Windows 11. What’s New?
We’ve managed to get our hands on the insider build of Windows 11. We’ve had a look around, finding the new and changed features that you’ll be able to use within Windows 11
Windows 11. What’s New?
We’ve managed to get our hands on the insider build of Windows 11. We’ve had a look around, finding the new and changed features that you’ll be able to use within Windows 11
What is Windows 11?
Windows 11 is the latest and greatest release from Microsoft. This has raised some questions within the community as Microsoft previously mentioned that Windows 10 would be the final version of their operating system, with continuous updates, similar to the Apple universe. As with the previous upgrade to Windows 10, Microsoft have confirmed that it will be a free upgrade to Windows 11 for all licensed Windows 10 machines.
Can my machine run Windows 11?
The minimum system requirements released by Microsoft are below
- Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster with 2 or more cores on a compatible 64-bit processor or System on a Chip (SoC)
- RAM: 4 gigabyte (GB)
- Storage: 64 GB or larger storage device.
- System firmware: UEFI, Secure Boot capable
- TPM: Trusted Platform Module (TPM)version 2.0
- Graphics card: Compatible with DirectX 12 or later with WDDM 2.0 driver
- Display: High definition (720p) display that is greater than 9” diagonally, 8 bits per colour channel
One of the key things to check is the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) is compatible on your machine. As of writing this post, Windows 11 doesn’t support any machine that isn’t running a TPM 2.0 module. You can check if your machine is compatible by using the Microsoft Compatibility Checker. Now let’s get into our thoughts on Windows 11 in these early stages!
Home Screen / Policy Settings
Straight off the bat we noticed a change in the font across the whole operating system, even a different layout on the home screen. We’re not sure if we like the new font of Windows 11 but I’m sure we’ll all get used to the changes! It’s also good to see that our company policies and wall papers have applied correctly on this version of Windows 11, filling us with confidence as IT techs that Microsoft are thinking of businesses existing configurations and ensuring they’re compatible with Windows 11! Great news for all you IT admins out there.
Start Menu
Windows 11 now has a new “intuitive” start menu… we’ve seen this layout somewhere before haven’t we? *Cough* Apple… However after playing around on the system for a couple of hours it’s something that becomes quite nice to use. Clearly displaying your icons and notifications. Great for always keeping on top of your work and productivity!
You’ll notice the new modern icons for your typical file explorer and settings as well as a slight change to other fan favourites, such as paint (yes it still lives on!). When right clicking on the start menu you’ll still be presented with the usual options of shutdown, event viewer, power options etc. Some of these options taking you back into the traditional control panel rather than the new fancy metro type section… maybe this will eventually go into the new type menus, we’ll wait and see!
Start Menu
Windows 11 now has a new “Intuitive” start menu… we’ve seen this layout somewhere before haven’t we? *Cough* Apple… However after playing around on the system for a couple of hours it’s something that becomes quite nice to use. Clearly displaying your icons and notifications. Great for always keeping on top of your work and prodctivity!
You’ll notice the new modern icons for your typical file explorer and settings as well as a slight change to other fan favourites, such as paint (yes it still lives on!). When right clicking on the start menu you’ll still be presented with the usual options of shutdown, event viewer, power options etc. Some of these options taking you back into the traditional control panel rather than the new fancy metro type section… maybe this will eventually go into the new type menus, we’ll wait and see!
Windows PowerShell “Terminal”
Windows PowerShell still exists within Windows 11 but they’ve added some handy features into the system. Such as tabs in the new Windows Terminal window that seems to be replacing PowerShell. This comes with a the built in Azure Cloud shell, showing Microsoft are looking to integrate Azure capabilities and management tools natively into Windows 11. Exciting stuff.
Widgets Menu
There is a new widgets menu in town, again this resembles something seen on a shiny device with a fruit logo… However this isn’t a bad thing! It shows a nice overview of the volume controls and other widgets that can be added, such as project or keyboard layout. Allowing users to change these settings a single pane of glass interface, snazzy!
Widgets Menu
There is a new widgets menu in town, again this resembles something seen on a shiny device with a fruit logo… However this isn’t a bad thing! It shows a nice overview of the volume controls and other widgets that can be added, such as project or keyboard layout. Allowing users to change these settings a single pane of glass interface, snazzy!