Get Windows 10 Creators Update Now

Wayne Williams shows you how to take Windows 10 Creators Update for an early test drive and what to try when you’ve got it.

- Wayne Williams

There have been two major updates to Windows 10 since it launched in 2015 – the November Update, which came a few months after launch, and the Anniversary Update, which arrived last autumn. Both added lots of new features and improvements to the operating system.

Due sometime this spring, the third big update, called the Creators Update (also known as Redstone 2), promises many changes and additions, including 3D creation tools, advanced Cortana functionality, an improved update process, better security and more. The good news is that it’s possible to try many of the imminent new features now. Here’s how.

Before you start

The Creators Update isn’t finished yet – there’s still months of development to go – but Windows Insiders have been trying out its new tools for a while. Build 14986 is one of the most recent releases and has been pushed out to the Insider Preview Slow ring, meaning it’s a lot less risky than the usual Fast-ring-only releases. More importantly, it’s also been released as an ISO image. This can be used to create a clean install of Windows 10 Creators Update on a spare PC or installed in a virtualized environment using VirtualBox (www.virtualbox.org). We’ll show you how to download it in our Mini Workshop, opposite, and how to run it in VirtualBox in our Mini Workshop on page 61.

You can, if you prefer, install it on your main PC, but this isn’t something we would recommend because it’s still having bugs and problems ironed out. Also, if you change your mind about being on the Windows Insider programme and want to return to your previous (stable) version, you’ll need to reinstall Windows from your original installation media.