A new option discovered in Windows Update could be crucial for users worried about losing files or images when trying to reinstall or restore their Windows 11 installation. Titled “Fix problems with Windows Update,” you can reinstall Windows 11 using Windows Update. Microsoft is testing the feature with Beta channel users, and a screenshot shared by the company in July shows that the new setting can be found in Settings > System > Recovery in Windows 11. However, some critics consider the function unnecessary.
Currently, if you want to repair or reinstall the installed version of Windows, you need to perform an “in-place upgrade” using the Media Creation Tool. This process allows you to keep all your files, settings and installed applications but reinstall the current version of Windows or sometimes newer versions without losing any files. Windows upgrades are generally considered a long and tedious process, and some users are afraid of losing their files or images. Microsoft is working to address this issue in a future version of Windows 11.
The company is apparently preparing to introduce a new feature called “Fix problems with Windows Update.” Microsoft first mentioned this feature in a blog post about six months ago, but its implementation in public trials of Windows 11 suggests it's almost ready for launch. You can find it in Settings > System > Recovery in Windows 11. Currently, it's only available to Windows Canary Channel members, who have the opportunity to test the new features before they become more widely available.
This feature could be particularly useful for users who want to reinstall, update or repair the operating system without losing files, documents, images, videos or applications. This process reinstalls your operating system and does not delete any files, settings, or applications. Devices may need to complete recent updates before this process takes effect, the company explains in the blog post published last July. In online forums, users are skeptical about the supposed advantages of this new function.
One reviewer notes: I'm assuming this is about backing up and restoring user files. Most users do not perform regular backups, and by today's standards, gigabytes of personal data quickly accumulate, which takes time to transfer to cheap removable media. However, I would never use such a feature on Windows without a proper backup, which makes this feature completely unnecessary. But of all the “innovations” Windows has made recently, it seems to be the least problematic and easiest to ignore.
Although this and the new option allow users to do the same, the upgrade is known to be quite a lengthy process. With the new feature, Microsoft claims that the Windows recovery process will be faster. Since Windows 10 there has been the option to reinstall Windows with the “Keep my files” function. This won't erase the hard drive, but will require you to reinstall applications, which requires a few hours of manual effort. I assume this solution does even less and leaves your applications intact? It would be nice if that were the case, says another reviewer.
Meanwhile, other critics view in-place updates and new Windows features as draconian measures presented as fixes to long-standing Windows bugs. This ignores the elephant in the room, which is the need to properly reinstall Windows. If it had been properly programmed and had diagnostics built in to prevent the accumulation of junk data, draconian tactics such as reinstalling the entire operating system would not have been necessary, says one critic. The feature elicits mixed reactions.
The new features could be integrated into the Windows 11 Moment 5 update, which is expected to roll out in February 2024. This is a cumulative update that is generally distributed through the Windows Update feature, like the previous Moment updates. According to analysts, this is also likely to be the last minor update for Windows 11 before a much larger update is planned for 2025. (Unofficial reports point to the arrival of Windows 12, a new operating system that could see Microsoft make Windows 12 a paid subscription model.)
Other new features in this minor release include new quality of life features such as better support for digital pens and the ability to uninstall certain apps such as Microsoft Edge, Bing, and Ads on Windows 11. The ability to uninstall standard Windows applications is part of Microsoft's efforts to comply with the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA). The DMA is one of two regulations the EU has adopted to combat the dominance of large internet companies and put an end to their anti-competitive practices.
The DMA requires digital platforms that are considered guardians of the Internet (i.e. those that have a significant influence on the internal market and serve as essential intermediaries for users) to comply with a series of obligations and prohibitions, under threat of financial sanctions of up to 10% of theirs worldwide sales.
Source: Microsoft
And you ?
What is your opinion on this topic?
What do you think of this new Windows 11 feature?
What do you think these advantages are compared to the options that already exist?
Do you also find this new feature completely unnecessary? For what ?
See also
Digital Markets Act: Microsoft will allow users to uninstall Edge and Bing and disable advertising on Windows 11 to comply with European legislation
A new leak suggests that Microsoft could switch Windows 12 to a paid subscription model
Windows 12 could see the light of day in 2024 as Intel has revealed Microsoft's “Windows Refresh” plans