The possibility of running isolated and secure old software is provided in Windows 11.
Microsoft unveiled the ability to run Win32 apps in isolation for fast performance at the Build 2023 conference.
The Build 2023 conference by Microsoft is currently underway with the introduction of new features in Windows 11 and improvements to the Microsoft Store. Along with all of these, Microsoft has also announced improvements to Windows 11 for both public and commercial users, the most prominent of which is the ability to run Win32 apps in isolation for fast performance.
Microsoft is expected to release a preview of Win32 apps separately for Windows 11 customers tomorrow. As the name suggests, this feature allows users to run Win32 apps in an isolated environment so that they can be separated or, in other words, sandboxed from the rest of the operating system for greater security. For those users who are probably not familiar with the term sandbox, it refers to ‘a lightweight desktop environment for running programs in isolation’.
The main idea is to use the isolation capabilities of Windows 11 to run Win32 applications in an environment that does not have access to critical Windows components and subsystems. This ensures that if someone runs a Win32 program at risk in isolation, it will be very difficult for an attacker to bypass the sandbox and penetrate the rest of the system. This feature will be publicly available as a preview from tomorrow for all types of users.
Microsoft has also reminded corporate customers about the preview of Windows 365 boot. For those who are not familiar, Windows 365 boot allows devices under Windows 11 to directly enter a cloud computer instance instead of locally installing Windows. The second feature is Windows 365 switch, which integrates cloud personal computers into the Task View feature of Windows 11 virtual desktop. This feature will be useful for environments where hardware is shared among multiple people and IT departments do not need to configure separate hardware for each user.
New privacy features have been added that allow users to manage presence detection features such as wake on approach and lock when the user is absent. Another new feature of Windows 11 is displaying the VPN connection status in the taskbar, which shows a shield icon on the internet connection if you are connected to a trusted VPN. In addition, live captions for 10 other languages have been added to the new features of Windows 11.
All the aforementioned features that will be released tomorrow are part of the Moment 3 update for Windows 11. In June 2021 (about a month from now), Windows 11 will add a ‘show problem’ alert to the Start menu on the user account, which will display the reason for the issue in the operating system by clicking on the user profile.
Finally, Microsoft’s new collaboration with Samsung and Intel has led to support for Low Energy (LE) Bluetooth and advanced audio experiences for supported devices such as the ‘Galaxy Buds Pro’; however, users must be patient to have access to this feature as it is released with an unsecured preview update in May and gradually becomes available to more devices.
