Microsoft: Installation media with new standard apps, hot patching for ARM

Microsoft is updating the standard apps included on Windows installation media. The company is also now providing hot patching for ARM processor-based Windows PCs.

Microsoft announced this in the Message Center of the Windows Release Health Notes. The company explains that with installation media for Windows 11 24H2 and Windows Server 2025 created after June 2025, the new program versions will be available immediately. You will not need to update immediately from the Microsoft Store. This is intended to ensure a more secure, policy-compliant, and user-friendly deployment. Among other things, the updated versions of the apps close security gaps.

Until now, the release-to-manufacturing (RTM) versions were available on the media. The following are affected in Windows 11: Alarms & Clock, App Installer, AV1 Video Extension, AVC Encoder Extension, Bing Search, Calculator, Camera, Clipchamp, Cross Device Experience Host, Get Help, HEIF Image Extension, HEVC Video Extension, Media Player, Microsoft Store, Microsoft To Do, Notepad, Office Hub, Paint, Phone Link, Photos, Power Automate, Quick Assist, Raw Image Extension, Snipping Tool, Solitaire Collection, Sound Recorder, Sticky Notes, Store Purchase App, VP9 Video Extension, Weather, Web Media Extensions, WebP Image Extension, Windows Security, Windows Web Experience Pack, Xbox Game Bar, and Xbox Speech-to-Text Overlay – for a total of 36 apps. The list for Windows Server 2025 is much clearer, including the current versions of App Installer and Windows Security.

Hotpatching for ARM PCs

Microsoft has also announced the general availability of hotpatching for Windows 11 24H2 on ARM64 devices. Microsoft already released hotpatching for AMD and Intel-based X64 computers in April. Since then, the company has seen a rapid increase in the use of the hotpatching feature. Millions of devices and thousands of customers have already received hotpatches during the hotpatch update months.

Hotpatches allow security updates to be installed and activated without requiring a device restart. Microsoft now plans to release hotpatches for hotpatch-enabled devices only four times a year, instead of every month on Patch Day as was previously the case. However, to use hotpatching on ARM devices, interested parties must disable “Compiled Hybrid Portable Executable” (CHPE). This is a compatibility layer for executing x86 binary files on ARM PCs.

Since the beginning of the month, Microsoft has enabled hotpatching for Windows Enterprise customers with Windows Autopatch by default. Microsoft hopes this will simplify the use of hotpatching.

(dmk)