Windows 11 Pro with Office 2021 Professional Plus
Version 24H2 Build 26100 · Microsoft Corporation · x64 bootable ISO · ranked #52 in the library
A combined installation image that puts the system and the office suite on a machine in one pass, with the firmware module requirement removed so it installs on hardware the standard media rejects.
Read the installation section below before you start. The order of the steps matters on this release.
About this release
Overview
This image saves the second half of a machine build. Instead of installing the system, rebooting, hunting down the suite installer and running it separately, both go on during the same setup pass and the machine reaches the desktop with the office applications already present and activated. On a rebuild of several machines that is an afternoon saved, and on a single machine it is one fewer thing to remember.
The compatibility check is the other reason this image exists. The standard media refuses to install on machines without the security module, without secure boot, or with a processor that fell off the supported list, even where the hardware runs the system perfectly well. Those checks are removed here, so a capable machine from a few generations back installs and runs normally rather than being told it is unsuitable.
The system side is the professional edition with everything that implies: drive encryption, group policy, remote desktop hosting, virtualisation and domain join. The suite side is the professional line-up including the database and layout applications. Every interface language is present in the image and selected at the first setup screen, and both halves are activated in the image rather than requiring a step afterwards.
What it does
Feature breakdown
System and suite in one pass
Both install during the same setup run, reaching the desktop with the office applications present and activated.
Firmware requirement checks removed
Installs on machines without the security module or secure boot, and on processors the standard media refuses.
Professional system edition
Drive encryption, group policy, remote desktop hosting, the native hypervisor and domain join, none of which the home edition offers.
Full professional office line-up
Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, Publisher and OneNote rather than a consumer subset.
Multilingual image
Every interface language present and chosen at the first setup screen for both the system and the suite.
Offline account setup
The out of box experience allows a local account without an online sign-in step.
Changed in this build
Version 24H2 Build 26100
- Servicing updates integrated for both halves so the machine starts close to current on first boot.
- Storage and network drivers slipstreamed for recent chipsets.
- Compatibility checks removed at the image level rather than by a registry edit during setup, so the install no longer stalls at the requirements screen.
- Preinstalled consumer applications removed from the image, cutting first boot time noticeably.
- Recovery environment refreshed alongside the main image.
Installation
Follow these in order
- Back up everything on the target machine, a clean install erases the system drive.
- Write the ISO to a USB stick of 16 GB or larger with a tool that handles UEFI boot.
- Boot from the stick through the firmware boot menu.
- Choose language and keyboard, then select custom install rather than upgrade.
- Delete the old system partitions and select the unallocated space.
- Complete setup choosing the offline account option, then verify both the system and an office application report as activated.
Release notes
From whoever packed it
- Verify the checksum before writing. This is a large image and a truncated download fails partway through expansion.
- Stay off the network during the out of box experience so the offline account option remains available.
- Feature updates can restore the requirement checks on unsupported hardware. Defer them if the machine is one of those.
System requirements
Minimum and recommended
| Processor | 1 GHz or faster with two or more cores, 64-bit, supported list not enforced |
|---|---|
| Memory | 4 GB minimum, 8 GB or more recommended |
| Storage | 64 GB minimum, 128 GB SSD or larger recommended |
| Graphics | DirectX 12 capable with a WDDM 2.0 driver |
| Firmware | UEFI preferred, security module and secure boot not required |
Questions about this release
Answered before you ask
- Does it really install without the security module?
- Yes, the checks are removed at the image level rather than worked around during setup.
- Which office generation is included?
- The perpetual professional release with dynamic arrays and the modern lookup functions in the spreadsheet application.
- Can I install just the system without the suite?
- Yes, the suite installation can be skipped at the prompt during first boot.
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