The Windows 10 October update was available for download around the time of the Surface event last week. While the update brought features like Your Phone App and Windows Timeline, users also experienced massive file deleting from their systems. Microsoft had excluded the update from some devices due to compatibility issues with newer processors.
The issue was reported by users in the early stages before mass rollout. Users could manually download and install the Windows October 2018 Update from October 2. Rollout was to be pushed October 9 for Patch Tuesday. Microsoft recommends contacting their customer support if the update has deleted your files.
The support site advices: “If you have manually downloaded the Windows 10 October 2018 Update installation media, please don’t install it and wait until new media is available.”
As of now, it is not known how many users faced this issue. Windows updates are not known to be smooth, causing some issues and errors. But it is unusual that an issue of this magnitude was not detected in Microsoft’s testing of the Windows update. Earlier this year, Microsoft had delayed the Windows 10 April 2018 because of Blue Screen of Death issues. But the issues in that update were rectified before the update reached regular users.
Fortunately, this update wasn’t mass rolled out and the issue was detected in an early stage. This serves as a reminder to users to create a backup of important files before an OS update. When Microsoft continues mass rollout of this update, the issue will be fixed, but it is safe to backup your data in any case.
The official support page states: “We have paused the rollout of the Windows 10 October 2018 Update (version 1809) for all users as we investigate isolated reports of users missing some files after updating.” There are comments on the support page, where users are stating the problem.
For more details visit the Microsoft support website.
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