In the realm of personal computing, the experience of updating an operating system can often feel like a necessary chore rather than a seamless process. For those who aren’t deeply entrenched in the world of PCs, the frequency of Windows installations may be limited, yet the ritual of updates is a shared experience among users. Microsoft is making strides to enhance this process with its latest Windows 11 24H2 update.
Enhancements in Update Speed
For hardware enthusiasts and reviewers alike, the installation of Windows is a common task, often necessitated by new components such as CPUs, motherboards, or SSDs. Despite efforts to streamline the installation process, the subsequent updates can still be a tedious affair. However, recent experiences with the Core Ultra 9 285K and Core 5 245K processors revealed a noticeable increase in the speed of both installation and updates.
Further testing on a Ryzen 9 9950X system, utilizing the same Windows ISO as with the Intel processors, yielded similar results, reinforcing the notion that the 24H2 version of Windows 11 is indeed faster. Microsoft has shared insights into these improvements through a recent IT Pro blog, revealing that internal tests indicate a 44 to 46% increase in update installation speed compared to the previous 22H2 version. Additionally, restart times during the update process are reportedly 34 to 40% quicker, depending on the specific hardware in use.
While these figures may be difficult to independently verify, the overall experience with the 24H2 update suggests a significant enhancement in efficiency. Although this may not represent a groundbreaking advancement, the incremental improvements are certainly welcome.
Technical Innovations Behind the Speed
Microsoft’s approach to achieving these speed enhancements involves some intriguing technical innovations. The company describes its methodology as “parallel processing of component manifests,” which works in conjunction with the parallel hydration of newly serviced components. This technique, first introduced in Windows 11 version 22H2, allows for more effective utilization of a CPU’s multiple cores and threads.
Moreover, the update process now caches information about update packages, which streamlines future updates that involve the same packages. The use of additional system RAM, when available, further contributes to the overall efficiency of the update process. Notably, Microsoft has also managed to reduce the size of certain update packages by up to 200 MB.
In essence, while the Windows update process is leveraging more of a PC’s hardware capabilities, the primary benefit is a marked increase in speed. As each major revision of Windows 11 unfolds, the operating system is gradually evolving into the robust platform it was intended to be at launch. However, this evolution may not be sufficient to sway Windows 10 users just yet, though the impending end of support for the older OS next year could change that dynamic.
