It’s that time of the month again. Microsoft yesterday sent out its March 2022 Patch Tuesday cumulative updates. As usual, the release covers a bunch of fixes across a range of Microsoft’s services. Among the most notable patches is a fix for a Windows 11 and Windows 10 reset issue where some files would remain following a reset.
You may remember we discussed this problem back at the end of February. It is a cross-OS problem that was affecting both Windows 11 and Windows 10. Specifically, versions Windows 11 21H2, Windows 10 version 21H2, Windows 10 version 21H1, and Windows 10 version 20H2.
The issue stems from a Windows reset. When the OS starts up again, files and folders would still be present even though the reset should delete them. At the time of confirming the problem, Microsoft gave the following explanation:
“When attempting to reset a Windows device with apps which have folders with reparse data, such as OneDrive or OneDrive for Business, files which have been downloaded or synced locally from OneDrive might not be deleted when selecting the “Remove everything” option. This issue might be encountered when attempting a manual reset initiated within Windows or a remote reset.”
Fix
It seems this problem is a local files-only issue, so files held exclusively on the cloud are not affected. Microsoft told anyone resetting their Windows that downloaded and local files would remain when restarting the OS.
Microsoft offered a couple of workarounds to tide users over until a permanent fix was available. That solution is now here through the March 2022 Patch Tuesday updates. However, in the its release notes for the fix, Microsoft says this is a slow burner to initiate:
“Some devices might take up to seven (7) days after you install this update to fully address the issue and prevent files from persisting after a reset. For immediate effect, you can manually trigger Windows Update Troubleshooter using the instructions in Windows Update Troubleshooter.”
If you are running Windows 11, the fix shows as KB5011493 (OS Build 22000.556).
Tip of the day: If your PC keeps connecting to the wrong WiFi network, you can set WiFi priority to avoid the need to manually select access points over and over again.
