Solved 21H2 ISO - Official Name?

Hi, for those of you who downloaded the official 21H2 iso from MS in the past instead of upgrading from win10, may i ask :
"Win11_EnglishInternational_x64.iso" was this the official name of the file?

Thanks in advance.

Magnus7 said:

Hi, for those of you who downloaded the official 21H2 iso from MS in the past instead of upgrading from win10, may i ask :
"Win11_EnglishInternational_x64.iso" was this the official name of the file?

Thanks in advance.

Click to expand...

All downloads have similar names so you cannot specifically relate name to a build but I think they are incremented by 1 for each subsequent build now.

22h2 is Win11_22H2_English_x64v2
23H2 is Win11_23H2_English_x64v2
if you downlaoded direct from official MS page for options x64 systems. i was asking was the 21H2 named "Win11_EnglishInternational_x64.iso" for x64 systems

Was this the official original name of the file?

the public download without logging in

The filename for the original W11 21H2 ISO (from the Windows ISO download site):
Win11_English_x64.iso

Afterwards, MS released an updated version (a few months later):
Win11_English_x64v1.iso

Of course "English" = English (US). "EnglishInternational" = English (GB), or everyone not from the US.

MS has done the same with other W10 & 11 releases:
Win10_22H2_English_x64v1.iso
Win11_22H2_English_x64v2.iso
Win11_23H2_English_x64.iso
Win11_23H2_English_x64v2.iso
Win11_English_x64v1.iso

When the v1 or v2 versions were released, the previous ISO's are removed from the Windows ISO site. MS wants to make sure users are using the updated builds, instead of the original RTM builds.

thank you very much Garlin, i wanted to know that.
so the October 6 2021, 5.1gb one is which? do you happen to know? v1?

22000.194 (Sep 21) is Win11_English_x64.iso
22000.318 (Nov 21) is Win11_English_x64v1.iso

A couple of things, one is the Win11 Life Cycle and the other is no 32-bit/x86 version.
My current RTM [as of Patch Tuesday today] is 23H2 Build 22631.4169, both Home and Pro.

RTM (Release To Manufacturing) is a term reserved for the first official public release.
GA (General Availability) is an alternate term for the first release, but sometimes it might be one month later than RTM (as the first patch update).

Both are fixed milestones, even if there are later versions of the same Windows.

Windows can be provided as ISO files, or downloaded as ESD images (via Media Creation Tool). Media Creation Tool will convert the ESD into ISO format for you. ISO's and ESD's do not have to match in build versions, and frequently don't.

You can use the term the current "servicing level" for 23H2, as 22631.4169. Servicing level is a synonym for patch level. The build number increments every time a Monthly CU or Monthly Preview CU is released.

For retail customers, MS does not constantly re-release the ISO or ESD. You're expected to download the last available one, and run Windows Update to bring it up to the latest patch level. Whether you have .194 or .318, it will be updated. The only time the ISO version matters is if you're one of those people who insist on never updating their Windows, and actively block Windows Update from doing its job.

True, more involved answer than mine. I also still have a Windows 7 computer along with Windows 10 and Windows 11 plus Linux Mint on a KVM.

If you need a specific build for compatibility with older computer (rather rare, newer builds of the same version should also work), you may keep a copy of the ISO. I keep a copy of at least two older versions, just in case. Once I see that the new ISO can be used everywhere I want, I delete the oldest version. For example, I have kept Windows 10 1607, 1809, 1909, just in case the latest 22H2 version doesn't work on an older computer.

thank you everyone, for all the info.
Actually, i wanted to collect both the isos for sake of completeness or in case i wanted to test something in future. i found these two torrents; one of each, what do you think-legit? they are from Internet Archive :-

Win11_English_x64v1.torrent
win-11-english-x-64_202111.torrent

Magnus7 said:

thank you everyone, for all the info.
Actually, i wanted to collect both the isos for sake of completeness or in case i wanted to test something in future. i found these two torrents; one of each, what do you think-legit? they are from Internet Archive :-

Win11_English_x64v1.torrent
win-11-english-x-64_202111.torrent

Click to expand...

By definition of they are not from MS, they are not legitimate. You always have to wonder if these isos have been tampered with.

Legit isos also have a filehash that you can use to check iso from MS have not been altered.

As I said, I would keep an ISO of each version, 21H2, 22H2 and 23H2 for compatibility reasons. The specific build number should make no difference. For the record, if you plan to install Windows 11 on unsupported computers, 21H2 and 22H2 can be installed by simply bypassing compatibility check. 23H2 requires to also disconnect from the internet before upgrading from Windows 10 or earlier Windows 11 version, otherwise it might fail. Stay offline until you confirm in System->Info->About that you have successfully upgraded to 23H2. If you run a late build of 22H2 (not the first), you can also install 23H2 Enablement Package to switch to 23H2 in a couple of minutes without compatibility check. Ideal to upgrade your relatives or friends computers remotely as it is not required to disconnect from the internet. Also ideal to upgrade a computer with no sufficient free hard disk space for a proper upgrade. The good old method of hybrid Windows 10/11 USB flash drive works only in Legacy BIOS mode (MBR) in 23H2. It fails in UEFI mode. To create this hybrid USB, simply create a standard Windows 10 USB with Rufus (remember to select MBR) and then replace the file sources\install.wim (or sources\install.esd) with the respective file from Windows 11 ISO. Replacing a .wim file with an .esd or vice versa also works. This essentially uses Windows 10 Setup that has absolutely no compatibility check to install Windows 11.

Do you mean this one?


Windows 11 21H2 Sun Valley Build 22000.194 English 64-bit

Win11_English_x64.iso
SHA256: 667bd113a4deb717bc49251e7bdc9f09c2db4577481ddfbce376436beb9d1d2f
SHA1: 849971ba1ddef294be2a79233edcf56b4e6991b0
also known as
en-us_windows_11_consumer_editions_x64_dvd_bd3cf8df.iso

Thank you everyone for further comments and info.

Just out of curiosity, why do you want the first edition of 21H2, aka RTM? Any version of the ISO should work.

cereberus said:

Legit isos also have a filehash that you can use to check iso from MS have not been altered.

Click to expand...

Indeed.

A good idea is to save / note the filehash together with the iso. For instance in a txt file, alongside the iso file. This will disappear from the download page once a new release is out.

If you later need the old iso, you can re-check and remember it is the legit release. Or if you copy the iso to some other place, check the filehash and the checksum of the copied iso, to make sure all is intact. It will also help against copy-errors, that might happen in rare cases.