I agree with your assessment. Even the 19042.804 MVS ISO installs and runs cleaner. It contains less superceded packages. Once it’s updated to 844, it seems to improve performance.
I apologize if this issue has already been addressed, but after an MVS ISO 19042.804 install, and component cleanup, I noticed that the latest 21H1 EP does not supercede the last 20H2 EP. Windows10.0-KB4562830-x64_EP_10.0.1.1.cab 05/19/2020 19042 20H2 Superceded Windows10.0-KB4562830-x64_EP_10.0.1.2.cab 08/05/2020 19042 20H2 Superceded Windows10.0-KB4562830-x64_EP_10.0.1.3.cab 11/20/2020 19042 20H2 Not Superceded by KB5000736 Windows10.0-KB5000736-x64_EP_10.0.1.2.cab 02/08/2021 19043 21H1 KB5000736 does not appear to supercede KB4562830 v10.0.1.3. This raises the question, when building a recent ISO from UUPDUMP.NET (or otherwise), should the last KB4562830 be included in the update list. I don't see it as a UUPDUMP.NET option. If conventional Windows Updates cease with 19043, then a roll-back might be needed to get the 19042 Windows Updates from an MSFT update server. But if KB4562830 is not installed, the rollback would be to 19041, instead of 19042. I don't know how this might affect online updates.
Defender offline update kit is updated March. 3. 2021 Updated: 20H1/2 / 21H1 Updates Overview: https://forums.mydigitallife.net/th...-20h1-2-vb_release.80763/page-16#post-1571109
Conventional Windows Update doesn't offer the 21H1 EP. It must be installed manually, and it doesn't appear to install "on top of the 20H2 EP" because it doesn't supersede the 20H2 EP. Not in the beta channel. Don't use MS-Edge. Not sure what occurs when you have the 20H2 EP and 21H1 EP on the same machine setup for conventional Windows Update, but I can say that since 19043, I get no conventional Windows Updates and this is a bit concerning going into patch Tuesday.
Hence the enrolling into the beta channel to have WU offer it. In the beta channel. Up to you, but when running the builds as msft intended, it will be already installed. That's my second test, not enrolling into the beta channel when the 21H1 EP is installed with the least needed LCU (844) for getting to 21H1, have to wait for that till tomorrow.
Not sure if 21H1 Enablement supersede 20H2 Enablement, but if you install 21H1 and remove 20H2 with dism, 20H2 does not get offered again. You will not get updates in the regular channel at least until the Insider Preview is officially released, which is not yet and as such as @Enthousiast says, you have to be enrolled in the beta channel for now. Tomorrow this may change. Note: I use MS Edge and you should have it installed too, even if you use something else.
Not superseded, it's chained, on a rolling scenario (19041 > 19042 > 19043) all will be installed. There will be some changes to expect, not sure if it will be release wise.
Note: I'm not saying anyone should or should not use MS-Edge. I just don't use it. I have my system configured to disable "Startup Boost" and MS-Edge as a background app. So I don't have 5 instances of MS-Edge running all the time. That's a waste.
So with the 21H1 EP preinstalled, you ran a semi-annual WU. With a beta-channel update (21H1 EP) installed, you decided to see what would happen if you sought updates from the semi-annual channel. What did you expect the WU server to offer you? The WU server isn't going to offer you 21H1 because it doesn't have it. So it offers you the 20H2 EP. And with the 21H1 EP beta-channel update already installed, what did you expect for Windows Update to do with the 20H2 EP? Hey, I have an idea, we could preinstall some DEV channel update and see what the WU channel or Beta channel does with that? Wouldn't that be creative!
Can't reply to an incorrectly formatted post, so i will put it in quotes myself: My test was to see what is offered to people running a 19043.xxx build without being enrolled in any IP channel. When out of arguments back to posting the usual bs?
You responded before my post was completely formatted. You can claim the 19043.XXX build you referred to, was not enrolled in a channel. But it had to be connected to an MSFT endpoint, otherwise, it would not have been offered the 20H2 update. Having a preinstalled beta-channel update and then pretending the build was not connected to anything, seems bogus to me.