Microsoft has fixed a fatal error in the reset function of Windows 10 and 11. Under certain circumstances, data was not completely removed as expected, but could instead be retrieved later. An update now provides a remedy – but not immediately.
Version:Build 21H2
Languages:German English
License:full version
Platforms:Windows, Windows 9x
Original article:
Windows 10 and 11: “Reset” failed
If you want to sell a PC or notebook, you should reset the system beforehand in order to completely remove your own data. Microsoft offers its own tool for Windows 10 and 11 for this purpose. Now the company has publicly confirmed that “reset” is not always successful. become partial not all data of the user is removed. This leads to a security problem since files can be accessed again later.
According to Microsoft, the problem only occurs when users rely on the OneDrive cloud solution. To all appearances the files stored there remain available locallywhen “Remove everything and reinstall Windows” is selected. Individual and corporate OneDrive accounts are equally affected (source: Microsoft). Files that are only backed up in the cloud and not locally are not affected by the error.
According to the group, the reset function of Windows 10 and 11 can still be used safely if the Lost connection to OneDrive account will. So it is probably sufficient to log out of OneDrive before the reset is carried out. Alternatively, OneDrive can be uninstalled.
Windows 11 can also be installed on older computers:
Make reset Windows computers safe afterwards
If Windows computers with existing OneCloud access have already been reset, Microsoft recommends this Delete the Windows.old folder. If you don’t want to do this manually, you can also perform the removal via the settings under “Storage”.