It is real: Windows 10 October 2018 update can be deleting your files!

This question has been circulating everywhere on the internet: “Is Windows 10 October 2018 update deleting files?” The answer is Yes.

If you are a Windows fan or just a tech enthusiast obsessed with software updates, you will know that Microsoft releases two major Windows updates per year. The October 2018 update, whose code name is Redstone 5, is the second and final significant update for 2018 and has been out for some time now. It is now available for download on all Windows 10 devices.

We know that some users cannot contain their excitement about this update. But if you were looking forward to updating your PC this weekend or in the near future, we will advise you to take a pause because a pretty major issue has been discovered. The update is apparently randomly deleting users’ personal files according to several reports. Now, some people say they’ve simply had personal data directories like the documents folder shunted over to a separate drive, or a different folder, or for some reason the Recycle bin. Others are saying they’ve had files outright deleted with one user posting to the Microsoft Community website claiming that 120 gigabytes have vanished without a trace. Although Microsoft says it’s investigating the reports, there’s no word yet on when the fix might be coming.

So, in the meantime BACK UP YOUR FILES!!!

We cannot say for sure that Microsoft did not know about this bug. Windows 10 version 1809 has been in the Insider Program for long. There are usually lots of users who register for the Insider Program to test the version before it is officially released. Certainly, one or more of the users should have encountered the issue in question and reported to Microsoft. If the issue was reported, then it is for sure that Microsoft neglected or did not pay attention to it. Now, we are witnessing the aftermath of the neglect.

Now, if you right-click on the Start button and go to System, under the About tab, you can see your operating system version. Whatever your version may be, you don’t want to be updating this to 1809. Windows 10 version 1809 is plagued with issues with the CPU, the taskbar, task manager, Chrome, etc. Once your update, you are at risk of losing lots of data. The update itself is not being pushed out automatically. This is a good thing because other updates have been forced down our throats, whether we wanted them or not. You will have to physically go inside your Settings app, and inside the Update and Security section, you will have to click on Check for updates to get the latest version. If you are running the Windows 10 version 1803, do not click on the Check for updates option because it will roll out the 1809, which could delete all your data.

Now users are asking “What if my files are deleted after Windows 10 October 2018 update?” At the moment, Microsoft has not released any official statement of how to recover the data lost or if the data can even be recovered. We hope that a favorable fix will be provided by Microsoft because the number of files some users have lost is alarming.

Pro Tip: Maybe your computer is slow or files are taking a long time to copy to your hard drive

You could also be witnessing a longer boot-time. The reason for all of these issues could be problems with your hard drive. To fix this, we recommend than you download Auslogics Disk Defrag Pro. This tool will optimize all the drives in your system for better performance. It will clean your drives and make your system run better than before.

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