Security News > 2021 > October > Microsoft: Old Windows updates now expire to improve speed, security
Installing updates is slower and their size gets incrementally bigger due to the long backlog caused by the two or more updates for each Windows platform released every month.
Microsoft increases Windows Update's overall performance by marking earlier updates for expiration as part of a regular evaluation process.
"Microsoft produces two to three updates per supported Windows platform monthly. Many of these updates are cumulative and include all earlier updates that have been published for that platform," said Christine Ahonen, a Program Manager at Microsoft.
"This KB is no longer available from Windows Update, the Microsoft Update Catalog, or other release channels," Microsoft says on the entries of expired updates.
Microsoft also announced last week that it redesigned cumulative updates in Windows 11 to allow users to install security and quality updates faster by removing reverse differentials from the cumulative update package and with the help of more efficient packaging.
"The cumulative update size in Windows 11 is approximately 40% smaller than the same set of quality and security updates would have been packaged for Windows 10," Microsoft said.
News URL
Related news
- Microsoft confirms memory leak in March Windows Server security update (source)
- Microsoft is bringing the Linux sudo command to Windows Server (source)
- Microsoft Outlook December updates trigger ICS security alerts (source)
- Microsoft unveils new 'Sudo for Windows' feature in Windows 11 (source)
- Microsoft fixes Copilot issue blocking Windows 11 upgrades (source)
- Microsoft Introduces Linux-Like 'sudo' Command to Windows 11 (source)
- Microsoft tests Windows 11 ‘Super Resolution’ AI-upscaling for gamers (source)
- 5 Steps to Improve Your Security Posture in Microsoft Teams (source)
- Microsoft Rolls Out Patches for 73 Flaws, Including 2 Windows Zero-Days (source)
- Microsoft says it fixed a Windows Metadata server issue that’s still broken (source)