ALERT: Windows 10 Update (KB4532693) Can Eat UP System Data

Microsoft released updates for Patch Tuesday a week ago. A few users who installed the updates encountered missing files and user profiles on their systems. Further investigation revealed that the culprit was Windows 10 update KB4532693. Microsoft has acknowledged the existence of an issue and is analyzing it.

What happens after installingKB4532693?

Several users have reported that settings, desktop, and Start menu boot in a default state as though a new account was created. Shortcuts pinned to desktop or taskbar were also missing.

The flaw identified was that during the installation of this update, the user gets switched to a temporary profile and the original user profile was backed up with a .000 or .bak extension. Upon completion of the installation, the normal user profile could not be restored due to an issue in this update.

That’s not all, the bug also deletes data from Documents, Downloads, and other user folders. There are reports of users facing boot failures and Blue Screens of Death (BSOD) too.

Affected Products

Windows 10 Systems

What TODO, when data is missing in the windows 10 update kb4532693?
Microsoft has acknowledged the issue and is working on a fix. In the meanwhile, it is suggested to follow these guidelines:

1) Check for the presence of folders with a .bak or .000 in C:\users folder. If any of these folders show the presence of your data, it is suggested verify and to back up the data to an external drive or cloud.2) Restart Windows 10 several times and check if the original profile gets restored.3) In case the profile is not restored to normal with step 2, it is recommended to uninstall the update following the instructions mentioned here.