Windows 10 WARNING – users say new update is DELETING their files, photos, music and video
A major update to Microsoft's computer software is playing havoc with some user's files
WINDOWS users are saying the latest update to their computers is deleting their files.
The Sun has seen dozens of reports about the issue online, with frustrated customers warning that they've lost photos and financial documents.
Earlier this week, Microsoft released its long-awaited Windows 10 October 2018 Update.
It adds handy new features, like a cloud-based clipboard that lets you share copied content across computers.
But a worrying number of users have also complained that their files have been deleted after the update – as first spotted by .
One user, posting to Microsoft's official support on Thursday, wrote: "Last night I updated to 1809 and it all went smoothly, but then I find that all my files in Documents are DELETED. Gone. Poof.
"This included many crucial documents and financial info.
"Yes, I have a backup...but this is pretty bad."
Another user on said: "Windows 1809 update wiped my documents.
"So after updating I discovered that my documents, pictures, music, videos are gone. Wtf? How can I recover them?"
Several Reddit threads have sprung up about the issue.
Affected users are warning each other not to download the new update.
In a statement, a Microsoft spokesperson told The Sun: "Microsoft is aware of these reports and actively investigating."
Fortunately, the latest Windows 10 update isn't being automatically installed for general users yet.
But if you install it manually, you may be at risk of losing all of your files.
Windows 10 update 'deletion' issue – what went wrong, and how to stay safe
Here's what Tim Mackey, senior technical evangelist at Synopsys, told The Sun...
"This issue illustrates part of the problem when vendors rely heavily on automated testing – detecting unintended consequences can be a challenge.
"Automation requires a test framework to run a sequence of actions and detect that the result was either expected.
"If it wasn’t expected, then a defect can be logged. Detecting any unexpected actions, in this case the deletion of user content, requires the test developer to first recognize the potential for the unexpected outcome, and then detect it.
"Since this is a complex process, most vendors use a mix of automated tests and humans when testing complex systems.
"In this case part of what we’re seeing with the update to 1809 are experiences from those early adopters who are manually updating their systems.
"The core lesson for everyone is that before installing or updating any software, including Windows, make certain you have a current backup of your data.
"An update to Windows may be the current problem, but so too could a hardware failure on your computer."
One particularly frustrated user posted in a Reddit : "Just had this happen to a client of mine. Laptop with Windows 10 Home.
"Yesterday, it wanted to update to 1809, so he let it go.
"It completes and he boots and logs in – and notices that all of his Documents and Pictures are gone.
"His background image is there. His desktop is there. His iTunes music is there. But all of his Documents and Pictures and gone."
Another said: "This happened to both of our Win10 PCs.
"It doesn't bother me since I mainly use MacBook, but my wife lost all her photos and documents from [the] past five years. Anything we can do to get them back?"
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If you want to update your machine to the latest version of Windows 10, make sure to back up all of your files first.
It's possible that the alleged file-deletion may not be reversible – meaning your files may be gone forever.
Have you experienced any issues with Windows 10 lately? Let us know in the comments!
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