Microsoft released an optional non-security preview update for Windows 10 devices; KB5023773. Along with this optional release, mandatory updates were also released for both Windows 10 as well as Windows 11.
Microsoft released the Out Of Box Experience updates for the Windows operating system. These are mandatory updates that install automatically, without a prompt or intimation, during the OOBE process when an active internet connection is available. Therefore, these are not available to install or download through Windows Update, or any standalone installers.
An OOBE update is an unprecedented non-cumulative update released by Microsoft when an issue needs an urgent fix. Therefore, KB5025800, KB5025799, and KB5025801 were released for Windows 11 22H2, Windows 11 21H2, and Windows 10 (versions 22H2, 21H2, and 20H2) respectively.
All of the aforementioned KB articles address the same issue across the different Windows operating system versions, which is discussed below.
KB5025800, KB5025799, KB5025801 Release Summary
The following table summarises the KB articles and their respective operating system versions:
| KB Article | Windows | Edition | Release Date |
| KB5025800 | Windows 11 | 22H2 | 21-Mar-23 |
| KB5025799 | Windows 11 | 21H2 | 21-Mar-23 |
| KB5025801 | Windows 10 | 22H2, 21H2, 20H2 (Enterprise and Education editions) | 21-Mar-23 |
Fixes and Improvements in KB5025800, KB5025799, KB5025801
All of the different KB articles in this Out Of Box Experience updates for March 2023 address the same issue.
This update adds a Shim to prevent the CoCreateInstance function from creating unsupported objects. A Shim is a Microsoft framework that isolates certain test elements from the rest of the environment. This protects your Windows OS in case a test component does not function as it is supposed to and affects the OS negatively.
Installing Windows Out Of Box Experience Updates
As mentioned earlier, the OOBE updates install automatically. As long as you have the supported operating system and version, the update will install without you noticing it. It is not available in Windows Update or can be installed using standalone .MSU files.
To install KB5025800, KB5025799, or KB5025801, make sure that your computer has an active internet connection when booting or restarting it.
Moreover, these updates do not change the operating system’s build. Additionally, they do not have any prerequisites or system requirements, except that you are running the applicable OS version.
Closing Words
It is important that your system installs Out Of Box Experience Windows updates as they usually include security patches and other fixes for the OS that may have a critical impact if not available.
This is probably why they are silently installed in the background without you noticing.
