Microsoft Updates Windows 11 Evaluation Virtual Machine Page with Temporary Removal of Some Versions
TapTechNews July 4th, Microsoft updated the page used to download the official Windows 11 evaluation virtual machine (also known as Windows development environment). According to the update, due to 'ongoing technical issues', some currently available virtual machines will be temporarily removed from the shelves, and the affected virtual machines are versions made for Parallels (macOS) and VMware (cross-platform).
Here is the message released by Microsoft: '
'Due to ongoing technical issues, the download links for VMware and Parallels will be temporarily unavailable starting from July 15, 2024.'
According to TapTechNews' understanding, The Windows development environment virtual machine offers four versions: VMware, Hyper-V Gen2, Parallels Desktop, and VirtualBox. Microsoft usually updates the official virtual machine monthly after releasing the Patch Tuesday update. However, for some reason, Microsoft skipped the June update, resulting in the latest Windows development environment virtual machine version remaining at version 2404.
Even though the 2404 version of the virtual machine for VMware and Parallels can still be downloaded currently, this version has a 'time bomb' set with an expiration date of July 15, 2024. This means that after that date, Windows 11 will start constantly reminding users to activate the system. Since Windows development environment cannot be activated even with a genuine key, users will need to wait for Microsoft to release a fixed version for VMware or Parallels, or temporarily switch to other virtualization software.
It should be noted that Microsoft recently confirmed that there are problems when Windows 11 runs on ARM architecture Macs. Affected users will receive the message of 'Windows 11 version 23H2 ARM64-based systems cumulative update (KB5037853) installation error - 0x800f0845' when running Windows 11 in Parallels or other software.
Users can download the official Windows 11 virtual machine on the Microsoft official website, and each virtual machine contains a copy of Windows 11 Enterprise Edition and a complete set of development tools for making Windows applications, such as Visual Studio, Windows Subsystem for Linux, Terminal, Developer Mode, etc.