KB5089497

Microsoft released cumulative update KB5089497 (Build 28020.2134) for Windows 11, version 26H1 for insiders on the Canary channel. Windows 11 Insider Preview build 28020.2134 is a build that belongs to the br_release development branch and is available to participants of the Windows Insider program on the Experimental channel (26H1). Users of this channel will now receive updates for Windows 11, version 26H1 (Build 28020), which is activated based on Windows 11, version 26H1 (Build 28000) using the feature enablement package KB5073122 (Feature Enablement).

• Ability to skip installing updates right at the initial setup stage (OOBE). Added capabilities that enhance security and expand user control over the Windows update process: you can now skip installing updates directly during the initial system setup.
• Extension of update pause. You can extend the update pause as many times as needed, providing more flexibility in managing the installation process.
• Shutdown and Restart actions with applying updates. The Shutdown and Restart actions with applying updates are always available in the power menu, simplifying installation without extra steps.
• More information about available updates. Added the ability to see more information about available updates to make an informed decision about installation.
• Improved reliability of SSDP notifications. Improved reliability of Simple Service Discovery Protocol (SSDP) notifications – this reduces the chance of the service hanging.

Known issues: the PC reset process when using the Reset this PC feature may hang. To complete the reset, select Cloud download (Cloud PBR) instead of local reinstallation.

These builds may be unstable and released with limited documentation. Builds released to the Experimental channel (26H1) represent the latest platform changes at early stages of development and are not tied to any specific Windows release. Features and capabilities included in these builds may never make it to the final version, as Microsoft tries various concepts and collects feedback. Features may change, be removed, or be replaced, and some of them may never become available outside the Windows Insider program. However, when these features are ready, they may appear in future Windows releases.

Installation via Windows Update: go to Settings > Windows Update and click Check for updates. A computer restart is required to complete the installation.

How the new features work:

Ability to skip installing updates right at the initial setup stage (OOBE): The mechanism is implemented by modifying the OOBE setup phase, where the WuProvider module receives a deferred update download flag. Instead of mandatory WU scanning and critical patch downloads right after network connection, the system creates a postponed task in the Task Scheduler, allowing interaction with Windows Update endpoints to be skipped until the user profile setup is fully completed, thereby reducing the time to reach the desktop.

Extension of update pause: The functionality is based on modifying the day counter limit in the HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsUpdate\UX\Settings registry key. While standard policy sets the maximum deferral range through DeferFeatureUpdatesPeriodInDays, the new mechanism allows the WU client to cyclically recreate the pause timestamp without validating an absolute maximum, updating the PauseFeatureUpdatesEndTime value on the fly and enabling update targeting to be held for an indefinitely long time.

Shutdown and Restart actions with applying updates: Integration into the power menu is achieved by modifying the ShutdownUX provider. If the MusNotification applet detects pending operations (installed but unapplied components awaiting reboot in the Component Based Servicing store), the corresponding options are no longer hidden and are always displayed via IContextMenu, bypassing the need for a separate click on the tray icon or navigating to the Settings interface.

More information about available updates: The improvement affects the metadata provided by the Windows Update Agent. In the XML manifest responses to ClientWebService endpoint requests, in addition to Title and KBArticleID, extended attributes are now forwarded, including Description and the impact category. The parser in the Settings UI layer reads these fields and renders them in the update card, allowing users to view details without opening an external support link in the browser.

Improved reliability of SSDP notifications: The refinement concerns the SSDP stack in the ssdpsrv.dll, which serves the UPnP device discovery protocol. The incoming NOTIFY packet processing loop over the HTTPMU protocol has been optimized: a race condition between socket listener threads, which caused the service to hang under a high-frequency flood of malformed M-SEARCH responses, has been eliminated, ensuring proper release of the critical section and preventing the SSDPSRV service from hanging.

The last 10 Windows updates: