Inferno OS is a custom (“lite”) build of Windows 11 Pro, version 25H2, specifically compiled and optimized by Jerry Xristos in collaboration with PasMater. It’s designed to be a lightweight, resource-efficient variant of Windows 11 that maintains usability for daily tasks while disabling or removing unnecessary components to reduce bloat and improve performance.
Key technical details:
- OS Build: 26200.7015
- Architecture: 64-bit (x64)
- Compression format: ESD, which helps reduce download size
- Size: ~ 5.3 GB for the ISO
- Language: English by default during installation
- Activation: The build comes pre-activated, with a “medicine” script on the desktop as a backup.
Because this is a “lite” build, many Windows services and features have been deliberately disabled or removed for leaner performance.
Main Features of Inferno OS
Here are the main features and design goals of this build:
- Optimized for Performance and Resource Efficiency
- Many background services are disabled, which reduces CPU and memory usage.
- Tweaks are applied to enhance “extreme performance, responsiveness, and resource savings” throughout the system.
- Power plan is set to High Performance by default.
- Minimalist and Lightweight
- Unneeded system components and bloatware are removed, shrinking the system footprint.
- The ISO is relatively small (5.3 GB), making it easier to download and deploy.
- Uses ESD compression to reduce size.
- Custom Tools and Utilities Included
Inferno OS bundles a few lightweight utilities to improve usability:- 7-Zip: A popular open-source file archiver.
- OldNewExplorer: Allows customization of File Explorer interface.
- Nilesoft Shell: Tool to modify context menus (right-click menus)
- StartIsBack AIO: Provides a classic Windows-style Start Menu, making navigation more familiar.
- Custom Themes & Wallpapers: Includes a set of preconfigured themes (dark, transparent) and about 50 wallpapers.
- Transparency Effects: Uses DWM blur/glass effects to maintain a modern but lightweight aesthetic.
- Windows Updates
- Windows Updates are technically functional, but disabled by default in this build.
- The build is intended to be stable, so the authors discourage frequent or aggressive updating; they recommend testing first in a VM (virtual machine).
- Ease of Installation
- The installation is “nothing to do” during setup, implying minimal interaction is required.
- After installation, a restart is required to apply all the performance and system tweaks fully.
- The Microsoft account is bypassed during setup, possibly meaning a local account is used by default.
Removed or Disabled Features (What’s Been Cut)
Inferno OS removes a long list of Windows components to streamline the OS. Here are notable removals:
- Microsoft Edge (browser)
- Telemetry and data-collection services, including Telemetry Client & Microsoft Engagement Framework
- Windows Search (indexing)
- Windows Error Reporting
- Windows Mixed Reality
- Near Field Communication (NFC) support
- Rights Management (DRM) support
- Work Folders Client (a corporate sync feature)
- Retail Demo Content
- Payment & wallet services
- Shared Experiences (cross-device features)
- Speech TTS (text-to-speech)
- Device Lockdown features for embedded systems
- BranchCache client, Assigned Access, File Server Resource Manager
- Floppy disk support, IIS (Internet Information Services), Kernel Debugging, and others.
These removals are intended to reduce “bloat” — that is, unnecessary system components that many users do not need, especially for everyday or gaming use.
New Features vs. What’s Changed (Compared to Standard Windows 11 Pro)
Because Inferno OS is a modified build rather than an official Microsoft release, the “new” features are not entirely new Microsoft features but rather optimizations and customizations. Here’s what’s different or newly emphasized in this build:
- Performance-oriented tweaks: The system is heavily tuned for responsiveness and low resource use, which is not something a stock Windows 11 Pro ISO would necessarily prioritize to this degree.
- Disabled Windows Update by default: This diverges from normal Windows behavior, giving the user control over when or whether to update.
- Pre-activated system: Comes “activated” out-of-the-box, though the build provides a “medicine” (activation tool) on the desktop for reactivation.
- Bypassed Microsoft account during install: Simpler setup, especially for users who prefer not to tie their install to a Microsoft account.
- Custom aesthetic: The build includes preloaded themes, transparency, blur effects, and a set of wallpapers — more personalization than a bare-minimum system.
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