Windows 10: Introducing x64 emulation in preview for Windows 10 on ARM PCs

Brink · Dec 10, 2020

Today, weâre releasing the first preview of x64 emulation for ARM64 devices to Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel starting with the Build 21277. It can be installed on Windows 10 on ARM PCs by following the instructions as explained in this blog post.

When we first launched Windows 10 on ARM in late 2017, the long tail of apps customers needed were dominated by 32-bit-only x86 applications, so we focused our efforts on building an x86 emulator that could run the broad ecosystem of Windows apps seamlessly and transparently. Over time, the ecosystem has moved more toward 64-bit-only x64 apps and weâve heard the feedback that customers would like to see those x64 apps running on ARM64. Thatâs why we are working on expanding the capability of our emulation to include x64 applications and sharing this first preview to gather feedback.

While weâre expanding the capabilities of our emulator, for the best possible experience we recommend developers support their apps natively on ARM64. ARM64 apps are fully supported in our Windows SDK and Visual Studio 2017 onwards, and we encourage our developers to recompile their apps for ARM64.

In this preview, you can install x64 apps from the Microsoft Store or from any other location of your choosing. You can try key x64-only productivity apps like Autodesk Sketchbook, as well as games like Rocket League. Other apps, like Chrome, which run today on ARM64 as 32-bit apps, can run as 64-bit using the new x64 emulation capability. These apps may benefit from having more memory when run as 64-bit emulated apps.

In the spirit of the Dev Channel, this capability is still in development and will continue to improve in both compatibility and performance over time, so some of the apps you try running in emulation may not work initially. As you test and try the build, share your feedback with us on the experience in Windows Feedback Hub by using the subcategory x64 Apps on ARM. Your feedback will play a key role in ensuring we are aware of the scenarios most important to you so we can focus on refining them as we provide updates in the coming months.

For the best app performance, please install a preview version of the Qualcomm Adreno graphics driver from the following locations:

Samsung Galaxy Book S: https://aka.ms/x64previewdriver

Lenovo Flex 5G: https://aka.ms/x64previewdriver

Surface Pro X: https://aka.ms/x64previewdriverprox

Additionally, to support running both ARM64 and x64 C++ applications at the same time, please install a preview version of the ARM64 C++ redistributable from https://aka.ms/arm64previewredist. These steps will not be required in future Insider Preview builds.

With developers increasingly supporting ARM64 apps natively, emulating x64 apps is an important step in our journey with Windows 10 on ARM. Through working with Qualcomm Technologies, Windows 10 on ARM PCs continue to deliver incredible battery life, connectivity capabilities with 4G LTE and 5G, and immersive experiences with AI acceleration, pen and touch capabilities â all features we believe to be more essential as we work, learn, and connect from home and other remote locations.

From the unveiling of new Windows 10 on ARM devices like the Acer Spin 7, the Lenovo Flex 5G and the new Surface Pro X, to the announcement of compatibility on ARM through App Assure, the releases of ARM64-native Microsoft Teams, a fully optimized browsing experience with native Microsoft Edge, to the OpenGL/OpenCL compatibility layer, and the beta version of ARM64-native Photoshop as well as ARM64-native Adobe Lightroom that was released this week â we are committed to listening to customer feedback to ensure Windows 10 on ARM provides a great customer experience.

We look forward to the feedback from our Windows Insider community. If youâd like to try the emulation preview and are not yet part of the Windows Insider Program you can join here.
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Source: https://blogs.windows.com/windows-in...sider-program/

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BaRRaKudaRain · Dec 10, 2020

Feature Request: Hyper-V ARM Emulation?

So, Windows 10 ARM have been released not so long ago. Windows 10 is supporting 3 types of architecture x86/x64/ARM. Hyper-V can emulate only x86 and x64. I want to test Windows 10 ARM image, but I can't do this using official Microsoft virtual machine.
So, I want to Microsoft added the ability to create ARM virtual machines in the Hyper-V

P.S Sorry for my bad English.

mt_live · Dec 10, 2020

PC emulator on Windows Phone

Since Microsoft haven't introduced C++ native SDK for Windows Phone 7 is there any C# PC emulator ?

QEMU is a PC emulator in C++ and has benn ported on Windows Mobile.

But I wish to buy a Windows Phone device.

You can vote for this suggestion here:

http://wpdev.uservoice.com/forums/110705-app-platform/suggestions/2305357-pc-emulator-on-windows

But when it will be available?

Brink · Dec 10, 2020

Limitations of apps and experiences of Windows 10 on ARM

Windows 10 on ARM has the following necessary limitations:

Only ARM64 drivers are supported. As with all architectures, kernel-mode drivers, User-Mode Driver Framework (UMDF) drivers, and print drivers must be compiled to match the architecture of the OS. While ARM OS has the capabilities to emulate x86 user-mode apps, drivers implemented for other architectures (such as x64 or x86) are not currently emulated and thus not supported on this platform. Any app that works with its own custom driver would need to be ported to ARM64. In limited scenarios, the app may run as x86 under emulation but the driver portion of the app must be ported to ARM64. For more info about compiling your driver for ARM64, see Building ARM64 Drivers with the WDK.

x64 apps are not supported. Windows 10 on ARM does not support emulation of x64 apps.

Certain games don’t work. Games and apps that use a version of OpenGL later than 1.1 or that require hardware-accelerated OpenGL don’t work. In addition, games that rely on "anti-cheat" drivers are not supported on this platform.

Apps that customize the Windows experience may not work correctly. Native OS components cannot load non-native components. Examples of apps that commonly do this include some input method editors (IMEs), assistive technologies, and cloud storage apps. IMEs and assistive technologies often to hook into the input stack for much of their app functionality. Cloud storage apps commonly use shell extensions (for example, icons in Explorer and additions to right-click menus); their shell extensions may fail, and if the failure is not handled gracefully, the app itself may not work at all.

Apps that assume that all ARM-based devices are running a mobile version of Windows may not work correctly. Apps that make this assumption may appear in the wrong orientation, present unexpected UI layout or rendering, or failing to start altogether when they attempt to invoke mobile-only APIs without first testing the contract availability.

The Windows Hypervisor Platform is not supported on ARM. Running any virtual machines using Hyper-V on an ARM device will not work.

The following table lists some common issues and offers suggestions on how to resolve them.

[table][tr]Issue Solution [/tr] [tr][td]Your app relies on a driver that isn't designed for ARM.[/td] [td]Recompile your x86 driver to ARM64. See Building ARM64 Drivers with the WDK.[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Your app is available only for x64.[/td] [td]If you develop for Microsoft Store, submit an ARM version of your app. For more info, see App package architectures. If you're a Win32 developer, distribute an x86 version of your app.[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Your app uses an OpenGL version later than 1.1 or requires hardware-accelerated OpenGL.[/td] [td]x86 apps that use DirectX 9, DirectX 10, DirectX 11, and DirectX 12 will work on ARM. For more info, see DirectX Graphics and Gaming.[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Your x86 app does not work as expected.[/td] [td]Try using the Compatibility Troubleshooter by following guidance from Program Compatibility Troubleshooter on ARM. For some other troubleshooting steps, see the Troubleshooting x86 apps on ARM article.[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Your x86 app does not detect that it's running on ARM.[/td] [td]Use IsWow64Process2 to determine if your app is running on ARM.[/td] [/tr] [tr][td]Your UWP ARM32 app does not work as expected.[/td] [td]See Troubleshooting ARM32 apps on ARM to learn how to get your app to work properly on ARM.[/td] [/tr] [/table]
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Source: Limitations of apps and experiences on ARM - UWP app developer | Microsoft Docs

Windows 10: Introducing x64 emulation in preview for Windows 10 on ARM PCs

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