Windows 11: Microsoft ignites the update turbo
New Windows updates are installed up to 46 percent faster. At the same time, PCs reboot faster and CPU load is reduced.
(Image: Curt Bauer / Shutterstock)
Microsoft's preparations have taken two years, but now they are finally bearing fruit: Windows 11 will install updates much faster and more resource-efficiently in future. What's more, desktop PCs and notebooks will boot faster after an update.
The basis for this was provided by Windows 11 update 22H2 in the fall of 2022, which introduced a new logic that streamlines the update packages. With the latest 24H2 version, they now form the basis for faster installations.
Microsoft describes this as follows: "This involves calculating the forward differential of a modified file compared to the base version and the backward differential back to the base version. Both the forward and backward differentials are then packaged as an update and distributed to the endpoints running the software to be updated."
Processors should be able to process these differentials particularly well in parallel, which saves computing power. The update packages are available for all operating system versions.
In addition, Windows 11 now creates a larger data cache. After the first read of the operating system components and their analysis, Windows 11 stores the results temporarily. If several components contain the same software packages, a look into the cache speeds up the update process. Windows 11 now uses more RAM, if available, as a particularly fast cache.
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Up to 46 percent faster
To measure the benefits, Microsoft compares the installation of the March 2024 security update with the old and the new update process. Based on the February 2024 version, the installation is said to have been almost 46 percent faster. The virtual machine used with eight CPU cores, 16 GB RAM and an SSD rebooted 40 percent faster. The CPU load was reduced by a good 15 percent.
With a 1.5-year-old Windows 11 version, the time saving was slightly less, but the CPU load was reduced by 25 percent.
Microsoft is introducing the new update process automatically. At the same time, the company is breaking up the previous updates into smaller packages for even faster installations. The larger cumulative updates will only be released every few months.
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