About this release
This is the current feature update of the professional edition with the office suite folded into the same image. The point of the combination is the time it saves on a fresh build. Instead of installing the system, waiting through the first update pass, then installing an office suite and waiting again, the machine comes up on its first desktop with the word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, mail and database applications already present and ready to open.
The professional edition brings the features worth having on a machine you actually work on. Full disk encryption, remote desktop as a host rather than only a client, the hypervisor for virtual machines, group policy for genuine configuration control, and domain join for machines that need to sit on a managed network. None of that exists in the home edition, and none of it can be added later without a full reinstall.
The firmware security module requirement has been removed from the setup path, which is the practical reason a lot of people take an image like this. Machines that are perfectly capable of running the system but were built before that requirement existed will install without the compatibility check stopping them partway through. Everything else about the image is standard, it writes to a USB stick with the usual tools, boots on both firmware paths, and can also be run from inside an existing installation as an upgrade.
What it does
- Professional edition of the current feature update with nothing removed
- Office suite included in the same image and installed during setup
- Setup completes without prompting for a product key
- Firmware security module requirement removed from the compatibility check
- Full disk encryption with hardware or password unlock
- Remote desktop host, hypervisor, group policy and domain join available
- Thirty eight setup and display languages included
- Boots on both legacy and modern firmware paths
- Full recovery environment and reset options intact
- Runs as an in place upgrade from inside an existing installation
Changes in this version
- Rolled up servicing stack so the first update pass is much shorter
- Updated driver set for current storage and network controllers
- Office component refreshed to the current servicing baseline
- Fixed a setup hang on machines with several attached drives
- Improved behaviour on systems mixing NVMe and SATA storage
What the package contains
- Bootable combined installation image
- Office suite payload integrated into the image
- All setup and display languages
- Full recovery environment
- Readme with the install order written out step by step
Installation notes
Follow these in order. Most reports of a failed install come from skipping a step rather than from the package itself.
- Back up everything you care about, a clean install wipes the target partition.
- Write the image to a USB stick of 16 GB or larger with your preferred imaging tool.
- Boot from the stick, choosing the modern firmware entry on a current machine.
- Pick your language, then choose custom install for a clean setup.
- Delete the old system partitions if you are wiping, then select the free space.
- Let setup run through its restarts, and leave the machine alone for a few minutes after the first desktop appears.
System requirements
| Processor | 1 GHz or faster 64-bit processor with two or more cores |
| Memory | 4 GB minimum, 8 GB or more recommended |
| Graphics | DirectX 12 capable with WDDM 2.0 driver |
| Storage | 64 GB minimum, 128 GB or more recommended |
| Firmware | Legacy or modern firmware, security module not required |
| Display | 1280 by 720 minimum, nine inches or larger |
Things worth knowing
- Stay off the network during setup so the out of box experience does not insist on an account sign in step.
- The office component finishes registering in the background after the first desktop, give it a few minutes before opening anything.
- Chipset and graphics drivers should still come from your hardware maker rather than the generic set in the image.
Questions about this title
Which office applications are included?
Does it really install without the security module?
Can I upgrade in place instead of wiping?
Will it stay activated through updates?
What people are saying
Machine from before the security module requirement installed without a single complaint. That is why I use this image.
System and office in one pass. Saves the better part of an hour on every build.
Setup picked the right disk on a machine with three of them. Previous images did not.
Listing information
This entry is catalogued under Operating Systems and carries the tags below. Language coverage is Multilingual, 38 setup languages, and the supported platform list is Bootable installation image. Version 25H2 build 26200.1742 is the current catalogued build, last checked 3 days ago, and the entry has been in the index since it was added 1 year ago.