The new version of Windows 10 S is Microsoft's answer to the Chromebooks, which are popular in the West in schools and some organizations. A closed ecosystem gives certain advantages, such as increased security, but there are also disadvantages, such as a limited choice of applications.

Microsoft talked about the differences between this version of the operating system and others, but its information was not complete. ZDNet Portal Explorer Ed Bott undertook to conduct his own investigation into the features of Windows 10 S.

As it turned out, the system does not just work only with universal applications, but they can not be installed from outside the Windows Store. You can not download the installation file from other locations, so businesses can not use their own applications unless they are published in the store.

The same can be said for drivers that do not have to include non-Microsoft user interface components. A number of popular Windows components do not meet the requirements, as shown on this page. This includes such important tools as reg. Exe, regedt32. Exe, powershell. Exe and bash. Exe. The absence of the latter will not allow running Linux distributions in the system. Cmd does not work either. Exe.

Some product categories are not allowed, such as backup programs, disk utilities and third-party antiviruses. Users will have to be content with the Windows defender, who is perceived by many as not reliable enough.

Enterprise users will not get Active Directory, because for this you need to connect to a Windows domain, which Windows 10 S can not do. Alternatively, you can connect to Azure AD.

Earlier it was reported that you can not install a third-party browser.

Among the minuses of the system is the lack of official documentation about differences from other versions of Windows 10 and the reluctance to expose to the system in sources like MSDN.

Until the end of the year, you can go for free to Windows 10 Pro, then on Surface Laptop laptops you can return to Windows 10 S. You can also try to circumvent the limitations with virtualization.