Windows 11 25H2 update hits its last stop before release to the general public

"Microsoft's fifth major iteration of Windows 11 is nearing its release to the general public-the Windows Insider team announced today that Windows 11 25H2 was being put into its Release Preview Channel, the final stop for most updates before they become available to everyone. That's around two months after the first Windows builds with the 25H2 label were released to the other preview channels."

"Putting a new yearly Windows update in the Release Preview channel is analogous to the "release to manufacturing" (RTM) phase of years past, back when updates shipped on physical media that needed to be manufactured. Build numbers for this version of Windows start with 26200, rather than 24H2's 26100. The 25H2 update doesn't do a lot in and of itself, other than reset the clock for Microsoft's security updates (each yearly release gets two years of security patches)."

"Microsoft says that installing the 25H2 update removes PowerShell 2.0 and the Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line tool (both previously deprecated), and that it allows IT administrators to automatically remove some preinstalled Windows apps from the Microsoft Store via Group Policy. But Microsoft hasn't said much about major, user-facing new features that are unique to the 25H2 update. The 23H2 update from two years ago was a similarly quiet add-on for Windows 11 22H2."

Windows 11 25H2 has entered the Release Preview Channel, marking the final pre-release stage before public availability. Build numbers for 25H2 begin with 26200, differing from 24H2's 26100. The update primarily resets the two-year security update servicing clock and shares a servicing branch with 24H2, resulting in few under-the-hood differences. Installing 25H2 can enable previously installed but disabled features on 24H2 machines. The update removes deprecated PowerShell 2.0 and the Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line tool. IT administrators can automatically remove some preinstalled Microsoft Store apps via Group Policy. No major unique user-facing features have been announced.

Read at Ars Technica