23 votes

Microsoft re-releases Windows 10 October 2018 update with explanation of data loss bug

Posted by talklittle
Tags: microsoft, windows.10, updates, data
https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2018/10/09/updated-version-of-windows-10-october-2018-update-released-to-windows-insiders/

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Title
Updated version of Windows 10 October 2018 Update released to Windows Insiders
Authors
John Cable
Published
Oct 9 2018
Word count
1123 words

6 comments

  1. [3]
    nothis
    (edited )
    Link
    Wow. I mean the human in me can see someone banging their head against the wall for missing that and I almost feel sorry for them but this is the biggest operating system on the planet. One would...

    This occurred if Known Folder Redirection (KFR) had been previously enabled, but files remain in the original “old” folder location vs being moved to the new, redirected location. KFR is the process of redirecting the known folders of Windows including Desktop, Documents, Pictures, Screenshots, Videos, Camera Roll, etc. from the default folder location, c:\users\username<folder name>, to a new folder location. In previous feedback from the Windows 10 April 2018 Update, users with KFR reported an extra, empty copy of Known Folders on their device. Based on feedback from users, we introduced code in the October 2018 Update to remove these empty, duplicate known folders. That change, combined with another change to the update construction sequence, resulted in the deletion of the original “old” folder locations and their content, leaving only the new “active” folder intact.

    Wow. I mean the human in me can see someone banging their head against the wall for missing that and I almost feel sorry for them but this is the biggest operating system on the planet. One would think testing would have caught that.

    The user used an early version of the OneDrive client and used the OneDrive settings to turn on the Auto save feature. This feature turned on KFR for the Documents and/or Pictures folders based on the user’s choice but did not move the existing files from the original “old” location to the new location.

    Fucking. Onedrive. I swear they tried to push that thing so hard, it took me weeks to find a way to shut it up.

    9 votes
    1. s4b3r6
      Link Parent
      So... A hack, to fix the hack of KFR, which was only necessary because Windows can't allow some default folders to by symlinked as they're hardboiled into several parts of the OS and programs...

      In previous feedback from the Windows 10 April 2018 Update, users with KFR reported an extra, empty copy of Known Folders on their device. Based on feedback from users, we introduced code in the October 2018 Update to remove these empty, duplicate known folders. That change, combined with another change to the update construction sequence, resulted in the deletion of the original “old” folder locations and their content, leaving only the new “active” folder intact.

      So... A hack, to fix the hack of KFR, which was only necessary because Windows can't allow some default folders to by symlinked as they're hardboiled into several parts of the OS and programs users expect will work, caused issues.

      7 votes
    2. Wren
      Link Parent
      That's what happens when you fire your entire QA department.

      One would think testing would have caught that

      That's what happens when you fire your entire QA department.

      4 votes
  2. [2]
    SleepyGary
    (edited )
    Link
    I feel like they are downplaying the extent of the damage that update did to the users affected. I never knowingly enabled KFR and avoid OneDrive like the plague, pretty sure I uninstalled it as...

    I feel like they are downplaying the extent of the damage that update did to the users affected. I never knowingly enabled KFR and avoid OneDrive like the plague, pretty sure I uninstalled it as much as one can; I just don't believe it's coincidence that the day of the update my profile was corrupted and executables for applications I installed went missing.

    5 votes
    1. unknown user
      Link Parent
      Hanlon's Razor + hacks-to-fix-hacks + lacking QA = mess. As a professional programmer, this shit happens all the time, just on a smaller scale.

      Hanlon's Razor + hacks-to-fix-hacks + lacking QA = mess. As a professional programmer, this shit happens all the time, just on a smaller scale.

      5 votes
  3. Wren
    Link
    "Your files are exactly where you left them" Oh the irony.

    "Your files are exactly where you left them"

    Oh the irony.

    1 vote