Microsoft has released an optional preview cumulative update for Windows 11, version 24H2 — KB5064081 — which advances eligible machines to OS Build 26100.5074 and bundles a mix of staged AI features, UI polish, reliability fixes, and a servicing‑stack refresh; many of the consumer‑facing features are gradually rolling out rather than appearing on every device immediately. (support.microsoft.com, bleepingcomputer.com)
Microsoft’s monthly non‑security “preview” (or “C‑update”) channel is where new features and quality improvements are validated before being folded into the next Patch Tuesday rollups. KB5064081 is an optional, non‑security release delivered on August 29, 2025; it includes the latest Servicing Stack Update (SSU) combined with the cumulative payload (LCU), which administrators must treat as a single, persistent package once applied. (support.microsoft.com, windowslatest.com)
That packaging choice improves install robustness but also complicates rollback: the SSU portion can’t be removed after installation in the usual way, and rolling back a combined SSU+LCU package often requires DISM-based operations or a full image restore. For that reason, KB5064081 is best suited to pilot rings and validation flights before widescale enterprise deployment. (support.microsoft.com, elevenforum.com)
Microsoft continues its recent model of shipping code and server-side gating together: many visible capabilities (Recall, Click to Do, AI actions in File Explorer, Copilot-related flows) are present in the update but are enabled for subsets of devices, regions, or licensing states over time. Expect variation in what appears on two machines running the same build. (windowslatest.com, neowin.net)
Installers and administrators should treat KB5064081 as a validation flight: pilot on representative hardware, confirm critical workflows (authentication, streaming, imaging, backup), and maintain robust backup and rollback strategies. End users and enthusiasts who value early access to Recall, Click to Do, and File Explorer AI will find much to explore, but they should still expect that not every capability will appear instantly on every machine. (support.microsoft.com, windowslatest.com, bleepingcomputer.com)
Source: thewincentral.com Windows 11 update KB5064081 download link & changelog - WinCentral
Background / Overview
Microsoft’s monthly non‑security “preview” (or “C‑update”) channel is where new features and quality improvements are validated before being folded into the next Patch Tuesday rollups. KB5064081 is an optional, non‑security release delivered on August 29, 2025; it includes the latest Servicing Stack Update (SSU) combined with the cumulative payload (LCU), which administrators must treat as a single, persistent package once applied. (support.microsoft.com, windowslatest.com)That packaging choice improves install robustness but also complicates rollback: the SSU portion can’t be removed after installation in the usual way, and rolling back a combined SSU+LCU package often requires DISM-based operations or a full image restore. For that reason, KB5064081 is best suited to pilot rings and validation flights before widescale enterprise deployment. (support.microsoft.com, elevenforum.com)
Microsoft continues its recent model of shipping code and server-side gating together: many visible capabilities (Recall, Click to Do, AI actions in File Explorer, Copilot-related flows) are present in the update but are enabled for subsets of devices, regions, or licensing states over time. Expect variation in what appears on two machines running the same build. (windowslatest.com, neowin.net)
What’s in KB5064081 — the feature and fix rundown
The update mixes visible consumer-facing feature rollouts, platform and reliability bug fixes, and enterprise-oriented changes. The list below synthesizes Microsoft’s support notes with independent reporting and community testing; items listed as “gradual rollout” are gated server-side and may not be visible immediately on every PC.Recall (gradual rollout)
- What changes: Recall opens to a redesigned, personalized homepage that surfaces Recent Snapshots, Top Apps and Websites, and a left navigation bar with Home, Timeline, Feedback, and Settings. Snapshot collection remains opt‑in and filterable in Settings. The aim is quicker task resumption and an easier timeline experience. (neowin.net, windowslatest.com)
- Why it matters: Recall ties into on‑device productivity memory and can speed work that crosses apps and documents. Because snapshot capture is opt‑in and filterable, Microsoft is emphasizing privacy controls, but administrators should still document feature exposure in sensitive environments.
Click to Do (gradual rollout)
- What changes: Click to Do now includes an interactive first‑run tutorial showing contextual actions on text and images (summarize, remove background, extract text, and other quick edits). The tutorial can be re‑launched from the app. (windowslatest.com, pureinfotech.com)
- Why it matters: The tutorial aids discoverability of on‑device AI tools. Some Click to Do capabilities may require Copilot+ hardware or specific entitlements; confirm licensing and device eligibility before training large user groups.
File Explorer — AI actions and activity indicators
- What changes: Right‑click context menus in File Explorer now surface on‑device AI image edits (Blur Background, Remove Background, Erase Objects) and a Summarize action for documents that typically relies on Copilot / Microsoft 365 entitlement when cloud processing is required. When signed into a work or school (Entra) account, File Explorer’s Home and Activity columns show people icons and live persona cards. (windowslatest.com, pureinfotech.com)
- Why it matters: These actions place generative tools directly in the shell, which is convenient — but they may be license‑gated or hardware‑gated. Organizations should map which workflows need online Copilot access or on‑device NPUs and adjust training and support documentation accordingly.
Task Manager — CPU reporting correction (broad)
- What changes: Task Manager now uses standard CPU workload metrics consistently across pages (Processes, Performance, Users) so values align with industry tools. For users who prefer the legacy display, Microsoft added an optional CPU Utility column in Details to present the older “Processor Utility” numbers. (bleepingcomputer.com, elevenforum.com)
- Why it matters: This is a substantial quality‑of‑life fix for power users and administrators who rely on Task Manager for quick triage. The correction prevents misleading 100% readings on systems with many cores or variable turbo frequencies.
Windows Hello and Passkeys (broad)
- What changes: A modernized Windows Hello sign‑in UI and passkey credential experience appears across sign‑in flows (sign‑in screen, passkey dialogs, Recall, Microsoft Store). The interface makes it easier to switch between authentication options like passkeys or connected devices. Windows Hello face and fingerprint reliability improvements are also included. (neowin.net, windowslatest.com)
- Why it matters: This improves multi‑factor authentication clarity and aligns passkey UX across surfaces. If you have enterprise conditional access or identity flows, validate SSO and passkey behavior in pilots.
Taskbar, Search, and Notification Center (mixed rollout)
- What changes: The Notification Center can display a larger clock including seconds (toggle: Settings > Time & language > Date & time > Show time in the Notification Center). Search from the taskbar gets an image grid view to identify image results more quickly, and clearer indexing/status messages show when your PC is still organizing files. A fix addresses issues where taskbar thumbnail previews could stop working after accidental drag gestures. (pureinfotech.com, windowslatest.com)
- Why it matters: Small but visible polish items that improve daily use. The clock with seconds is optional but useful for workflows that require second‑level timing.
Lock screen widgets and Widgets Board (gradual rollout)
- What changes: Expanded lock screen widget personalization (Weather and more), plus multiple dashboards and a redesigned Discover feed for the Widgets Board; Copilot‑curated stories appear in the Discover feed where available. Some widget changes initially launched to the EEA and are now expanding more widely. (windowslatest.com, neowin.net)
- Why it matters: Better personalization for glanceable information. Enterprises using shared devices should audit lock screen widget exposure.
Settings — privacy controls for generative AI and agent in Settings
- What changes: A new page at Settings > Privacy & security > Text and Image Generation lists third‑party apps that recently used generative AI models provided by Windows, and lets you control app permissions. The new “agent in Settings” (part of Copilot+ PC experience) helps surface and change settings; it’s initially available in English and on Copilot+ hardware, and expanded to AMD and Intel‑powered Copilot+ PCs. (elevenforum.com, pureinfotech.com)
- Why it matters: These controls let users and admins see which apps invoked built‑in AI capabilities — an important step for privacy and compliance auditing.
Windows Backup for Organizations (enterprise)
- What changes: Windows Backup for Organizations is being promoted toward general availability, offering enterprise-grade backup and restore paths for device refreshes and migrations. (windowslatest.com, borncity.com)
- Why it matters: A native backup restoration path that integrates with organizational management can reduce deployment friction for refresh and upgrade projects.
PowerShell 2.0 removal notice (important for legacy scripts)
- What changes: Microsoft announced PowerShell 2.0 is being removed from Windows 11, version 24H2 starting in August 2025. Most environments will be unaffected (PowerShell 5.1 and 7.x remain supported), but legacy scripts and automation relying on PSv2 need auditing and migration. (pureinfotech.com, windowslatest.com)
- Why it matters: IT teams should inventory and update automation to avoid breakages — especially in specialized manufacturing, scientific, or embedded contexts that still use PSv2 remoting or legacy modules.
Numerous stability and platform fixes
- The update also includes fixes for input/IME crashes (Chinese IME first character bug), dbgcore.dll related crashes (explorer.exe and other apps), Kerberos crash scenarios accessing cloud file shares, Miracast audio stopping after a few seconds on certain devices, audio service hangs, live captions opacity bugs, and other targeted stability improvements. (elevenforum.com, borncity.com)
Known issues, community reports, and risk areas
No major security fixes are part of this preview, but there are known issues and community reports worth highlighting before deploying KB5064081 widely.- CertificateServicesClient (CertEnroll) Event ID 57 — Microsoft had previously acknowledged spurious Event Viewer error entries related to the “Microsoft Pluton Cryptographic Provider” that were cosmetic logging artifacts (error ID 57) and not indicative of active failures. KB5064081 contains the staged fix; Microsoft says the resolution will roll out over roughly four weeks and will be automatically enabled on systems that get the update. Administrators with SIEMs should temporarily filter or correlate Event ID 57 to avoid alert fatigue until the fix fully propagates. (bleepingcomputer.com, borncity.com)
- NDI / streaming regressions — After prior updates some users reported degraded NDI streaming quality (used in OBS Studio and other production tools), especially with Display Capture. Independent coverage and community threads note ongoing testing and advise cautious validation of streaming workflows before broad deployment. (windowslatest.com, windowsforum.com)
- Installation and peripheral regressions reported by users — Community forums and help sites have posts describing toolbar unresponsiveness, Wi‑Fi disappearance, or other peripheral regressions tied to preview updates for a small fraction of users. These reports reinforce the recommendation to pilot in representative hardware rings. If you encounter regressions, uninstalling a combined SSU+LCU update may be non‑trivial; maintain full images and tested rollback plans. (askwoody.com, elevenforum.com)
- Feature gating and licensing — Many AI‑enabled capabilities depend on Copilot entitlements or Copilot+ hardware (on‑device NPUs). You shouldn’t assume every machine will get the full AI feature set just because it has the update. Validate licensing and hardware requirements for features like File Explorer Summarize and Copilot‑curated content. (windowslatest.com, pureinfotech.com)
Deployment guidance — recommended steps for IT and power users
The technical and operational mix in KB5064081 argues for a measured rollout strategy. Below is a practical, prioritized checklist for teams planning deployment.- Pilot scope and representative hardware
- Build a pilot group that covers major OEM models, driver variants, and at least one device configured with Copilot+ hardware (if you plan to test AI flows).
- Include a device with the same management stack (SCCM/Intune/WSUS) you’ll use in production.
- Pre‑installation checks
- Verify backups and create full system images for each pilot device.
- Inventory scripts and automation for PowerShell 2.0 dependencies and migrate where needed. (pureinfotech.com)
- Install and validate critical workflows
- Validate Windows Hello sign‑in, SSO and conditional access, imaging and recovery, network streaming (NDI), printing, and any line‑of‑business apps.
- Check Event Viewer for any spurious CertEnroll entries and tune SIEM alerts temporarily if needed. (windowsforum.com)
- Monitor and collect telemetry
- Track crash rates (explorer.exe, dbgcore.dll), audio/Miracast behavior, Wi‑Fi connectivity, and Task Manager CPU metrics.
- Confirm feature exposure and licensing gates for AI features and verify that privacy settings for Text and Image Generation meet policy. (elevenforum.com, windowslatest.com)
- Rollout cadence
- If pilot proves successful, expand to broader rings with 1–2 weeks between waves; keep at least one “validation” ring for last‑minute checks before full production. Maintain the ability to pause or rollback.
- Communication
- Inform users what to expect: optional preview update, staged features, the Notification Center clock toggle, and how to contact helpdesk for issues. Provide guidance for recognizing and ignoring the CertEnroll noise if they haven’t yet gotten the fix. (bleepingcomputer.com)
How to get KB5064081 and manual install notes
- Windows Update (recommended for most users): KB5064081 appears as an optional preview update in Settings > Windows Update. Users who have “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” enabled may see it automatically; otherwise the update shows under optional updates with a “Download and install” link. (support.microsoft.com, bleepingcomputer.com)
- Microsoft Update Catalog (manual): Administrators and technicians who prefer offline or image-based installs can download the KB from the Microsoft Update Catalog and stage it via WSUS, SCCM, or manual wusa.exe installation. Be aware that the package combines the SSU and LCU; uninstalling the combined package does not remove the SSU. Microsoft’s support article and the Update Catalog detail the exact package names and DISM steps if you need to remove the LCU while leaving SSU intact. (support.microsoft.com, windowslatest.com)
- Caveats: Don’t rely on wusa.exe /uninstall to remove the SSU. If rollback is necessary and the SSU prevents a clean uninstall, be prepared to use DISM Remove‑Package with the specific LCU package name or restore a pre‑update image. Document your rollback plan and test it in a lab before broad deployment. (support.microsoft.com)
Critical analysis — strengths, trade‑offs, and risks
Strengths
- Meaningful quality fixes: The Task Manager CPU metric correction resolves a longstanding and confusing inconsistency that affected monitoring and quick triage workflows. That alone materially improves reliability for power users. (bleepingcomputer.com)
- On‑device AI plumbing shipped: Microsoft shipped a broad set of components and shell integrations (Recall, Click to Do, File Explorer AI) that place generative capabilities where users work, and it paired those with privacy controls in Settings. This is a pragmatic approach: deliver the platform now and gate visible features while the backend and policies stabilize. (windowslatest.com, elevenforum.com)
- Enterprise readies backup and identity UX: Windows Backup for Organizations and the Windows Hello redesign help organizations with migration and reduce authentication confusion across modern sign‑in flows. (windowslatest.com)
Trade‑offs and potential risks
- Combined SSU+LCU packaging increases operational risk: While combined packages are more robust for installation, they complicate rollback and force teams to plan recovery methods more carefully than for standalone LCUs. This is not new but is increasingly consequential for organizations that test or stage updates aggressively. (support.microsoft.com)
- Server‑side gating creates unpredictability: Staged feature enablement reduces blast radius, but it means testers and support teams must handle variability — two machines on the same build may behave differently. That complicates documentation, support scripts, and user communications. (windowslatest.com)
- Hardware and licensing fragmentation: Many AI actions require Copilot+ hardware or Microsoft 365/Copilot licensing. Organizations that treat Windows feature parity as assumed may encounter surprises with feature availability. Inventory and entitlement checks are essential before user training. (pureinfotech.com)
- Community‑reported regressions still possible: User posts about Wi‑Fi and toolbar unresponsiveness after preview updates are limited but real; those experiences underline why preview builds should be restricted to pilots and not pushed to mission‑critical endpoints until validated. (askwoody.com)
Unverifiable or conditional claims (flagged)
- Where individual outlets or community posts list specific anecdotal hardware failures, those claims are situational and not broadly reproducible from official documentation. Any claims about mass bricking or hardware‑destroying bugs remain unverifiable without vendor confirmation and large‑scale telemetry; treat isolated forum reports as signals requiring verification rather than proof of systemic failure. Administrators should inspect their own telemetry before generalizing community anecdotes. (askwoody.com)
Practical recommendations — a quick checklist
- For enterprise production: delay broad deployment. Install KB5064081 only in a controlled pilot and validate identity, imaging, backup/restore, and streaming workflows before expansion. Keep a tested rollback image.
- For enthusiasts and power users: install on a non-critical machine to explore new features and provide feedback. Expect staged feature exposure. Back up valuable data first. (bleepingcomputer.com)
- For administrators handling monitoring: temporarily filter or correlate CertEnroll Event ID 57 to avoid alert fatigue until Microsoft’s staged fix is visible in your environment. Document the filter and re‑enable alerts after the rollout completes. (windowsforum.com, borncity.com)
- For developers and script authors: audit for PowerShell 2.0 dependencies and migrate legacy scripts to PowerShell 5.1 or 7.x where possible. Plan compatibility testing now. (pureinfotech.com)
Final take
KB5064081 (OS Build 26100.5074) is a substantive preview update that moves Windows 11’s on‑device AI plumbing and shell integrations forward while also addressing long‑standing UX and telemetry pain points like Task Manager CPU reporting. The update’s mix of visible features, behind‑the‑scenes SSU work, and staged rollouts is deliberate: Microsoft ships the code and turns features on over time. That approach reduces immediate risk to the broader population but shifts the burden to IT teams and early adopters to validate, document, and plan for variability.Installers and administrators should treat KB5064081 as a validation flight: pilot on representative hardware, confirm critical workflows (authentication, streaming, imaging, backup), and maintain robust backup and rollback strategies. End users and enthusiasts who value early access to Recall, Click to Do, and File Explorer AI will find much to explore, but they should still expect that not every capability will appear instantly on every machine. (support.microsoft.com, windowslatest.com, bleepingcomputer.com)
Source: thewincentral.com Windows 11 update KB5064081 download link & changelog - WinCentral
