Microsoft has finally launched a Windows 11 ISO for Arm-based systems - many months after the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite hit shelves. While there were many workarounds to get Windows working on devices with an Arm processor - an official build from Microsoft ensures a hassle-free experience for the average consumer.
Microsoft is no newcomer in this domain as it has been working on the Windows on Arm ecosystem for some years. However, with the launch of the X Elite and possible Arm solutions from Nvidia in the works; it was high time Windows pushed an official release for Arm devices. Previously, users had to enroll in the Windows Insider Program to obtain a copy of Windows 11 - which is rather ironic as Qualcomm has been Microsoft's exclusive partner for Windows on Arm machines since 2016 - set to expire this year.
You can head to Microsoft's website to obtain a copy of this build. The ISO is slightly over 5GB, which is typical for Windows 11 installation media. The official guide sheds light on how this build can be used in Hyper-V to create Arm64 Virtual Machines (VMs) - though note that Arm64 VMs are incompatible with x86-64 hardware.
Microsoft recommends standard installation procedure - as you would with an x86-based system; either mount the ISO file as a virtual bootable disc or flash a USB drive with Rufus. This build will work fine out of the box for Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite equipped systems but you may need to install certain manufacturer-specific drivers manually. A word of caution; devices featuring older Snapdragon processors require drivers from the OEM to be injected into the ISO file as a direct installation might fail to boot or cause other unforeseen problems.
On the topic of Arm platforms and compatibility, we quickly tried to install the new Windows 11 ISO on a Raspberry Pi 5 4GB model. Sadly, it failed to boot from the ISO, but we are sure the Raspberry Pi community will already be dissecting the ISO, with a view to making it work on the Pi.
All in all, this is a step in the positive direction given that Arm is emerging as a significant threat to x86's dominance in the market. We're still yet to see other players step into the field like MediaTek, Nvidia, and AMD but that could change in the next couple of years. Overall, more competition is healthier for the market, and the consumers and drives innovation.
