved, all Win32 software and apps, as well as your personal settings will be removed.
Clean Install Windows 10 S
Alternatively, you can perform a clean Windows 10 S installation as well. To do so, you can download the ISO Image File of Windows 10 S from here and create a bootable USB to install it. Do note that you need to be an MSDN user with Visual Studio Professional or Enterprise subscription, which costs about $539/year or $45/month. As of now, Windows 10 S is in its infancy and is available only for developers. Over the course of next few months, we can expect to see retail images available for consumers. Once they are released, you can download and install them by creating a bootable USB disk.
Changes in Windows 10 S
Windows 10 S comes as a direct alternative to Google’s Chrome OS, with the idea of providing a familiar environment for the users. While the environment is similar to the normal Windows 10, you do end up being limited to Microsoft’s environment only. What this basically means is that you can only install apps from the Microsoft Store, and there’s no way, as of now, to install desktop programs. Additionally, the default browser is Microsoft Edge, and cannot be changed.
Also, since third party apps are not allowed, it also results in incompatibility with some drivers, since they rely on the installation of third party programs. For example, you cannot even install AMD’s Control Center or NVIDIA’s GeForce Experience. Furthermore, if you followed the above guide to using the Windows 10 S Installer, even though your data will be preserved, all your third party apps will automatically be erased from the system.
Another noteworthy thing is the fact that since you cannot install apps from outside the Windows Store, Windows 10 S users are limited to Office 365 which is the only available variant of Microsoft Office in the Windows Store. Users cannot install Microsoft Office 2016 or any other annual variant. This is in line to keep the security in check, as well as to reduce piracy. To take a better look at the differences between Windows 10 and Windows 10 S, read our detailed article here.
SEE ALSO: Windows 10 Home vs Pro: Which One You Should Upgrade to?
Ready to Install Windows 10 S on Your PC?
While the retail version of Windows 10 S may still be a few months away, thanks to Microsoft, you can try out the Windows 10 S in its current state using the above guide. Obviously, after using Windows 10 Pro, switching to Windows 10 S will give you a very locked down feeling, being trapped inside Microsoft’s Store. The Store itself has a limited number of apps, so there’s not much you can do with the Windows 10 S in its current state. That being said, the “streamlined” version of Windows 10 does seem promising in its aim of becoming a competitor to ChromeOS and being used ideally for schools and institutes.
Tell us what you think about the latest offering from Microsoft, and whether you’d like Google’s ChromOS or prefer Windows 10 S in the comments section below.
Pulseway: A Portable Remote Monitoring and Management Software
Huawei Nova 5, Nova 5 Pro, and Nova 5i Launched in China; Starting at...
Mi Band 4 Might Not Have These Features in India
Vivo to Showcase 120W Ultra Fast Charging at MWC 2019 Shanghai
Asus 6z With Flip Camera, Snapdragon 855 Launched in India for Rs. 31,999
