2023-12-27 18:23:29
A new option spotted in Windows Update could be a game-changer for users who fear losing files or images when trying to reinstall or recover their Windows 11 installation. Titled “Fix problems using Windows Update”, it allows you to 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 a superfluous.
Currently, if you want to repair or reinstall the installed version of Windows, you must 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 worry about losing their files or images. Microsoft is working to address this concern in a future version of Windows 11.
The company appears to be 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 members of the Windows Canary Channel, 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 operation reinstalls the operating system you have and does not delete any files, settings or applications. Devices may need to complete current updates 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 user files. Most users don’t perform regular backups, and by today’s standards it’s easy to quickly accumulate gigabytes of personal data, which take time to move to cheap removable media. That said, I would never use such a feature on Windows without a proper backup, which makes this feature completely unnecessary. But of all the “innovations” that Windows has made recently, it seems the least problematic and the easiest to ignore.
Although this and the new option allow users to do the same thing, upgrading is known to be a fairly lengthy process. With the new feature, Microsoft claims that the Windows recovery process will be faster. Since Windows 10, there is an option to reinstall Windows with the “Keep my files” function. It doesn’t erase the disk, but you have to reinstall applications, which takes a few hours of manual effort. I assume this solution does even less, and leaves your applications intact? It would be nice, if that’s the case, says another reviewer.
Meanwhile, other critics view in-place updating and new Windows functionality as draconian measures presented as a solution to long-standing Windows bugs. This ignores the elephant in the room, namely the need to properly reinstall Windows. If it had been programmed correctly and included diagnostics that prevented the accumulation of junk, there would not have been a need for draconian tactics such as reinstalling the entire operating system, says one critical. The feature draws mixed reactions.
The new features could be integrated into the Windows 11 Moment 5 update which is expected to be rolled out in February 2024. This will be a cumulative update which will generally be distributed through the Windows Update function, as were the previous updates “Moment”. According to analysts, this should also be the last minor update to Windows 11, before a much larger update planned for 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 default Windows applications is registered as 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 to be guardians of the Internet (i.e. those which have a significant impact on the internal market and which serve as essential intermediaries for users) to respect a set of obligations and prohibitions, under penalty of financial sanctions. of up to 10% of their global turnover.
Source : Microsoft
And you ?
What is your opinion on the subject?
What do you think of this new Windows 11 feature?
In your opinion, what are these advantages compared to the options that already exist?
Do you also find this new feature completely unnecessary? For what ?
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