How To: Prepare for Redstone 2 Builds as a Windows Insider

Now that we have arrived at the end of the first week with the general availability of the Windows 10 Anniversary Update I can already see Windows Insiders on social media asking when the first Redstone 2 build, which is expected early next year, will get pushed out to testers.

In fact, we now know that Microsoft plans to release two major updates during 2017 thanks to this blog post for IT Pros:

"Based on feedback from organizations moving to Windows 10, this will be our last feature update for 2016, with two additional feature updates expected in 2017."

We have been in a dry spell when it comes to new builds flowing out of Redmond however, since build 14393 was released on 18 July, there has been no reason for new builds as we eventually learned that 14393 was the final build for the Anniversary Update.

We know that under the new Windows Insider boss, Dona Sarkar, the hustling of builds for testers has been real so a slow down like this is weird but a good pause.

I imagine many Insiders have already installed the Anniversary Update on their systems this week and we know that Microsoft is already working internally towards that first Redstone 2 build release that is expected to happen in the next few weeks.

So what should Windows Insiders do so they are ready on the day that first Redstone 2 build gets released?

First, on any system that you will use for testing Redstone 2 make 100% sure it is currently enrolled in the Fast Ring by going to Windows Settings>Update & security>Windows Insider Program and clicking/tapping the Get Started button.

Once you do that follow the dialog boxes and restart your system when prompted to. Then, once your system has restarted, come back to this settings page and verify that your system is listed under Fast Ring.

Now that you are ready for the Fast Ring your system will get provisioned by Microsoft in the next couple of days and that means your system will be eligible to grab that first Redstone 2 build right away once it is released.

If you have ever tried to get into the Fast Ring on the day a new build is released you know it is not an immediate thing so by enrolling now you will not experience any delays like that.

Just as a friendly reminder when it comes to picking which systems you will enroll into the Windows Insider Program - only use non-critical systems as there is a risk of bugs and other issues in these early days of testing Redstone 2.

Plus - always have a backup of your important data no matter what.

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