- Windows 11 has a new preview built out for testers
- It introduces a useful feature to recover after boot -error
- There is also the start of the work of testing on a PC migration ability
Windows 11 has a new preview release that packs some important features, including a new method of recovering a PC that does not start up at all.
This is Preview Build 26200.5622 in the DEV channel, and it brings an ability called Quick Machine Recovery (or QMR) that Microsoft has talked about in the past (it was revealed back on Ignite 2024, actually).
The idea is that you flick the switch to turn on QMR in the Settings app and if your PC is unable to start in the future, Windows 11 will try to automatically solve the problem of “Device Reconstruction Solutions.”
It will do this via the Windows Recovery environment (known as Winre for short), from which the non -biotable PC can connect the local network, and Microsoft can analyze diagnostic data to determine the problem and (hopefully) pipe through a patch to resolve the error.
The possible goal is to activate this by default on all Windows 11 at home -PCs, although it works differently for business units (where the administrators will control the functionality).
Another major feature of this build is the start of the roll-out of a new PC-to-PC migration feature for Windows 11. This is just the initial gears for the machines set in place, mind, and all you want to see is a landing and mating page in the Backup app for Windows 11 for now.
But this functionality comes and it allows you to transfer all your files and settings from your current Windows 11 PC to a new one (during the installation process of this machine) easily.
A new option for telephone link users is the introduction of the ability to mirror your Android phone screen with a single click of an icon in the start menu. It could prove a very useful shortcut for some people.
There is also another change for the Widgets Board, where Microsoft has implemented a navigation line on the left so you can switch between a choice of dashboards. It includes a dedicated widgets table or other choices such as a sports feed or game, etc.
Finally, for those with a Copilot+ PC, there is a new opportunity to click to do, Bank of Context-Sensitive Shortcuts to various AI-related abilities. This is ‘draft with copilot in words’ that can be invoked with any selected text, and causes copilot to prepare something that is longer on that choice.
Analysis: Make Life easier
This is a promising building in terms of making things easier for Windows 11 users who are at a more novice level with their computer skills.
While hardened PC enthusiasts may not seem to create a new PC and use all their favorite settings together with installing their favorite apps, less technical-savvy can struggle to get their house in order in this regard. PC-to-PC migration facility in the backup apps sounds like it could be a good solution for these people.
Similarly, a PC that does not start is a nightmare for beginners and actually scary for even more knowledgeable Windows 11 users. So, with its automated solution finding analysis of boot problems, QMR should be a significant step forward in troubleshooting PCs that don’t even reach the desk. Of course, it will live or die from the quality and accuracy of its troubleshooting skills, which still needs to be seen.
The second catch is that it is still early days for both of these key features, but now they are officially in testing, we know they are in -depth – and I do not see that Microsoft drops them before release, these additions are just too important.
So it’s just a matter of time before we see them arriving, maybe even in Windows 11 25h2 later in the year, despite hints that this may be a more modest annual update.
