[German]Microsoft has released the optional cumulative (preview) update KB5020044 for Windows 11 version 22H2 on November 29, 2022. There are a number of new features and especially a long list of bug fixes. Below I give an overview regarding these updates for Windows 11.

It should be noted that this update is a so-called preview update. This is optional and by default must be manually triggered to download and install. It contains the fixes that will be rolled out in the security update for the following month. The list of updates for Windows 11 22H2 can be viewed on this Microsoft page.

Preview-Update KB5020044 for Windows 11 22H2

Preview update KB5020044 is available for Windows 11 version 22H2, which raises the OS build to 22621.900 and provides a number of fixes for these Windows versions. Here are what are called highlights below, changes and fixes:

• New! It gives Microsoft OneDrive subscribers storage alerts on the Systems page in the Settings app. The alerts appear when you are close to your storage limit. You can also manage your storage and purchase additional storage, if needed.
• New! It provides the full amount of the storage capacity of all your OneDrive subscriptions. It also displays the total storage on the Accounts page in the Settings app.
• New! It combines Windows Spotlight with Themes on the Personalization page. This makes it easier for you to discover and turn on the Windows Spotlight feature.
• It addresses an issue that affects some modern applications. It stops them from opening.
• It addresses a known issue that affects the Input Method Editor (IME). Certain applications might stop responding. This occurs when you use keyboard shortcuts to change the input mode of the IME.
• It addresses an issue that causes File Explorer to stop working. This occurs when you close context menus and menu items.
• It addresses an issue that might cause certain apps to stop responding. This occurs when you use the Open File dialog.
• It addresses the suspension of daylight saving time (DST) in the Republic of Fiji for this year.

Microsoft states the following improvements and fixes that the update makes in the support article:

• New! It gives Microsoft OneDrive subscribers storage alerts on the Systems page in the Settings app. The alerts appear when you are close to your storage limit. You can also manage your storage and purchase additional storage, if needed.
• New! It provides the full amount of the storage capacity of all your OneDrive subscriptions. It also displays the total storage on the Accounts page in the Settings app.
• New! It combines Windows Spotlight with Themes on the Personalization page. This makes it easier for you to discover and turn on the Windows Spotlight feature.
• New! It adds a new mobile device management (MDM) policy for organizational messages. It gives your company the option to enroll tenant devices so that they receive custom messages from you. For example, you can use Intune to write the messages. They will render within Windows.
• It addresses an issue that affects some modern applications. It stops them from opening.
• It addresses an issue that affects some devices that are managed by an enterprise. We improve the reliability of app installations for them.
• It addresses the suspension of daylight saving time (DST) in the Republic of Fiji for this year.
• It addresses an issue that affects Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) authentication hardening. We will automatically raise the authentication level for all non-anonymous activation requests from DCOM clients to RPC_C_AUTHN_LEVEL_PKT_INTEGRITY. This occurs if the authentication level is below Packet Integrity.
• It addresses an issue that affects Unified Update Platform (UUP) on-premises customers. It removes the block that stops them from getting offline language packs.
• It addresses an issue that affects process creation. It fails to create security audits for it and other related audit events.
• It addresses an issue that affects cluster name objects (CNO) or virtual computer objects (VCO). Password reset fails. The error message is, " There was an error resetting the AD password… // 0x80070005".
• It addresses an issue that affects transparency in layered windows. This occurs when you are in High Definition remote applications integrated locally (RAIL) mode.
• It addresses a known issue that affects the Input Method Editor (IME). Certain applications might stop responding. This occurs when you use keyboard shortcuts to change the input mode of the IME.
• It addresses an issue that affects microphone streams that use the Listen To feature to route to the speaker endpoint. The microphone stops working after you restart the device.
• It addresses an issue that might affect applications that run on the Windows Lock Down Policy (WLDP). They might stop working.
• It addresses an issue that affects Microsoft Defender when it is not the primary antivirus. Microsoft Defender fails to turn off passive mode. This issue occurs when you turn off Smart App Control (SAC).
• It adds .wcx to the list of Dangerous Extensions that some app control policies do not allow.
• It addresses an issue that affects Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. Automated investigation blocks live response investigations.
• It addresses an issue that affects printing in landscape mode in Microsoft Edge. The print output is incorrect. This issue occurs when you use Microsoft Defender Application Guard.
• It addresses an issue that causes File Explorer to stop working. This occurs when you close context menus and menu items.
• It addresses an issue that might cause certain apps to stop responding. This occurs when you use the Open File dialog.
• It addresses an issue that sometimes affects File Explorer when you open a file. Because of this, there is high CPU usage.
• It addresses an issue that affects protocol activation of the Settings app. The app fails to open a page under the Accounts category.
• It addresses an issue that affects a computer account. Use of non-standard characters can stop the cleanup of the Out of Box Experience (OOBE) accounts.
• It addresses an issue that affects the CopyFile function. It might sometimes return error 317: ERROR_MR_MID_NOT_FOUND.
• It addresses an issue that affects the Windows Firewall service. It does not start when you turn on the Override block rules option.
• It addresses an issue that affects some games and applications. This issue is related to GPU performance debugging features. This lowers the expected game performance.
• It addresses an issue that affects cumulative update installations. They fail, and the error code is 0x800f0806.

DThis long list of new features and fixes will be integrated in the security update for the following month. The preview update is optional and is only offered when the user explicitly selects optional updates for installation in the settings page. The update can also be downloaded and installed from the Microsoft Update Catalog. The latest Servicing Stack Update (SSU) is included to fix various issues. Further details, e.g. about the installation requirements, can be found in the support article in case of doubt. The known problems are also listed there.