Dynamic Update or dynamic Windows updates: what they are and how they work

I Dynamic Update they are a component of the Windows operating system update and installation options. This is a function about which, historically, there has been more confusion and which is not yet known to a large portion of users. Yet, by searching the Microsoft Update Catalog you will find multiple dynamic updates, both for Windows 10 that for Windows 11.

The function Dynamic Update is designed to ensure that the system receives the latest updates during the installation process, even if the Windows image used was created at an earlier time. You know the option “Download updates, drivers and optional features” what a tool like Media Creation Tool (downloadable from here for Windows 10 and from here for Windows 11 by clicking respectively Download the tool now come on Download now immediately below “Creating Windows 11 installation media“) presents? Here, thatoption – if selected by the user – causes the activation of automatic updates.

What Dynamic Update updates

Dynamic Update can update several key components of the Windows 10 and Windows 11 operating systems, including:

• Setup DU: Applies fixes to installation files or any files that the Windows installation process uses for feature updates.
• SafeOS YOU: It intervenes on the set of system components known as “Safe OS” and used to update theWindows recovery environment (WinRE). These are the tools accessible through the Advanced Start Menu options.
• Servicing Stack Update (SSU)/Critical DU: Fixes needed to resolve issues in the service update management of Windows. They are essential tools to complete thefeature update. As we have seen in other articles, when an SSU package is missing in Windows, it does not even show the most recent updates in Windows Update, even if they are available on Microsoft servers.
• Latest Cumulative Update (LCU)/General Distribution Release (GDR) DU: Il Dynamic Update installs the last one too cumulative update of type qualitative available. These are the latest monthly updates that contain fixes for security vulnerabilities discovered in Windows. We have seen that updating Windows 11 and 10 means installing various types of update packages.
• Language Pack (LP) and Feature On Demand (FOD) DU: The installation of Dynamic Update preserves language packs and optional features already installed by users. By optional functions we mean, for example, those enabled by pressing Windows+R and typing optionalfeatures as well as those selectable by writing Manage optional features in the search box.
• Driving YOU: The system applies the latest version of the drivers already published by the respective manufacturers on Windows Update and specifically intended for Dynamic Update.

The abbreviation “DU” in the above list actually stands for Dynamic Update.

How Dynamic Update works

When you start a feature update (installation of updates for Windows 10 and Windows 11 that Microsoft releases annually, generally in autumn), from ISO image (double-click on the file setup.exe), through Media Creation Toolthrough theWindows Update Assistant o tramite Windows Update, Dynamic Update it is one of the first tools to be launched.

The routine of Windows 10 or Windows 11 installation reaches via HTTPS a server Microsoftrecover the contents of Dynamic Update and applies these updates to your operating system installation files, thus making the installation process as smooth as possible.

Dynamic Update And enabled by default in all Windows feature update streams, unless explicitly disabled. During an interactive installation, as we have seen in the case of Media Creation Toolusers are asked whether or not to allow the use of Dynamic Update. In a’automatic installation of Windows, the system checks whether Dynamic Update is active or not.

If automatic updates are not enabled, the Windows 10 or Windows 11 setup is limited to using only the files contained in the installation media.

How to disable automatic updates

If, for any reason, you want to avoid loading the Dynamic Update When updating an operating system instance already loaded on your system, you can invoke the file setup.exe as follows:

setup /auto upgrade /dynamic update disable

In the case of Unattended Windows installationsotherwise known as “unattended“, simply add the following to your configuration file autounattend.xml:

[SetupConfig]
auto=upgrade
DynamicUpdate=Disable

We have seen how to take advantage of Windows 11 Unattended for an automatic and personalized installation of the operating system. We also did something very similar with Windows 10 by installing it with the necessary programs.

How to integrate Dynamic Update into Windows 10 and 11 images

Using a specific procedure described by Microsoft, business users can possibly download via Update Catalog dynamic update packages and then add them to Windows images already existing.

The PowerShell scripts that Microsoft presents in the Update Windows installation media with Dynamic Update support document help automate the process of generating an image for your Windows 10 or Windows 11 installation updated with Dynamic Updates. latest dynamic updates.

In the end you get a new support Windows installation file ready to be used directly on servers and workstations, distributed across various systems or used to create and manage virtual machines.