Slowly, month after month, the total number of required updates decreases, although this is not happening each month. It can be seen after running Disk Cleanup (cleanmgr.exe) or the equivalent dism command which is Code: dism /online /cleanup-image /startcomponentcleanup The reason for this decrease is that old updates are superseded and replaced with the CU rollup. So the net effect is still that old updates are included in the CU, but this happens naturally and not forced as it was the initial intention.
I use WHDownloader, developed by our good fellas here in the forum: https://forums.mydigitallife.net/threads/whdownloader-download.66243/ The program uses update lists mantained by @abbodi1406. So far I've used the program to create updated ISOs both for 8.1 and 7, and it has not failed me so far.
I also want that list. BTW, I downloaded the whdownloader and see many updates, but what's the sequence to install those updates?
WHD-Windows8.1-Updates-Installer 4.4 can handle it. https://forums.mydigitallife.net/threads/whdownloader-support-and-chat.44645/page-108#post-1296720
I'd like to integrate those updates with dism command instead of a third party tool. BTW, where does the tool download the updates? From Microsoft website or their private server?
Did you actually take a look at the third party tool? It's just a script mainly filled with dism lines, very complex dism lines just like you wanted. Private. Read again the info found in its thread: https://forums.mydigitallife.net/threads/whdownloader-download.66243/
i'm sure an updated explorer.exe is a (maybe the last) mistake one can let happen to win blue. dealing with problems for more than a week now (last try before resetup the machine is once more an earlier backup < 16.09 / 911 was the day of desaster on winblue too i guess). it really feels like explorer.exe is the core of the problems (more shims and caching, catching admin rights, takes total control of installed / installing drivers). will see..