Windows 10 build 14251

Hi everyone,

Today, we are releasing Build 14251 Windows Insiders in the Fast ring.

Sharp-eyed Insiders likely noted the big jump in build numbers from our last preview build (11102). Historically, the codebase for mobile had a different OS version than the codebase for PC because they were developed by different teams on different schedules. With Windows 10, we became one Windows team and brought these two codebases together. We started by changing the version string displayed in the UI to be consistent, which is why you saw similarly labeled builds over the past year for both Mobile and PC, but the underlying binary version numbers were still different. As part of our work getting the common codebase ready for the next release, we decided to complete that work and sync the build numbers between mobile and PC. Because the mobile codebase used higher build numbers than PC, we needed to jump ahead a bunch of build numbers to ensure updates to future builds will continue to work. So that’s why build numbers went from 11105, 11106, and 11107 to 14251.

This build doesn’t have notable new features in it but I encourage you to check out the new Cortana improvements we released to Insiders earlier this week. The January update to the Xbox Beta app for Windows 10 is also now available with some really nice improvements for Insiders to try out and give us feedback.

This build does contain some really good bug fixes that Insiders will appreciate:

• We fixed the issue where some PC games would crash switching from windowed mode to full screen, upon game resolution change, or upon launch due to a bug in Windows graphics stack. So play your games! If you run into any issues – please let us know by reporting in the Feedback app and include the game title.
• We fixed the issue where applications such as Narrator, Magnifier, and third-party assistive technologies may experience intermittent issues or crashes.
• We fixed an issue where File Explorer would crash frequently when DPI settings were at 175%.

I also want to reiterate once again that with the change to release builds faster to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring, bugs like the ones we had in the last build (or the File Explorer copy UX from the prior build) are going to pop up. Sometimes it might be several builds before we get these bugs fixed. And there might be times where a build we release contains bugs we haven’t found in internal testing as well.

We’re at the beginning of a new development cycle for our next feature update to Windows 10, and that means teams will be checking in lots of new code as they integrate their feature payloads. Being an Insider means you’re getting the latest code changes, and working with new builds that are relatively new even for Microsoft employees. If this worries you, you can switch to the Slow ring and stick with less frequent but more stable builds.

Known issues:

• After choosing “Reset This PC” under Settings > Update & Security > Recovery – your PC will be in a unusable state. There is no workaround if your PC gets into this state and you will need to reinstall Windows.
• You might see a WSClient.dll error dialog after logging in. We’re working on a fix for this but as a workaround, you can run the following in Command Prompt with administrative rights: schtasks /delete /TN “\Microsoft\Windows\WS\WSRefreshBannedAppsListTask” /F
• The Connect button does not show up in Action Center. The workaround is to press Windows key + P and then click “Connect to a wireless display”.
• Due to a recent memory management change, you may see periodic app crashes or other memory related app errors. Rebooting your PC may correct the issue. Due to this issue, the Github client will not launch. If you need to use the Git client – the workaround is to rollback to the previous build.
• F12 Developer Tools will not load in Microsoft Edge. Should be fixed in the next build.

As always – thank you for being Windows Insiders and make sure to send us feedback on any issues you run into with this build in the Windows Feedback app.

A note on Windows 10 Mobile

I know that a lot of Windows Insiders are eager to know what’s going on with Mobile builds. As you know we’ve already released the Lumia 950, 950XL, and 550 devices with Windows 10 Mobile preinstalled, and we’re still on track to release Windows 10 Mobile as an upgrade to existing devices early this year as we planned. The team is working now by looking at data and reports from Insiders who have upgraded their devices to preview builds, and ensuring that we deliver a great upgrade experience to customers. We’re excited about making the upgrade available, and will share new information with you just as soon as we can on how the rollout will happen.

We’ve also been working on our shared core which spans across PC, Mobile, Xbox, HoloLens, and more – which we call OneCore. Our build systems produce new builds daily for all of these editions, so as we’ve been doing this work we have been producing new PC builds as well as mobile builds. Today we deliver our 4th PC preview build, and are nearly ready to start sharing new preview builds for Mobile as well. We will start by making these builds available to devices that shipped with Windows 10 Mobile – the 950, 950XL, and 550 – and expand from there as we release Windows 10 Mobile to other devices.

Thanks,
g

Microsoft began the rollout of Windows 10 build 14251 for PC to the Fast ring of updates. This is the fourth preview the company is making available for Insiders as part of the Redstone update, which will be released later this year.

While the software giant is making a big build number jump from “11102” to “14251”, this new build doesn’t include any noticeable or significant changes compared to Windows 10 build 11102.

In a new article, the company explains historically, the desktop and mobile versions of the operating system had different version numbering because they were developed by different teams on different schedules. In Windows 10 there is only one Windows team, this is one of reasons we started to see versioning getting closer together, “but the underlying binary version numbers were still different”.

Gearing up for the Windows 10 Redstone release, the Windows team is now ready to start matching the build numbers between PC and mobile version of the operating system, and to make everything work the team needed to jump from build number “11102” to “14251”.

What’s new in Windows 10 build 14251

The new Redstone preview for PC doesn’t include new features, but they’re a good number of fixes, according to the software maker:

• Microsoft has fixed the issue where some PC games would crash, switching from windowed mode to fullscreen, upon game resolution change, or upon launch due to a bug in the Windows graphics stack.
• The company also fixed the issue where applications such as Narrator, Magnifier, and third-party assistive technologies may experience intermittent issues or crashes.
• File Explorer received a fix that would crash frequently when DPI settings were at 175%.

Microsoft also notes that Insiders getting builds a lot faster than before means that there will be more bugs, and those bugs are likely to stay around for several builds before they are addressed.

Known issues for Windows 10 build 14251

As the company continues to get the operating system ready to begin including new features and visual changes, it’s warning that there are a few known issues in this flight:

• You might see a WSClient.dll error dialog after logging in. Microsoft is working on a fix for this, but as a workaround, you can run the following in Command Prompt with administrative rights: schtasks /delete /TN “\Microsoft\Windows\WS\WSRefreshBannedAppsListTask” /F
• The Connect button does not show up in Action Center. The workaround is to press Windows key + P and then click “Connect to a wireless display”.
• Due to a recent memory management change, you may see periodic app crashes or other memory related app errors. The workaround is to reboot your PC.

The new Redstone preview is available immediately to Insiders through the Fast Ring via Windows Update. The preview will install automatically, but you can always force the update manually by going to Settings > Update & security > Windows Update and clicking the Check for updates button.

Source Windows Blog

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Microsoft indeed kept its promises of bringing new Windows 10 builds for Insiders more often this year. Just some time after the previous Windows 10 Preview build, the company released a new 14251 build for Windows 10 Preview users on the Fast Ring. The build makes a big jump in version number (previous was 11102), and brings some improvements, and fixes. Still no new features.

Some people believe that the reason for a big build number jump is that the new build brings some new features that we’re waiting for since the first Redstonebuild. But, chief of Insider Program, Gabe Aul confuted these claims, as he explained that the reason for a big build number change is to make it same as the current build number of the latest version of Windows 10 Mobile.

Windows 10 Preview Build 14251 Features and Known Issues

As we said, the build doesn’t bring any major new features, but it brings some bug fixes and improvements. However, new Cortana features, that we presented you a couple of days ago, also arrive with this build.

Here’s the list of known bug fixes and improvements in Windows 10 Preview Build 14251:

• The issue where some PC games would crash switching from windowed mode to full screen, upon game resolution change, or upon launch due to a bug in Windows graphics stack.
• The issue where applications such as Narrator, Magnifier, and third-party assistive technologies may experience intermittent issues or crashes.
• An issue where File Explorer would crash frequently when DPI settings were at 175 percent.

Since the build is for now only available to users on the Fast Ring, it means that it’s not stable yet, therefore it also causes some issues. Microsoft listed the known issues in the build 14251, and they’re following:

• You might see a WSClient.dll error dialog after logging in. Microsoft is working on a fix for this but as a workaround, you can run the following in Command Prompt with administrative rights: schtasks /delete /TN “\Microsoft\Windows\WS\WSRefreshBannedAppsListTask” /F
• The Connect button does not show up in Action Center. The workaround is to press Windows key + P and then click “Connect to a wireless display”.
• Due to a recent memory management change, you may see periodic app crashes or other memory related app errors. The workaround is to reboot your PC.

Practice thought us that issues listed by Microsoft are the only problems bothering Insiders upon installing the new build, so we’ll do a little research soon, and we’ll present you even more issues, if reported.

Passionate about all elements related to Windows and combined with his innate curiosity, Ivan has delved deep into understanding this operating system, with a specialization in drivers and driver troubleshooting.

When he’s not tackling diverse driver-related problems, Ivan enjoys watching good movies and spending time hiking with his family and friends.

Windows 10 build 14251 is the fourth Insider Preview build of Windows 10 Anniversary Update, which was released to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring on 27 January 2016.

Bugs and quirks[edit | edit source]

Setup[edit | edit source]

The DISM executable in differing copies of this build’s Preinstallation Environment is absent and will result in the provided operating system image (D:\sources\install.wim) failing to extract, causing installation to fail. It can be supplemented with a clean copy from the ISO root by pressing the ⇧ Shift+F10 shortcut to invoke the Command Prompt, and executing the following command before proceeding with installation:

xcopy D:\sources\dism.exe X:\sources

General[edit | edit source]

• When choosing «Reset this PC» under Settings — Update & Security — Recovery, the system will be left in an unusable state. The only workaround is to reinstall Windows.
• The user can encounter a WSClient.dll error dialog after logging in. The workaround to stop the error is to run the following in Command Prompt with administrative rights: schtasks /delete /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\WS\WSRefreshBannedAppsListTask" /F
• The Connect button does not show up in Action Center. The workaround is to press ⊞ Win+P and then click on «Connect to a wireless display».
• Due to a memory management change going on this build, the user might observe frequent app crashes or other memory-related errors.
• The F12 developer tools do not load in Microsoft Edge.
• System crashes when DPI scaling is set into 175% or higher.

Gallery[edit | edit source]

• Boot screen

External links[edit | edit source]

• Official announcement

Microsoft Going Linux Way? Windows 10 Build 14251 and Its Mysterious Linux Sub-System

In the ever-evolving landscape of technology, the interaction between operating systems often shapes user experiences and industry standards. Microsoft’s Windows operating system has long maintained its position as a dominant player in the desktop operating system market. However, with the technological tide shifting towards open-source platforms and Linux gaining traction, the question arises: Is Microsoft embracing Linux? A significant indicator of this change came with the emergence of Windows 10 Build 14251, which featured a mysterious Linux sub-system. This article delves into the details of this development, its implications, and the broader context of Microsoft’s relationship with Linux.

The Context of Windows 10 Build 14251

Released as part of the Windows Insider Program, Windows 10 Build 14251 represents a series of incremental updates following the major release of Windows 10. This build included various improvements, fixes, and features aimed at enhancing user experience and performance. However, what caught the attention of tech enthusiasts and developers alike was the introduction of a Linux sub-system—an unexpected move from a company historically associated with Windows-centric environments.

What is the Linux Sub-System?

The Linux sub-system, also known as Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), allows Windows users to run Linux distributions natively on Windows. Introduced in Windows 10, WSL enables users to access a Linux command-line interface and execute Linux commands directly from within the Windows environment. With the release of Build 14251, this feature gained more visibility, sparking discussions regarding what it could mean for developers and the future of Windows.

The Technical Implications of WSL

At its core, the Linux sub-system represents a groundbreaking shift in how Microsoft perceives its operating system and its relationship with open-source software. By allowing users to seamlessly integrate Linux capabilities within Windows, Microsoft is addressing key demands from developers who often work in multi-platform environments.

1. Bridging Two Worlds

The introduction of WSL allows developers to bridge the gap between the Windows and Linux ecosystems. Many developers use Linux for server-side applications, scripting, and web development. By incorporating WSL, Microsoft is effectively making it easier for developers to leverage the best of both worlds without the need for dual-boot setups or virtual machines. This integration can enhance productivity and streamline workflows.

2. Performance and Compatibility

WSL aims to provide an efficient way to run Linux applications without incurring the overhead typically associated with virtual machines. The Linux kernel operates alongside the Windows NT kernel, allowing for better performance and improved compatibility for command-line tools and utilities. Users can execute commands directly from the command prompt, using Linux-based tools without worrying about file system differences or incomplete compatibility.

3. Access to Linux Tools

With the introduction of WSL, Windows users gain access to a wealth of powerful Linux tools. Development environments, version control systems, and package managers—such as Git, Node.js, and Python—become easily accessible within the Windows environment. This fosters a more versatile development space where developers can utilize the tools they prefer without needing to switch between different operating systems.

Microsoft’s Shift Towards Open-Source

The emergence of WSL in Windows 10 Build 14251 reflects a broader trend within Microsoft—a shift towards embracing open-source technologies. This transformation has been gradual but significant, showcasing a change in corporate mentality and strategic direction.

1. Partnerships and Collaborations

Microsoft’s increasing acceptance of open-source software is evidenced through various partnerships and collaborations with open-source communities. Notably, the acquisition of GitHub in 2018 exemplifies this strategy. GitHub, a popular platform for hosting and collaborating on code, has a predominantly open-source user base. By acquiring GitHub, Microsoft signaled its commitment to the open-source community and emphasized collaboration over competition.

2. Investments in Linux

Microsoft’s investment in Linux has gone beyond mere support. The company has joined the Linux Foundation, contributing to numerous Linux-related projects. In addition, Microsoft has rolled out Azure services that support Linux-based virtual machines and workloads. Azure, Microsoft’s cloud computing service, has been designed to accommodate both Windows and Linux environments, further reinforcing its commitment to cross-platform capabilities.

3. The Evolution of Developer Tools

Tools such as Visual Studio Code, a popular code editor, have been designed with multi-platform compatibility in mind. The fact that developers can work on Windows, macOS, and Linux environments using the same tool without compromising functionality indicates a philosophical shift. Microsoft has actively promoted these tools within the developer community, encouraging the use of open-source libraries and frameworks.

The Implications for Development

The introduction of the Linux sub-system in Windows 10 Build 14251 carries several implications for developers and technical professionals alike.

1. Streamlining Development Processes

Developers working across different operating systems often face challenges when it comes to development processes, deployment, and testing. The integration of WSL provides a more streamlined development experience, allowing for quicker prototyping, testing, and deployment of applications in a more cohesive environment. This is particularly valuable for web developers who require a Linux-based environment for server-side scripts and frameworks.

2. Enhancing Educational Opportunities

For educators and learners, WSL provides a valuable opportunity to explore programming in a Linux environment without requiring multiple installations. Students can execute Linux commands, explore file systems, and understand system architecture—skills that are increasingly vital in today’s tech job market. By lowering barriers to entry, WSL encourages broader adoption of programming skills and fosters a generation of developers who are equally comfortable in both Windows and Linux environments.

3. Fostering Innovation

Encouraging a mixed environment can ultimately lead to greater innovation. Developers can freely explore ideas across platforms, experiment with different tools, and find novel solutions that leverage the strengths of both Windows and Linux ecosystems. This synergy could drive advancements in software development, cloud computing, and infrastructure automation, leading to more robust and diverse technological landscapes.

Challenges and Concerns

While the Linux sub-system offers numerous advantages, it is not without its challenges and concerns.

1. Performance Limitations

Although WSL operates with enhanced performance compared to traditional virtual machines, it may still experience limitations. Some applications that rely heavily on graphical interfaces or specific hardware access may not perform optimally within the sub-system. This can hinder those who need full Linux capabilities for intensive tasks, such as graphical rendering, advanced networking configurations, or real-time data processing.

2. Compatibility Issues

Despite the advances made by WSL, compatibility issues can arise. Certain Linux distributions may have dependencies that are difficult to replicate within the Windows environment. Developers working with frameworks or libraries that do not play well with WSL can encounter roadblocks that may hinder progress or lead to unexpected behaviors in applications.

3. Security Considerations

The integration of a Linux sub-system within a Windows environment may raise security concerns. The coexistence of two distinct operating system paradigms necessitates careful consideration of security policies and practices. Users must remain vigilant regarding permissions, firewalls, and potential vulnerabilities that may arise from running Linux applications alongside Windows services.

Community Reactions

The introduction of the Linux sub-system in Windows has elicited a variety of responses from the tech community. Many developers have embraced the move, appreciating the newfound flexibility and functionality within the Windows environment. The ability to access both ecosystems enhances workflow efficiency and supports diverse development environments.

However, some purists within the Linux community remain skeptical. Concerns about Microsoft’s history, competitive practices, and potential attempts to control or commodify open-source software have led to discussions regarding trust and the future paths of these technologies. The debate underscores the complexity of a rapidly changing tech landscape, where the lines between proprietary and open-source software continue to blur.

The Future of Microsoft and Linux

As the software landscape continues to shift, the relationship between Microsoft and Linux will likely evolve alongside it. The innovations brought forth by WSL are indicative of a broader trend towards collaboration, integration, and cross-platform compatibility.

1. Ongoing Developments

With each subsequent release of Windows, it is anticipated that Microsoft will continue to refine and enhance the Linux sub-system. Feedback from the community guides these developments, and as more users adopt WSL, additional features and improvements will likely emerge. Enhanced support for GUI applications, performance optimizations, and further compatibility enhancements could pave the way for a more robust integration of Linux within the Windows ecosystem.

2. An Opening for Greater Innovation

The collaboration between Microsoft and open-source communities could yield innovative solutions in various fields, including cloud computing, cybersecurity, and data analysis. As industries increasingly pivot toward hybrid cloud models and multi-platform architectures, Microsoft’s commitment to accommodating Linux within its ecosystem may enable greater creativity and problem-solving capabilities across the board.

3. Broadened Market Reach

Microsoft’s integration of Linux principles into its offerings can also foster a more inclusive market approach. By appealing to developers who prefer Linux-based tools, Microsoft can tap into a broader user base, expanding its reach into communities that may have previously shunned its products. This can lead to increased market share and a more diverse ecosystem of applications and services that cater to a wider range of users.

Conclusion

The introduction of the Linux sub-system in Windows 10 Build 14251 marks a pivotal moment in Microsoft’s evolution as a tech leader. By embracing Linux and fostering cross-platform compatibility, Microsoft is paving the way for new opportunities within development, innovation, and education. The implications extend beyond mere technological advancements; they reflect a cultural shift within the company—one that prioritizes collaboration, inclusivity, and the power of open-source solutions.

As users and developers look toward the future, the relationship between Microsoft and Linux will undoubtedly continue to reshape the landscape of technology, leading to unprecedented possibilities for innovation, collaboration, and user empowerment. The notion of ‘Microsoft going Linux way’ may not be a simple transition but rather a profound redefinition of how operating systems, tools, and communities intersect in a connected world.