Windows 10 October 2018 update may delete your files during upgrades
According to user reports, the latest Windows 1809 feature update is resulting in permanently deleted personal files.
Microsoft officially rolled out its Windows 10 October 2018 update (technically, version 1809) on Tuesday in conjunction with its updated Surface devices. But initial upgraders have begun to report the disappearance of files in their Documents and Pictures folders.
You might want to hit pause on that update -- here's how.
Users in r/Windows10 on Reddit and elsewhere have posted claims that after allowing the update to go through, many files attached to personal profiles, such as those in Documents and Pictures, have been deleted from their drives. Many of those missing files appear to be unretrievable, even with recovery software.
It's not happening to all users, but no one yet seems to have isolated the cause of the issue.
"Microsoft is aware of these reports and actively investigating," a company spokesperson said in a statement. We're in the lab upgrading systems to see what happens, as well.
Originally published 8:37 a.m. PT.
Updated 10:25 a.m. PT: Added Microsoft comment and note about our researching the problem.