A new option spotted in Windows Update could be a game-changer for users who fear losing files or pictures when they try to reinstall or repair their Windows 11 installation. Titled “Fix problems using Windows Update,” it lets you reinstall Windows 11 using Windows Update. Microsoft is testing the feature with beta channel users, and a screenshot shared by the company in July indicates that the new setting can be found by going to Settings > System > Recovery on Windows 11. Some critics, however, call the feature superfluous.
Currently, if you want to repair or reinstall the installed version of Windows, you need to perform an “in-place upgrade” using 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 updates are generally considered a long and tedious process, and some users fear losing files or pictures. Microsoft is working to fix this issue in a future version of Windows 11.
It appears that the company is preparing to launch a new feature called “Fix problems using Windows Update.” Microsoft first mentioned this feature about six months ago in a blog post, but its implementation in public test builds of Windows 11 suggests it’s almost ready for launch. It can be found by going to Settings > System > Recovery on Windows 11. It is currently only available to Windows Canary Channel members, who have the opportunity to test the new features before they are more widely available.
This feature could be especially useful for users who want to reinstall, update or repair the operating system without losing files, documents, images, videos or applications. This reinstalls your operating system and does not delete any files, settings, or applications. You may need to complete current updates on your devices before this process takes effect, the company explains in the blog post published last July. On online forums, users are skeptical about the supposed benefits of this new feature.
One reviewer notes: I assume this is about backing up and restoring the user’s files. Most users don’t take regular backups, and by today’s standards, it’s easy to quickly accumulate gigabytes of personal data, which takes time to move onto cheap removable media. That said, I would never use a feature like this on Windows without a proper backup, which makes this feature completely useless. But of all the “innovations” Windows has made recently, it seems the least problematic and the easiest to ignore.
While this option and the new one allow users to do the same thing, updating is known to be quite a lengthy process. With the new feature, Microsoft says the Windows recovery process will be faster. Starting with Windows 10, there is an option to reinstall Windows with the “Keep my files” feature. It doesn’t erase the disk, but you have to reinstall applications, which requires a few hours of manual work. 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 see the in-place upgrade and new Windows features as draconian measures presented as a fix to long-standing Windows bugs. This ignores the elephant in the room, namely the need to properly reinstall Windows. “If it had been programmed properly and included diagnostics that prevented junk from accumulating, there would have been no need for draconian tactics like reinstalling the entire operating system,” says one critic. The feature elicits mixed reactions.
The new features could be integrated into the Windows 11 Moment 5 update, which is scheduled to launch in February 2024. This will be a cumulative update that will generally be distributed via the Windows Update feature, as previous “Moment” updates were. According to analysts, this should also be the last minor update of Windows 11, before a much larger update expected in 2025. (Unofficial reports suggest the arrival of Windows 12, a new operating system through which Microsoft could make Windows 12 a paid subscription model).)
Other new features in this minor release include new quality-of-life features, such as better digital pen support, and the ability to uninstall certain apps, such as Microsoft Edge, Bing, and Ads on Windows 11. The ability to uninstall Windows default apps makes part of Microsoft’s efforts to comply with the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). The DMA is one of two regulations adopted by the EU to combat the dominance of large internet companies and put an end to their anti-competitive practices.
The DMA requires digital platforms considered custodians of the Internet (i.e. those that have a significant impact on the internal market and that act as essential intermediaries for users) to comply with a set of obligations and prohibitions, under penalty of financial penalties. to 10% of their global turnover.
Source:Microsoft
And she ?
What is your opinion on the topic?
What do you think of this new Windows 11 feature?
In your opinion, what are these advantages compared to existing options?
Do you also think that this new feature is completely useless? For what ?
See also
Digital Markets Act: Microsoft will allow users to uninstall Edge, Bing and disable advertising on Windows 11 to comply with European legislation
Microsoft may be moving Windows 12 to a paid subscription model, a new leak suggests
Windows 12 could see the light in 2024, Intel lets slip Microsoft’s “Windows update” plans
2023-12-27 18:23:29
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