One major challenge with Windows on Arm has been compatibility with x86-based apps and games. Microsoft’s new Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27744 addresses this with an updated Prism emulator for Arm PCs, adding support for more CPU extensions, including AVX, AVX2, BMI, FMA, and F16C. As a result, applications like Adobe Premiere Pro 2025 and games like Starfield and Helldivers 2 can now run on Arm PCs.
Windows devices powered by Arm chips, such as those with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus SoCs, will now support a wider range of legacy applications and games that lack native ARM64 versions.
Additionally, the updated Insider Preview Build introduces an on-screen gamepad keyboard, allowing users to navigate and type within Windows 11—an especially useful feature for gaming handhelds and touchscreen devices.
Other updates in Build 27744 include the ability to detach hard drives through the Settings app, Task Manager enhancements, and several bug fixes.
Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27744 Changelog:
General
- Resolved an issue causing display problems or GPU errors on some Insiders’ PCs with older NVIDIA GPUs (e.g., GTX 970, Quadro K620), where screens would become black and unresponsive.
Input
- Fixed issues with the Emoji Panel and Clipboard History not opening on certain screens, such as in Registry Editor.
- Addressed a problem where clipboard history might fail to display copied items.
Windows Sandbox
- Corrected a performance issue affecting Windows Sandbox for some Insiders after recent updates.
Graphics
- Fixed an issue where dynamic refresh rate would be stuck at 60Hz on the first boot.
Other
- Resolved a bug causing a PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA error starting in Build 27723.
- Fixed a remote desktop connection crash issue (mstsc.exe) from the previous update.
- Addressed an issue with msmpeg2vdec.dll that caused some apps to crash.
- Corrected an issue where JPG rotation information couldn’t be queried via APIs (e.g., PowerShell).
- Fixed a problem where the Get-WindowsCapability command would occasionally fail until the PC was rebooted.
- Resolved an issue where mica effects wouldn’t display properly when using a slideshow for the desktop background.
- Fixed a bug causing some apps to not detect connected scanners.