Microsoft has begun fixing a bug with File History, a useful backup tool in Windows. It's definitely worth checking if you rely on the feature.

Unlike most backup tools, File History isn't designed to simply make a single copy of all files at a single given moment. Instead, it keeps track of changes to files so it can recreate a specific file at a specific moment. Tracking the changes means it doesn't have to take up space with multiple copies of each file. The tool requires users to keep an external or network drive connected to the computer.

The idea is to avoid the problem that restoring a computer to a moment before something went wrong with one file or application can mean losing changes to other files made since that point. It also helps reduce the need to decide between keeping backup sizes small and minimizing the time you need to go back before a problem happened.

September Update Issues

Unfortunately, it turns out that the September security update broke the feature and, to make things worse, Windows has begun giving users confusingly incorrect information. Affected computers mistakenly believe the drive is either no longer attached or is otherwise unusable, so have stopped making the backups. Users who happen to go into the feature settings are seeing a warning that they need to reconnect the drive, even though this is not actually the case and doesn't solve the problem. In some cases the dates and names of file backup records are incomplete or wrong, meaning successful backups are harder to use. (Source: windowslatest.com)

Manual Fix Available

Microsoft has issued a manual update that fixes the problem. It's only available for versions of Windows 11 which have had the major annual update from 2024. Windows 11 machines which are still running earlier versions (no longer supported) and Windows 10 computers have not yet had the fix at the time of writing.

The relevant update numbers are KB5124010 for Windows 11 25H2 and 24H2 and KB5124006 for Windows 11 26H1. They need to be manually installed through Windows Update at the moment as they are classed as Preview Updates. Both updates are scheduled to be automatically rolled out in October's "Patch Tuesday" update. (Source: zdnet.com)

What's Your Opinion?

Do you rely on Windows File History to protect your important data? How frustrating is it when a routine security update breaks an essential system feature? Do you prefer to wait for automatic patches or install preview updates manually to fix bugs?