First published on MSDN on Apr 05, 2017
The Windows Hardware Lab Kit (HLK) has been updated to support Windows 10, version 1703.
The HLK is available for download on the Hardware Dev Center:
Version 1703 of the HLK enforces the Windows 10 hardware requirements and polices posted at
https://aka.ms/compatreq
and is designed for testing the following Windows 10 releases:
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Client version 1703 (minimum build 15063)
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Client version 1607
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Client version 1511
When submitting a Windows 10, version 1703 HLK package for validation, you must use Windows 10, version 1703 build 15063 or newer on the test device. The submission will otherwise be rejected.
Certification for Windows Server 2016, Azure Stack, and SDDC must continue to meet the Windows Hardware Compatibility Requirements as stated in version 1607 of documentation, must use version 1607 of the HLK (build 14393) with matching playlist and supplemental content to generate logs, and must follow policies as stated in the Windows Server Policy document. Questions about the Azure Stack or SDDC programs or how to submit the results for solution validation should be directed to the appropriate Microsoft technical account manager or partner management contact.
Errata fixes and Expiration date
117 errata were fixed and are set to expire on 7/1/2017. These errata are listed in the link below. Please open a CSS case for any errata that needs further investigation.
Playlists to support the incremental Windows releases
As Windows 10 evolves with new features, there is an increasing need to differentiate Windows 10 versions within the HLK. Version 1703 of the HLK incorporates OS metadata to aid in determining which Windows 10 version is presently attached and which tests should target the specific version identified. These version identification changes are also reflected in the playlist for version 1703 of the HLK. There will now be two playlists available to support incremental Windows 10 releases; one playlist is to be used with version 1607 of the HLK, and the is to be used with version 1703 of the HLK. To successfully test for Windows 10 compatibility, you will need to use matching versions of the HLK and playlist for testing. For example, if you use version 1703 of the HLK as your controller, you must also use version 1703 of the playlist in the HLK client, regardless of the version of Windows 10 for which you are testing for compatibility.
Both playlists are available here:
Compatibility Policy for Windows 10, version 1607 drivers Factory-Installing on Windows 10, version 1703 image
For client Compatibility submissions, per Windows Hardware Compatibility Policy, all partners must transition to version 1703 of the HLK and must use the version 1703 of the official Compatibility playlist no later than June 30, 2017. After this date, logs from version 1607 of the HLK and corresponding playlist will no longer be accepted for client Compatibility submissions.
Note: Windows Server 2016 will continue to use version 1607 of the HLK for certification.
You must continue to use the Windows Hardware Certification Kit (HCK) version 2.1 to certify hardware for following operating systems:
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Windows 7
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Windows 8
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Windows 8.1
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Windows Server 2008 R2 (x64)
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Windows Server 2012
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Windows Server 2012 R2
For the first 90 days after the release of Windows 10, version 1703, OEMs looking to achieve Compatibility for systems shipping Windows 10, version 1703 may factory-install drivers for components that achieved Compatibility with Windows 10, version 1607. After 90 days, OEMs looking to achieve Compatibility for systems shipping Windows 10, version 1703 can factory-install drivers for components that achieved Compatibility only with Windows 10, version 1703.
Errata 20505 filter
is available to mask the version 1703 enforcement and is set to expire on June 30, 2017. The latest errata filter package can be found at the following link:
Note: This policy is not applicable to OEMs certifying for Windows Server 2016, as all components within the system must be certified for Windows Server 2016 in order to be considered compatible.
Certification for Windows Server 2016, Azure Stack, and SDDC must continue to meet the Windows Hardware Compatibility Requirements as stated in version 1607 of documentation, must use version 1607 of the HLK (build 14393) with matching playlist and supplemental content to generate logs, and must follow policies as stated in the Windows Server Policy document. Questions about the Azure Stack or SDDC programs or how to submit the results for solution validation should be directed to the appropriate Microsoft technical account manager or partner management contact.
Submitting test results for Windows 10, version 1703
As previously mentioned, submissions for Windows 10, version 1703 must be done using version 1703 of the HLK. Please remember that if you are submitting results for Windows 10 version 1703, the results must be packaged for submission using a controller with version 1703 of the HLK installed. If a controller with version 1607 of the HLK is used to package and submit results for Windows 10, version 1703, the submission will fail due to invalid formatting in the submission package. Submissions affected by this will appear to be stuck in the
Validating HCK/HLK Submission Package
step. We will monitor for this scenario and reach out to partners with affected submissions. A controller using version 1703 of the HLK can be used to submit results from previous versions of the kits (HCK/HLK).
