Computers powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon X Arm chips have been on sale for several months now, but until now Microsoft hasn’t offered an easy option to download an ISO image of the system like it does for devices with x86 processors. Now such an opportunity has arisen.
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Windows has been supporting work on the Arm architecture for several years now, but the corresponding version of the system has not yet been available in the form of a ready-to-install image. Owners of such computers had to register in the Windows Insider program and use virtual disk images. In October, Microsoft promised to release Windows 11 for computers with Arm processors and has now delivered on that promise.
Image source: microsoft.com
An image for Arm computers has appeared in the Windows 11 download section, and its size is 5 GB. To operate this version of the system, you need a PC with the appropriate chip, for example, Snapdragon X. Not every laptop on this chip has a system recovery image, so the owners of these computers will appreciate the presence of such an option. The Snapdragon X series processors are supported by this ISO out of the box, so the platform should install without unnecessary complications. But for the system to function fully, you will have to download and install additional drivers. Owners of machines with older Snapdragon chips will have to add support for them to the system image.
Earlier it became known that Nvidia is preparing its own PC platform – the chip will have an Arm processor and “green” graphics. Devices on this platform will also require an Arm version of Windows image.