We have arrived on the eve of the first public availability of the Windows 10 Creators Update in its final form. This milestone means the end of the full development cycle for the third major update for Windows 10 is here.
Originally known by its code name of Redstone 2 when the first testing builds were released in August of last year, the end of this development cycle means we are at the beginning of the next cycle and Microsoft wants you to make sure your systems are ready for the first Redstone 3 testing build.
Redstone 3 will be the fourth major update for Windows 10 and is expected this fall but no details have been revealed about what the new update will focus on or what the full feature set might include.
Microsoft has already been doing some initial work on Redstone 3 and according to Windows Insider Program lead Dona Sarkar this initial work is focused on preparing OneCore so that it is ready for team members to begin checking in new code for the update.
However, it is also important to make sure your testing system is properly prepared to receive the first Redstone 3 Fast Ring build when it is released.
Over the last few weeks many Windows Insiders have been upgrading more of their hardware to the Creators Update as the build reached its final state. That means Windows 10 systems that were not previously enrolled in the Windows Insider Program are sitting in the Fast, Slow or Release Preview Rings waiting for the next build release.
Since initial builds of Redstone 3 will likely be more unstable that means it is time to rethink what hardware you will initially test with the next feature update.
For example, during the early weeks of Redstone 2, I only tested the new builds on one physical device and a couple of virtual machines. Over the last few weeks, as the Redstone 2 builds have become more stable, I added two more of my physical systems to the Windows Insider Program. Heading into Redstone 3 I will only be testing using one physical device again to minimize disruptions and that means removing the other systems from Windows Insiders.
The process is very straight forward and this gallery will show you the steps necessary to remove a system from the Windows Insider Program.
