KB5031476 – KB5031475: Windows 11 (22H2 – 21H2) critical updates for WinRE

A few days ago, this week Microsoft released Patch Tuesday for the month of October 2023. Update Tuesday or B-release is the monthly security update but this month's release also brought Moment 4 to Windows 11 .

Microsoft also released some dynamic compatibility updates for Windows 21 versions 2H22 and 2H11, which improve Windows recovery with the help of SafeOS updates that are marked “critical”.

The company states in the two KBs:

KB5031476: Compatibility update for installing and recovering Windows 11, version 22H2: October 10, 2023

and

KB5031475: Compatibility update for installing and recovering Windows 11, version 21H2: October 10, 2023

Both updates bring improvements to Windows recovery features for Windows 11, version 21H2.

In a publication about the Windows 10 dynamic updates, Microsoft provides more details about Dynamic Updates. These packages include fixes to Setup.exe binaries, and in SafeOS updates for the Windows Recovery Environment etc:

Once a Windows 10 feature update is initiated, either from media or from an environment connected to the Windows Update service, Dynamic Update is one of the first steps the system invokes. Windows 10 Setup accesses a Microsoft-hosted URL to retrieve dynamic update content, and then applies those updates to your operating system installation media.

The content you receive includes:

Installation Updates: Fixes Setup binaries or any files that Setup uses for updates.
Safe OS updates: Fixes for the “safe operating system” or “safe OS” used to update the Windows recovery environment (WinRE from the Windows recovery environment).
Stack Updates: Fixes necessary to address the Windows 10 servicing stack issue required to complete the feature update.
Last Cumulative Update : Installs the latest cumulative quality update.
Driver Updates: Latest version of the drivers used by the system through Windows Update.

Dynamic updates are only available through the Microsoft Update Catalog. You can download them from here: KB5031476 and KB5031475.