SHA256 mismatch for the official Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024 ARM64 evaluation ISO

Jason Ford 0 Reputation points
2026-11-01T12:25:55.24+00:00

The English ARM64 link on Microsoft's evaluation download page currently serves:

26100.1742.240906-0331.ge_release_svc_refresh_CLIENT_IOT_LTSC_EVAL_A64FRE_en-us.iso

Size: 5,042,194,432 bytes

The complete file's SHA256 is:

3dcdba9c9c0aa0430d4332b60c9afcb3cd613d648a49cbba2d4ef7b5978f32e8

This was confirmed independently with Python hashlib and macOS shasum.

Microsoft's linked verification PDF lists this different SHA256 for the ARM64 en-US evaluation:

ccec358a760c3c581249f091ed42d04f37b2b99c347b7a58257c3cc272d7982c

The PDF's HTTP Last-Modified date is 21 June 2024, earlier than the served ISO's September 2024 build date. It may refer to an earlier release, but I have not found an authoritative corrected checksum. Installation is held pending verification; this is not a claim that the file is corrupted.

Can Microsoft confirm the current file's SHA256 in official documentation, or provide an official evaluation download that matches the published checksum?

Official download page:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/download-windows-11-iot-enterprise-ltsc-eval

ARM64 download:

https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2269595&clcid=0x409&culture=en-us&country=us

Verification document linked from the overview:

https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2272287

Windows for business | Windows for IoT
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  1. Daphne Huynh (WICLOUD CORPORATION) 2,540 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-11-02T05:34:21.25+00:00

    Welcome to Microsoft Q&A!

    Thank you for taking the time to provide the ISO filename, file size, calculated SHA256 values, and the dates associated with the download and verification document.

    Based on the information you provided, holding the installation until the checksum can be verified is the appropriate approach.

    Microsoft’s Evaluation Center instructs customers to calculate the SHA256 hash of the downloaded ISO and compare it with the hash published for that evaluation image. When the values match, this provides verification that the downloaded file has not been corrupted, tampered with, or altered.

    In this case, the SHA256 you calculated for the currently served ARM64 ISO does not match the value in the verification document linked from the Evaluation Center. Therefore, based on the currently available public documentation, we cannot reliably confirm that the published checksum applies to this specific ISO.

    The most likely explanation is that the ARM64 evaluation ISO was refreshed to a newer build while the linked verification document still contains the checksum for an earlier image. The difference between the document date and the ISO build date is consistent with that possibility. However, this should be treated only as a likely explanation, not as confirmation that the current ISO is valid. A checksum calculated independently from the download cannot be considered an official Microsoft checksum until Microsoft publishes or confirms the corresponding value.

    For reference, the reported information is:

    • ISO: 26100.*****-0331.ge_release_svc_refresh_CLIENT_IOT_LTSC_EVAL_A64FRE_en-us.iso
    • File size: 5,042,****bytes
    • Calculated SHA256: 3dcdba9c9c0*********
    • SHA256 in the currently linked verification document: ccec358a760c3c5812*******

    Moreover, I want to be transparent about the limitation of Microsoft Q&A in this situation. Microsoft Q&A is a public community support forum. While I can help review published documentation and identify an apparent inconsistency such as this one, I do not have the authority or product-team access required to certify an unpublished ISO checksum or confirm that the download backend and verification document are out of sync.

    For that reason, rather than providing an unverified hash as an official answer, I recommend continuing to hold the installation until Microsoft provides an authoritative checksum for the exact ISO.

    If you would like Microsoft to investigate and correct the public download or verification information, you can submit the issue through Feedback Hub.

    If you require an authoritative response for deployment or need the issue investigated directly, please open a Microsoft Support ticket and provide the ISO filename, file size, both SHA256 values, the Evaluation Center and verification-document links, and the fact that you reproduced the calculated hash using two independent tools.

    Once Microsoft publishes or provides the SHA256 for the exact ISO above, calculate the SHA256 again against a freshly downloaded copy and confirm that the values match before proceeding with installation. If Microsoft replaces the ISO instead, download the replacement and verify it against the checksum published for that specific image.

    I understand this may not provide the immediate confirmation you were hoping for. However, given that checksum verification is specifically intended to establish the integrity and authenticity of the installation media, it would be better not to make an assumption where the currently published Microsoft information does not provide a matching value.

    Reference: Please select your Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC download

    If you find it useful, please click Accept Answer.

    Thank you for choosing Microsoft Q&A.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-11-01T12:26:48.98+00:00

    Do not install this ISO until Microsoft updates the published hash or supplies media whose SHA-256 matches the published value; the available Microsoft material does not officially confirm 3dcd…32e8 as the expected hash.

    What the Microsoft records establish

    • The Evaluation Center currently offers Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024 Evaluation, ARM64, English (United States) and instructs users to compare the downloaded ISO against Microsoft’s hash document.^1^
    • The filename’s 26100.1742 component corresponds to the documented September 2024 Windows 11 24H2 build.^2^
    • Microsoft’s linked verification PDF is the authoritative publication for the evaluation hashes, but the available document still does not establish that the current file should hash to 3dcdba9c9c0aa0430d4332b60c9afcb3cd613d648a49cbba2d4ef7b5978f32e8.^3^

    A matching filename, size, build number, and repeated download are not substitutes for the published SHA-256. The mismatch also does not by itself prove corruption or tampering; it means authenticity cannot be established through Microsoft’s documented verification procedure.

    Escalate as a publication/download mismatch

    Open a Microsoft support request and include these exact details:

    • Product: Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024 Evaluation
    • Architecture/language: ARM64, en-US
    • Filename: 26100.1742.240906-0331.ge_release_svc_refresh_CLIENT_IOT_LTSC_EVAL_A64FRE_en-us.iso
    • Size: 5,042,194,432 bytes
    • Computed SHA-256:
      3dcdba9c9c0aa0430d4332b60c9afcb3cd613d648a49cbba2d4ef7b5978f32e8
    • Published SHA-256:
      ccec358a760c3c581249f091ed42d04f37b2b99c347b7a58257c3cc272d7982c
    • The Evaluation Center download URL and verification-document URL
    • Download time, final redirected download URL, and the PDF’s Last-Modified header
    • Confirmation that two independent SHA-256 implementations produced the same result

    Ask Microsoft to do one of the following:

    1. Publish a revised hash for the currently served September 2024 ARM64 image.
    2. Restore the ISO corresponding to the published ccec…982c hash.
    3. Confirm that the download link is serving the wrong revision.

    If reporting this through Microsoft Q&A, treat it as a request for escalation to the Evaluation Center/content owner rather than accepting a third-party checksum as confirmation. Microsoft guidance in a comparable case notes that third-party verification tools are not official proof when Microsoft has not published the applicable hash.^4^

    Interim options

    • Keep the downloaded ISO quarantined and unmounted.
    • Preserve the file and HTTP metadata so Microsoft can reproduce the exact response.
    • If deployment cannot wait and the organization has licensed access, obtain the applicable media through its official volume-licensing, Visual Studio subscription, OEM, or authorized IoT-distributor channel. Microsoft documents those distribution routes separately from the public 90-day evaluation.^5^
    • Do not use a checksum for ordinary Windows 11 ARM64, x64 LTSC, another language, or another licensing channel; each distinct image requires its own published hash.

    References

    1. Please select your Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC download
    2. September 10, 2024—KB5043080 (OS Build 26100.1742)
    3. Verify Download - cdn-dynmedia-1.microsoft.com
    4. hash numbers for windows insiders ISO files cant be found on windows insiders site.HELP - Microsoft Q&A
    5. Windows IoT Enterprise release history
    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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