I Got the “Your Device Is Missing Important Security and Quality Fixes” Alert

Last updated on December 20th, 2025 at 03:52 pm

This was the notification that I received on a deadline: Your Device Is Missing Important Security and Quality Fixes.

My first thought? Another Windows trick to make me be afraid and click something.

But I kept seeing it. Every day. And, frankly speaking, I began to ask myself,– what, then, exactly, am I missing here? Is this Legit or Windows being dramatic?

I went down a rabbit hole. And what I knew was far more interesting than I thought.

The Alert That Started Everything

What that message means is as follows: windows had detected that my system had not received updates on critical issues within a long time. Not any updates – the ones patches the security gaps and stabilizes.

This was not known to me, but there are two kinds of updates that occur in the background:

Vulnerabilities that are actively being exploited by attackers are patched during security update. We are discussing the grave ones, the remote code execution, privilege escalation, data breaches. Microsoft is not in vain calling them either Critical or Important.

Bug fixes and improvements in performance are on a monthly basis. They build up, and you have only to have the most up-to-date, and you are abreast.

However there is one thing that no one tells you and that is the existence of something called servicing stack updates. This is the system having all the other updates. When this is broken, then nothing will pass. It is like attempting to download applications as your application store is faulty.

Why My Updates Kept Failing

I tried installing updates. They failed. I tried again. Failed again.

It happens that there are approximately eight causes of non-installation of updates, three of which I encountered.

First: corrupt system files. Certain important windows files on my computer were somehow damaged and the system did not even identify the updates available. I had not even realized this was even a possibility.

Second: disk space. My C: drive was formatted in such a way that it was operating at full capacity, that is, 95 percent capacity. Windows requires space to download, unpack and install updates. In circumstances where there is no space, it simply slogs. No error message, nothing. I deleted approximately 30GB and then updates began working.

Third: the update process was not allowed by my antivirus. I left it temporarily disabled, and tried the update one more time, and it worked.

Updates can be broken by other things? Interruptions in the network when downloading. Several updates updating at the same time and incompatible with each other. Old drivers of peripherals such as printers or webcams. Security updates do not even install even in the case of malware infections.

The most unnatural that I heard about: in case your telemetry settings are set to develop only the Security, Microsoft is unable to evaluate the behavior patterns of your system. It implies that you may not receive quality updates that are related to your particular setup.

What Microsoft Is Really Doing.

As I was doing all this research, I found out that Windows 11 version 24H2 made the game completely different.

You can now install updates 45 per cent faster using parallel processing. Windows is made to do more than one thing at a time, rather than making them be installed individually. I upgraded my laptop to 24H2 and lost in words and yes, I did feel the difference.

They reduced CPU consumption during installation by a quarter and turned around time by forty percent. The download size of feature updates has been reduced by 200MB, since it no longer will include pre-installed software that is at the latest version and which you already have.

But the coolest thing? Hotpatching.

This technology deploys security patches to operating memory based code without having to restart it. Windows 11 24H2 and Windows 11 25H2 issues critical security updates as you are literally using your computer. I tried this last month when I was receiving a security patch, and I did not need to start up. It just… applied itself.

They are also deploying Administrator Protection, and they are such that Windows Hello authentication is used each time an application attempts to effect system-level change. Hackware no longer can creep up the ranks in the shadows.

What I Did to Fix It

The Windows Update troubleshooter was run first. Settings> System> Troubleshoot other troubleshooters> Windows Update. It identified some problems automatically and resolved them.

At that point, I unplugged my peripherals like USB drives, printer and webcam dock. In some cases, peripherals with old drivers are stuck. Once the update was made, I was able to connect them again.

I ensured that my laptop remained connected to a plug throughout the whole process of the update. Interruption of power during installations results in corruption, and this makes it an entirely different mess.

An additional option that I had set in Settings > Windows update is active hours which would ensure windows would only restart when I am not working. In such a way, automatic updates take place without interfering with my day.

In the case of disk space, I relied on Disk Cleanup that was used to delete temporary files and old windows installations. That has provided something of room in which updates are actually complete on a basis.

Here is what I Wish I Could’ve Known Before.

It is not only a scare tactic of that Your Device Is Missing Important Security and Quality Fixes message. It is the equivalent of having known vulnerabilities in your system currently and attackers are busily scanning unpatched systems to exploit.

Another thing that I did not know is that updates are cumulative. These can be installed in any order, but simply find the latest one and you are ok. It was a time-saver as I had to spend hours trying to see what I had missed in terms of updates.

The second one: Windows is now able to automatically update, but not without permission. Weeks ago I had stopped updating them and had forgotten. After I unpaused them and adjusted my active hours to the way it should be, everything was working in the background.

It is actually Microsoft trying to make this less painful. The improvements in the performance in 24H2 are actual. Hotpatching gets rid of security updates that restart. The entire process becomes quicker and less intrusive as compared to the past.

So yeah, that scary alert? It’s legit. Now I clearly know what it is and how to cope with it. The days of updates not being mandatory are long gone since they are a necessity of maintaining functionality and security of your system.

FAQ’s

Q: When does Microsoft release these updates?

A: On second Tuesday every month, at 10.00 AM, PST- they refer it to as Patch Tuesday. After attending to this, I put it on my calendar. In case of an emergency situation that is serious, the updates are issued out-of-band by Microsoft when the need is necessary but the schedule is always on a monthly basis.

Q: Can I just turn off updates completely?

A: Nope. I tried. The maximum days of pause is 35, after that windows will force the installation. Microsoft secured itself not to allow disabling updates whatsoever because vulnerable systems are colossal security risks. To tell the truth, it is understandable why they made such call after getting to know what these updates really do.

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