Windows 11 Insiders might be trapped in the Dev channel
Coming along for a ride
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The process to transition fromWindows 10toWindows 11has been fairly painless so far for members of theWindows Insider Program.
This could be about to change however, after a message was issued to members warning them that potentially unstable, experimental builds are planned for testing in the Dev channel of the insider program, with a recommendation that users who didn’t wish to test these upcoming features should migrate over to the Beta channel.
As reported byMSPoweruser(who picked up the issue from the Italian websiteHtnovo), a few folks who have attempted this discovered that they were unable to make the switch due to the typically selectable options being greyed out.
There doesn’t appear to be an official solution to the issue yet, and it’s noted that a previously known method forforcing your system to run Windows 11on your system (and manually select your channel in the process) also doesn’t allow users in this current predicament to switch to the Beta channel either.We have reached out toMicrosoftfor comment and to request an official workaround for those affected.
Analysis: Don’t panic, this is normal
While inconvenient, experiencing issues in a public testing program is an expected part of participation. It’s likely that a fix is currently being developed, but discoveries like these should be taken as a reassurance rather than a concern.After all, it’s better that software errors and bugs occur in a contained environment with willing participants rather than cause mass issues after a public release. This also indicates that an official release date forWindows 11might be just around the corner, given that these unstable tests are for a planned update forWindows 11due in the second half of 2022, rather than the main OS itself.
The rumor mill is working on the assumption thatWindows 11 could emerge in Octoberat some point, with evidence coming from various leaks including Microsoft’s schedule for driver submissions and a Walmart product listing, with October 19 being the current speculated date for the public release.
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Jess is a former TechRadar Computing writer, where she covered all aspects of Mac and PC hardware, including PC gaming and peripherals. She has been interviewed as an industry expert for the BBC, and while her educational background was in prosthetics and model-making, her true love is in tech and she has built numerous desktop computers over the last 10 years for gaming and content creation. Jess is now a journalist at The Verge.
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