Microsoft is introducing “hot patching” with the Windows 11 24H2 update, allowing for seamless installation of security patches without restarting your PC.
Updating a Windows PC is a painstaking process, where the computer will automatically reboot, which could lead to the loss of data at times. Microsoft seems to have found a solution for this issue using the hot patching method, which does not require the reboot of the PC to install an update.
As reported by Windows Central, this feature is coming to Windows 11 with the Windows 11 24H2 update in the second half of the year, enabling users to install security patches without rebooting the PC along with additional new features and capabilities. Microsoft has been using a similar protocol to push updates to Xbox and Windows servers for a while, and the same will now be implemented for Windows 11.
Initially, this feature will be enabled on X86-based Windows 11 PCs, and the same is likely to be enabled for ARM-based computers in 2025. This technique will primarily be used for delivering monthly security updates, and to install major OS releases, which include bug fixes and the addition of new features, one has to still restart their PC. Starting with the Windows 11 OS, Microsoft does offer an estimated time of installation, giving users a clear idea of how long it takes to complete the update process, and the company recently added over 150 new features to Windows 11 OS.
Microsoft is achieving this feat using technologies such as Cumulative updates, which help patch security updates to the operating system via Virtualization Based Security (VBS) that involves “patching the in-memory code of running processes without the need to restart the process,” which could take a toll on performance, especially on gaming PCs.
Source:indianexpress.com