Download Windows 11 Insider Preview 25381.1 (zn_release) AMD64 ISO: Complete Installation Guide, Windows 11 ISO Download

Microsoft has released three builds for Insider Preview, including Beta, Dev, and Canary. These come with some useful improvements, new features, optimizations, and performance improvements.

SMB Singing Requirements Changes

Starting with Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25381, all connections will now require SMG signing by default, which is a security improvement for Windows and Windows Server in today’s world. Previously, SMB signing was only required by default when connecting to shares named SYSVOL and NETLOGON and when Active Directory domain controllers required SMB signing for any client to connect to them.

All versions of Windows and Windows Server support SMB signing, but third-party servers may disable or not support this feature. If you connect via a third-party SMB server that does not support SMB signing, you may encounter the following error message:

• 0xc000a000
• -1073700864
• STATUS_INVALID_SIGNATURE
• The cryptographic signature is invalid.

To fix these problems, use a third-party SMB Server that supports SMB signing. Don’t turn off SMB Signing in Windows or use SMB1 to get around this issue because SMB1 supports signing but doesn’t require it. If you use an SMB device that doesn’t support signing, it can allow interception and relay attacks from malicious parties. SMB signing might make SMB copy operations slower, but you can improve this by using more physical or virtual CPU cores, as well as newer and faster CPUs.

To disable SMB Signing in Server on Windows 11 Insider Previews Build 25381 and higher with Enterprise edition, follow these steps:

1. Open PowerShell Command as Admin.
2. Run this command: “Set-SmbServerConfiguration -RequireSecuritySignature $false.”
3. You’re done! Rebooting is not required, but existing SMB connections will still use signing until they are closed.

Dev Home app System Performance Widgets

Dev Home Widgets allow you to monitor your computer’s performance, including CPU, GPU, System Memory, and Network. These widgets are currently in Preview and designed for developers, but they also include widgets for system monitoring. You must install the Dev Home app from the Microsoft Store to get these widgets.

You can pin the widgets to the Dev Home app’s dashboard, which is useful for monitoring your computer’s system resources, especially if your computer is experiencing a slowdown. Although the information is also available in Task Manager, having it on the widget panel can be more convenient.

How to Enable System Performance Widgets in Windows 11 Dev Home

• Download the Dev Home app from the Microsoft Store and open it once installed.
• Open the Windows 11 widget panel by pressing the hotkey Windows + W, then click the “+” button.
• Select Dev Home and choose the widgets that you want to add.
• Click “Add” and choose the widgets you want to add to your widget board. You can move them around and resize them as needed.

Task Manager is a powerful tool that can be used to monitor your system’s performance, but opening it can be cumbersome. Windows 11 provides a more convenient way to monitor your system’s performance through the System monitoring widgets. The CPU performance widget displays the top three active processes and a button to end unresponsive processes. This data is useful for users who want to check the status of their PCs, especially if they perform demanding tasks such as gaming or video editing.

This feature can help you stop tasks that are slowing down your computer or have stopped working altogether. In Windows 11, you can also access this feature from the taskbar. Getting to the feature through the Task Manager may be tricky, but the system monitoring widgets are a nice added touch. You can open the widgets by clicking on a button on the taskbar or using a touch gesture. The widgets expand into a sidebar that you can adjust to the size that suits you best. This feature is designed to give you a seamless and adaptable experience that adjusts to your device’s display settings, whether using a dark or light mode or changing the device’s orientation.

How to View Phone Photos on Your Desktop with the “Add Phone Photos” Feature

The new build of Windows comes with a revamped File Explorer that includes a Photo Gallery feature. This new feature allows you to add your phone photos to the gallery with a button in File Explorer titled “Add Phone Photos.”

To use this feature, you must scan a QR code with your phone. Once you have scanned the QR code, you can view your phone’s photos in File Explorer. However, this feature is not available to all users.

In addition to the Photo Gallery feature, Microsoft has added the ability to pop out of Windows, similar to a web browser. They have also fixed several bugs and added other features to this preview build.

How to view phone photos in File Explorer

• Open File Explorer and click on the Command Bar. Then click on the “Add Phone Photos” button.
• A QR code will appear. Open the Phone Link app on your phone.
• Scan the QR code with your phone. Your phone’s photos will appear in File Explorer.

Make sure you have a Microsoft account to use this feature. Your Android device must be running Android 8.1 or higher. Also, ensure you have enabled your phone’s “Link to Windows” feature. Note that photos stored in the cloud, such as Google Photos or iCloud, will not be displayed.

To use the new “Add Phone Photos” feature, you may need to opt into OneDrive’s Insider Program in the app’s settings.

Paint Get Dark Mode

Microsoft Paint now has Dark Mode support, which helps users who prefer a darker background to reduce eye strain and battery consumption. The new design and user experience revamp include modern and rounded looks while maintaining its basic functionality. Paint also incorporates some improvements, such as a new settings panel, more flexible and precise zoom controls, updated dialog boxes for brush, color picker, or crop and rotate options, and improved support for accessibility.

This new dark mode is slightly different from the version Microsoft promised and pulled back in August 2021. It is slightly darker, and the app makes wider use of the Mica Material that picks a subtle color tint from your desktop wallpaper. Like other Microsoft apps, Microsoft Paint supports Dark Mode. Microsoft planned to remove Paint from Windows 10 and replace it with 3D Paint, a modernized version intended to replace the traditional Windows Paint app.

How to Enable Dark Mode in MS Paint

Follow these steps to enable Dark Mode in Paint:

1. Open Paint by clicking on the Paint icon in your Windows menu.
2. Click on the Settings icon in the upper-right corner, below the close button.
3. In the side panel, select “Color and theme.”
4. Choose “Dark,” “Light,” or “System default” from the drop-down menu depending on your preference or overall Windows 11 theme.

Alternatively, you can install a third-party mode called Dark Paint to enable Dark Mode in Paint.

This is only available to Windows 11 Insider users in the Canary and Dev channels. By default, your Paint will adopt your system theme preference. Several improvements includeg Zoom Mode, updated dialogs that match the Windows 11 design principles, and improved accessibility shortcuts. Unfortunately, there is still no option for layers in Paint.

The new Zoom Control feature gives users more flexibility and control over viewing their content on the canvas. The new “Fit to Screen” option quickly optimizes zoom to match your Windows size. Access keys and keyboard shortcuts have also been improved for better accessibility and productivity with the keyboard.

Download Windows 11 Insider Preview 25381.1.230526-1341 (zn_release) AMD64

If you prefer clean installation or manual upgrading, then you can download the ISO Package, and installation guide mentioned down below.

This is an AMD64 based on the x64 architecture, which is the most-preferred architecture for Windows 11 PCs.

Download ISO from Microsoft Insider Preview Download Page

Here is the guide if you prefer to download the ISO file from the official Microsoft Site.

• Open the Microsoft Insider Preview page, and scroll down to Select Edition.
• Choose Build from the drop-down menu.
• Then select the language and then click on continue.
• After that, click on 64-bit; that’s it.

How to install Windows 11? 

Here are some pre-requirements to check before installing Windows 11 on your PC.

• Registered for Windows 11 Dev.
• Download and install WinRAR.
• Please check Windows 11 requirements here; if this error cannot be fixed, please refer to the troubleshooting guide here.
• Keep a backup of all critical documents, data, and apps.
• One compact flash drive (USB).

How to Create a Bootable Windows Insider Preview-Windows 11 Drive

• After downloading the Windows 11 ISO, navigate to the download folder.
• Once connected to a PC, conduct a FAT32 format on your Pendrive (DOS 11 Bootable Pendrive)
• Pick Extract from the right-click menu on the Windows 11 ISO file, and then select the USB Flash Drive.
• Once the extraction process is complete, you may perform a Windows upgrade.
• It’s completed!

How to Install Windows 11 on your Computer

• After shutting down your computer, perform a boot-up.
• After turning on the computer, press the Boot key (HP laptop: Esc, Asus: F12; check the internet for the boot key as it appears at the beginning of the PC boot up) to start it (HP laptop: Esc, Asus: F12; check the internet for the boot key as it appears at the beginning of the PC boot up).
• After selecting your USB Flash Drive, follow the on-screen instructions.
• Please click Next if you do not have the product key.
• Select Custom, select Drive 0 (Or the C drive partition) as the partition type and then click Format/Next to install Windows 11 according to your choices.
• It eventually restarted. Now you can remove the USB drive.
• Following that, Windows 11 will begin to boot on your computer. Now all that remains is for you to create an account.
• That is all!