MARCH 2021 PCWorld 19The leaked build, version
20279, can be run only under
one of Microsoft’s Hyper-V
virtual machines for right now.
While a virtual machine allows
the OS to be isolated, or
sandboxed, away from the rest
of the operating system, the
tradeoff is speed. Windows
10X ran extremely slowly on a
VM on a Surface Laptop 3, as
you should expect from a
beta-build run on a virtual
machine.
Remember, you probably
won’t have an opportunity to
download and install Windows 10X yourself.
The OS is expected to be shipped
preinstalled on low-cost PCs, most of which
would presumably be
designed for education or
corporate environments.
STARTING UP
WINDOWS 10X
The theme of simplicity begins
with the setup experience.
There’s no Cortana to assist
you. Windows 10X opens with
a brief flourish of the Windows
logo before getting right to it.
If you’re a fan of local
accounts, don’t buy a system
with Windows 10X—the OS
asked for a Microsoft account and wouldn’t
take no for an answer. You do have the option
of specifying whether Windows 10X will beWindows 10X allows you to choose whether the PC will be used for
home or business.Some of the privacy options Windows 10X allows.