Windows 11 could soon run updates without rebooting, if the rumors are correct, and there is already evidence that this is the route Microsoft is taking in a preview version.
This comes from a regular source of Microsoft-related leaks, namely Windows Central's Zac Bowden, who first discovered that Windows 11 preview build 26058 (on the Canary and Dev channels) was recently updated with an interesting change.
Microsoft is releasing updates to testers that do nothing and are simply “designed to test our services channel for Windows 11, version 24H2.” The key part is that we are informed that those who have VBS (Virtualization Based Security) enabled “may not experience a reboot when installing the update.”
Running an update without requiring a reboot is known as “hot patching” and this delivery method, which is obviously much more convenient for the user, could be implemented in the next major update for Windows 11 later this year (24H2), Bowden says. .
The leaker has taken to the sources for more details and notes that here we are talking about hot patches for the monthly cumulative updates for Windows 11. Therefore, the most important updates (like 24H2) would not be patched, as there are clearly Too much work under the hood for that to happen.
In fact, not all cumulative updates would be applied without rebooting, Bowden explains. This is because hot patching uses a reference update, one that can be patched in addition, but that reference model must be updated every few months.
Add seasoning to all this information, naturally, but it looks like Microsoft is up to something here based on ongoing testing, which also specifically mentions 24H2.
Analysis: How exactly would this work?
What does this mean for the future of Windows 11? Well, possibly nothing. After all, these are mostly rumors, and what's apparently happening in early testing could simply be abandoned if it doesn't work.
However, hot patching is something that is already used with Windows Server and also the Xbox console, so it makes sense that Microsoft would want to use the technology to benefit Windows 11 users. It's certainly a very nice touch. convenient, although, as noted, not all cumulative updates would be patched.
Bowden believes the likely scenario would be quarterly cumulative updates that need a reboot, followed by hot patches in between. In other words, we would get a reboot-laden update in January, for example, followed by two hot-patched cumulative updates in February and March that could be completed quickly without requiring a reboot. Then the April cumulative update would need to restart, but May and June would not, and so on.
As mentioned, annual updates certainly wouldn't have hot patches, nor would out-of-band security fixes, for example (since rebootless updates depend on that base patch, and such a fix wouldn't rely on that, of course ).
This would be a pretty cool feature for Windows 11 users, because eliminating the need to reboot (in some cases, being forced to reboot) is obviously a major benefit. Is it enough to tempt Windows 10 updates? Well, maybe not, but it's another blessing to add to the pile for those who resist Microsoft's older operating system. (Assuming they can upgrade to Windows 11, of course, which is a hurdle for some due to PC requirements like TPM.)
