All about Windows 10. What are Threshold1, Threshold2, and Redstone

A little over a year ago, I shared my research on versions of Windows 8.1 (and Windows Server 2012 R2). The material caused a heated discussion, which could have been even greater if it had not been for the limitations of this blog on the ability to comment on a note to users with a zero rating. Since my note was transferred from Habr to GT, where I myself could no longer comment on my article or make changes to it, I missed the point and did not add material for almost half a year. Now I want to start collecting information on assemblies of Windows 10 in a new note, of which there are already three according to some estimates, and four others. I plan to replenish this note with the release of Windows Server 2016 and Redstone1 builds of Windows 10.

First you need to understand - “Windows 10” is a long time, and this is not one OS, as it was before, but a lineup that the company will develop over the years. That is, in fact, behind the Windows 10 tablet, Microsoft is changing the OS kernels, offering new versions as global updates, which are not in the usual sense installed as an addition to the OS, but are put on top of it as a new OS. At the moment, there were two global versions of the OS - Threshold1 and Threshold2, now Redstone1 is in the process of active testing with a release date of late July 2016. There are different assemblies within the global version. The version of the currently installed OS is upgraded by installing updates from Windows Update. Some assemblies are released as separate images available for download and initial installation, while most are simply cumulative updates.

So, in July 2015, the RTM assembly of Windows 10 with the number 10240.16384.th1.150709-1700 was assembled. Images of this assembly 07/29/2015 appeared on MSDN / TechNet / VLSC. It could be downloaded from August using the Media Creation Tool . On the network, it is customary to call it Threshold1 or "version 1507, 10240".

In September 2015, assembly 10240.16393.th1_refresh.150909-1450, which included updates KB3081452 and KB3081455 , which Microsoft distributed as ESD images through the Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 update program through Windows Update , saw the light of day . Rare references to this assembly call it Threshold1 Refresh. ESD images of this assembly can still be downloaded from Microsoft and converted to ISO format with the simple ESD2ISO utility.

On November 12, 2015, the first global Threshold2 update or “version 1511, 10586” (November 2015) appears on MSDN / TechNet / VLSC with build number 10586.0.th2_release.151029-1700. It contains key changes to the Edge browser, Cortana voice assistant and key applications such as Photos, Video, Xbox ONE Assistant. The assembly is available to everyone using the Media Creation Tool .

In February 2016, a large cumulative update KB3135173 is released , which includes all previously released GDR updates for the global version of Threshold2 and update KB3135174for the original global version of Threshold1. The build number for updated Threshold2 images available from February 9, 2016 is 10586.104.th2_release.160128-1934 (some sources give a different version - 10586.103.th2_release.160126-1819), but I will believe the official statistics available on the Microsoft website . If you did not upgrade to Threshold2, but remained within the global version of Threshold1, then after updating 3135174 your OS version is 10.0.10240.16683.th1.160130-1842.

The February update Threshold2 Refresh, which is listed on MSDN as 10586.104.th2_release.160128-1934, is available through the Media Creation Tool in the form of ESD images that carry version 10586.0.th2_refresh.160212-2000 in their name. I don’t know what exactly the joke is in different names, but the files inside the ESD and MSDN images are exactly the same. Winver inside the OS reports version 10.0.10586.104.

At the time of writing this note, this is the latest version of Windows 10 available for download as an image, but installing any of Threshold 2 builds and running Windows Update, you will receive the March cumulative update KB3140768, which will raise the OS version to 10.0.10586.164. This is a regular update that comes out every month, I will not chase them in an article, you can see the version on your PC in the registry key HKLM \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ BuildLabEx

The next global update Redstone1 will appear at the end of July 2016 at the same time the release of Windows Server 2016. Its installation will essentially boot the ESD image with Windows Update and upgrade the current OS. Of course, the version will appear on both MSDN / TechNet / VLSC and the Media Creation Tool. I will try to make changes to the note if karma is positive, and does not put me back into read-only mode.

Update: May 23, 2016 on MSDN, Threshold2 Refresh images (Microsoft calls them Windows 10, Ver. 1511 Updated April 2016) are numbered 10586.164. Inside are the build files 10.0.10586.162.th2_release_sec.160223-17 28. Although the images were posted at the end of May, in fact they were collected at the end of February and will fix several critical vulnerabilities that could not be left open in the images. At the time of writing this Update (May 30, 2016), May cumulative updates are available that upgrade the TH2 version to 10586.318 - KB3156421 and TH1 to 10240.16854 - KB3156387

Update: July 18, 2016 the final version of the Redstone1 branch is available for Insider build subscribers: 14393.0.rs1_release.160715-1616, within a few days it switches from Slow first to Fast, why in the Release Preview the ring is available from August 2 through Windows Update.

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