Windows 11 25H2: Quiet Enablement Update with Wi-Fi 7 Readiness

Windows 11’s 2025 feature update, version 25H2, has begun rolling out — but don’t expect flashy new bells and whistles. This release is a deliberately light, enablement-style update that flips on features already staged in the 24H2 servicing branch, adds a couple of practical platform advances (notably native Wi‑Fi 7 readiness and a Group Policy for removing selected preinstalled Store apps), tightens a few security-development controls, and removes legacy tooling such as PowerShell 2.0 and WMIC. For most users the experience will be quick: a tiny enablement package, a single restart, and the OS reports the new version — the heavier work has already been delivered by monthly updates earlier this year.

Background / Overview​

Microsoft’s cadence for Windows 11 feature updates has shifted from “big, discrete platform rebases” to a model where new features are staged in monthly cumulative updates and then activated with a minimal enablement package (commonly called an eKB). Version 25H2 continues that pattern: it shares the same binary base as 24H2 and is primarily an activation roll of features already present but disabled on devices that stayed on 24H2.
That delivery model aims to reduce downtime and risk associated with large feature upgrades: the enablement package is intentionally tiny and should install quickly on a fully patched 24H2 machine. Some outlets reported the eKB as being extremely small (claims range from sub‑megabyte to under a few megabytes), and one early report described a figure under 200 kilobytes — however, Microsoft does not publish an exact byte count for the package, so the precise size is not officially confirmed and should be treated cautiously.
This update also resets the Windows servicing clock. Upgrading to 25H2 begins a new support period: consumer editions receive a standard 24‑month servicing window while Enterprise and Education SKUs follow the longer 36‑month servicing policy typical of Microsoft’s Modern Lifecycle cadence.

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What’s actually new in 25H2​

Short answer: not much for end users, but several practical moves matter to IT, developers, and hardware adopters.

• Delivery: Enablement package (eKB) — tiny install, single reboot on fully patched 24H2 devices.
• Connectivity: Native support for Wi‑Fi 7 (802.11be/EHT), at the OS/driver level.
• Manageability: Group Policy / MDM CSP to remove selected preinstalled Microsoft Store apps on Enterprise and Education devices.
• Security & development: enhancements billed as build and runtime vulnerability detection improvements and a mention of AI‑assisted secure coding workflows.
• Housekeeping: PowerShell 2.0 and WMIC are removed from new shipping images — cleanup of legacy components.

Each of these items has real-world impact that’s worth unpacking for IT teams and power users — and there are practical migration and testing implications.

The enablement package model: how it works, and why it matters​

Microsoft’s enablement approach stages feature binaries in monthly cumulative updates for the servicing branch (the example here is the 24H2 branch), but marks them Disabled. When the company is ready to formally ship the annual feature release, it publishes a small enablement package that flips the flags from Disabled to Enabled. A restart activates the staged code and the machine reports the new release number.
Benefits:

• Minimal downtime for upgrades.
• Faster rollout and fewer large downloads.
• Easier validation of staged features in enterprises (you test activation rather than a whole-platform rebase).

Practical considerations and caveats:

1. Shared servicing means 24H2 and 25H2 receive the same monthly cumulative updates going forward; IT change windows should focus on feature activations rather than whole‑platform compatibility.
2. Because feature code is already present, latent incompatibilities (with drivers, security agents, or peripheral management software) can appear once those features are activated — so activation testing is essential.
3. Rollback is not the same as uninstalling a cumulative update: within the short built‑in rollback window (typically 10 days) you can revert using Recovery options, but after that you’ll need an image restore or a clean install to go back.

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Wi‑Fi 7 support: what to expect (and what you won’t see immediately)​

25H2 brings OS-level readiness for Wi‑Fi 7 (802.11be / Extremely High Throughput) — an important step for the platform as new wireless radios and routers enter the market.
What Wi‑Fi 7 offers in theory:

• Higher throughput (multi‑link operation and wider channels)
• Lower latency (better multi‑AP arbitration and improved scheduling)
• Improved reliability (multi‑link redundancy and refined channel use)

Why the practical gains will be phased and hardware‑limited:

• Windows support is necessary but not sufficient: you need a Wi‑Fi 7‑capable adapter, up‑to‑date vendor drivers, and a Wi‑Fi 7 access point or router.
• Driver maturity matters. Many adapter vendors are still working through driver stability for Windows, and early adopters may encounter performance teething issues or interoperability quirks.
• For most consumer networks today, the bottleneck will remain your internet uplink, router configuration, or local network design — Wi‑Fi 7 shines in high‑density, high‑bandwidth local scenarios (e.g., 8K streaming between devices on a fast local backbone).

Quick checks for admins and enthusiasts:

• Verify adapter capability: run netsh wlan show drivers and look for 802.11be or EHT under “Radio types supported.”
• Confirm vendor drivers: install vendor-supplied drivers rather than generic OS drivers for best performance.
• Match networking gear: make sure routers and APs support Wi‑Fi 7 features and have correct firmware.

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Manageability: removing preinstalled Microsoft Store apps via policy​

One piece of functionality IT teams have wanted for years is a supported, policy‑driven way to remove select default Store apps from enterprise images. 25H2 introduces exactly that: a Group Policy and corresponding MDM Configuration Service Provider (CSP) that let administrators unprovision certain Microsoft Store packages at the device level.
Highlights:

• The policy is device‑level (not per‑user) and targets Enterprise and Education editions.
• It’s mapped to an ADMX-backed Group Policy entry and an MDM CSP path (a device OMA‑URI) that can be delivered via Intune or other MDM tools.
• The policy controls a predefined list of inbox Store packages; each package can be selected for removal or left alone.

Operational tips:

• Use this in Autopilot/ESP workflows to remove unwanted inbox apps before end user sign‑on.
• Expect some “clean‑up” issues early on — tests have shown occasionally lingering Start menu shortcuts or dead tiles after unprovisioning that may require scriptable cleanup.
• Home edition users don’t get the Group Policy editor; enterprise management scenarios are the primary target.

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Removed, deprecated, and migration guidance: PowerShell 2.0 and WMIC​

25H2 finalizes a long‑running cleanup of legacy command‑line tooling: Windows PowerShell 2.0 and the WMI command-line tool (WMIC) are removed from new shipping images. The move is security driven — older runtimes and CLI components represent expanded attack surface and maintenance burden — but it has real operational consequences.
What changes, concretely:

• Clean images and new installs based on the 24H2/25H2 branch will no longer include the PowerShell 2.0 engine or WMIC.
• Existing systems upgraded from older releases may still retain the components until they’re reimaged or receive a build that strips them.
• Scripts and tooling that explicitly call the v2 engine or WMIC will fail on systems where those binaries are absent.

Migration checklist for admins:

1. Audit scripts and monitoring: search for uses of wmic.exe and legacy PowerShell 2.0 invocations (common patterns include script headers requesting -Version 2 or explicitly launching powershell.exe -v 2).
2. Replace WMIC calls with PowerShell CIM/WMI cmdlets. Example replacements:
   • WMIC to list logical disks:
     • WMIC: wmic logicaldisk get name,size,freespace
     • PowerShell: Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_LogicalDisk | Select-Object DeviceID,Size,FreeSpace
   • WMIC process queries:
     • PowerShell: Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Process -Filter "Name='notepad.exe'" | Select-Object ProcessId
3. Update older PowerShell v2 scripts to PowerShell 5.1 or PowerShell 7.x. Where behavioral differences exist, refactor and test thoroughly.
4. For third‑party tools that depend on WMIC output formats, work with vendors for modern replacements or update parsing logic.

Important caveat:

• Removing these components can break custom install scripts, legacy management checks, or third‑party installers. Organizations must validate monitoring, inventory, and management tooling before broad rollout.

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Security: “AI‑assisted secure coding” and improved vulnerability detection​

Microsoft has highlighted improvements described as enhanced build and runtime vulnerability detection and an initiative around AI‑assisted secure coding for this release. Those phrases map to a broader set of investments Microsoft has been making across Defender, Security Copilot, and developer tooling.
What to expect:

• More integrated signals at build time and runtime to detect risky patterns in software and drivers.
• Tooling to help developers find common secure‑coding errors earlier in CI/CD pipelines, with AI acting as an assistive reviewer for likely problematic code constructs.
• New Defender and platform detections for AI‑related attack vectors and data exfiltration patterns, part of a larger push to secure generative‑AI scenarios.

What’s still unclear:

• Microsoft has not published exhaustive technical details for the “AI‑assisted secure coding” feature set inside 25H2 itself; some capabilities are part of separate Security/DevOps tooling or Defender features that intersect with the OS. Treat this as a signal of ongoing investment rather than a single, monolithic OS feature to be immediately consumed.

Security takeaway:

• Enterprise security teams should assume improved telemetry and more security checks, but continue to validate their existing EDR/AV solutions for compatibility with any new runtime detection components.

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Deployment guidance: a practical rollout plan for IT​

Because 25H2 is an enablement activation of staged code, the testing model differs from a full platform rebase. Below is a suggested phased approach.

1. Lab validation
   • Build test images that mirror your production environment with endpoint protection, backup agents, imaging tools, and any device‑level drivers.
   • Activate the enablement package on test machines and validate critical workloads.
2. Application and driver compatibility tests
   • Focus on components that interact with new features: networking stacks (Wi‑Fi drivers), file system filters, virtualization stacks, and management agents.
   • Validate print drivers, VPN clients, and backup/restore agents.
3. Security and monitoring checks
   • Audit scripts for WMIC and PowerShell v2 calls; update or retarget scripts to modern cmdlets.
   • Confirm EDR/AV compatibility with the new runtime detections and that telemetry ingestion behaves as expected.
4. Pilot cohort
   • Choose a small set of pilot devices (representative across hardware models) and stage the eKB through Windows Update for Business or feature‑update rings.
   • Monitor for user impact, leftover UI artifacts (for app removals), and performance anomalies.
5. Broad rollout
   • Use phased deployment via Autopatch, WSUS, or Intune rings once pilots pass acceptance criteria.
   • Communicate maintenance windows and rollback procedures to helpdesk staff.

Rollback notes:

• A built‑in “Go back” option via Settings > Recovery typically allows reversion for a limited period (commonly 10 days). After that window or if the enablement was applied via image/installation assistant, you may need a system image restore or clean installation to revert.

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Advice for consumers and power users​

• If you’re on 24H2 and happy, don’t rush — 24H2 remains supported and 25H2 is essentially an activation of staged features. That said, the enablement package is low‑risk on fully patched systems.
• Back up system images and create a restore point before applying any major update if you depend on legacy scripts or installed device agents.
• If you’re curious about Wi‑Fi 7: check your adapter and router compatibility before expecting large throughput gains.
• For everyday users, removals of PowerShell 2.0 and WMIC are unlikely to be noticed — those components were already legacy and rarely used by typical consumer apps.

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Risks, limitations, and the “underwhelming” truth​

There’s a legitimate reason many users and commentators describe 25H2 as “quiet” or “underwhelming.” The major platform advances (AI features, Copilot integration, file‑handling enhancements, and UI tweaks) have been arriving across the year via staged updates — by the time the annual label rolls around there’s relatively little new to announce.
Key risks to watch:

• Hidden activation issues: code that was dormant on devices can still behave differently when enabled — thin driver stacks and agent interactions should be tested.
• Script and management breakage: any reliance on WMIC or PowerShell 2.0 must be remediated prior to rollout.
• Policy and app removal caveats: policy‑based unprovisioning is helpful but not flawless — dead shortcuts or stale Start menu entries can remain and require scripted cleanup.
• Wi‑Fi 7 ecosystem immaturity: early adopters may face driver bugs, and the real world benefit will depend heavily on hardware and firmware maturity.

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Final assessment: who benefits and who should wait​

• Enterprises and IT-managed fleets benefit the most: the Group Policy for removing preinstalled Store apps, the enablement package model for low‑impact upgrades, and the extended servicing clock make 25H2 a practical update for managed environments.
• Developers and security teams gain incremental improvements through platform hardening and the promise of more integrated secure‑coding workflows — but the “AI‑assisted” features are part of a larger security and DevOps story, not a single desktop switch.
• Consumers will see little immediate change besides the usual platform hardening and optional small features; updating is sensible to stay on the supported track, but it’s not urgent for users who prefer to wait for broader hardware and driver maturity (particularly for Wi‑Fi 7 experiences).

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Quick checklist: immediate actions for admins and advanced users​

• 1. Audit for legacy dependencies:
     • Search for wmic.exe usages and scripts invoking PowerShell v2.
• 1. Test Wi‑Fi 7 readiness:
     • Run netsh wlan show drivers and validate “Radio types supported.”
     • Confirm vendor driver versions are published and signed.
• 1. Plan app unprovisioning workflows:
     • Use the ADMX-backed Group Policy or the MDM CSP path in test Autopilot flows.
     • Script cleanup steps for any lingering Start menu artifacts.
• 1. Validate rollback and recovery:
     • Verify the “Go back” option is available for pilot machines and that your image restore process works within the rollback window.
• 1. Communicate with users:
     • Note removal of legacy utilities and provide guidance for any internal tooling that relied on them.

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Windows 11 version 25H2 is a pragmatic, low‑impact annual release: it formalizes staged features, tightens security and developer controls, and gives IT a better toolkit for managing inbox apps — all while continuing Microsoft’s trend toward incremental, continuously delivered platform improvements. For most environments the right approach is measured: validate, pilot, and roll forward when the activation proves clean in your specific hardware and management ecosystem. The update won’t change the way you use Windows overnight, but it does close a few legacy chapters and opens the door to the next waves of device and AI‑driven capabilities.

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Source: How-To Geek Windows 11 25H2 Is Finally Here