Windows 10 KB4532693 Update Bug Hides User Data, Loads Wrong Profile

[steven36]

Reports are coming in that the Windows 10 KB4532693 cumulative update is loading an incorrect user profile and causing the user's desktop and Start Menu to be reset to default.

 

 

On February 11th, Microsoft released the Windows 10 v1909 and v1903 KB4532693 cumulative update as part of their February Patch Tuesday updates.

 

Since then, reports are starting to come in that after installing the update, some users state that their normal user profile is missing, their desktop files are missing, and everything was reset to default.

 

I first learned about this when a user posted in our Windows 10 Cumulative Updates KB4532693 post stating that their brother's computer experienced this problem after installing the update.

 

After doing some research, I also saw similar issues being reported in the Microsoft forums [1, 2, 3] where users installed the update and after logging in found their desktop files missing and the Start Menu reset.

 

"Hello.  Sorry to post a random question here, but a bit new at this.  Just installed the latest Feb 2020 Windows 10 updates.  Upon completion it appears to have reset the display to default windows system.  That is, all custom icons missing, background returned to windows logo, would not recognise my logon, set a temp logon."

 

Günter Born of Borncity posted about this problem happening to some of his readers and also linked to a different Microsoft Forums post titled "why has the latest windows update moved all my files into another user folder ending in .000?"

 

Born also mentions a tweet by Woody Leonhard where someone had experienced a similar issue.

 

 

In this case, a family member's account was being loaded into a temporary profile and their original profile had been renamed. After some Registry editing and folder renaming, the user was able to recover the profile and get things back to normal.

Loading into a temporary profile?

Based on the reports by affected users, it appears that a bug in the KB4532693 update is loading up a temporary profile to be used during the update process and failing to restore the user's profile when done. 

 

The good news is that the update is not wiping your data, but rather renaming the original user profile in the C:\Users folder. If you are affected by this issue, you can look in C:\Users and see if you have a renamed profile ending in .000 or .bak.

 

Unfortunately, restoring a profile through Registry edits may be a very difficult and risky task for many people.

 

As some people stated that they could resolve the issue by restarting Windows a few times or uninstalling the KB4532693 update, it is safer to go down this route first if you are affected by this issue.

 

BleepingComputer has reached out to Microsoft for more answers but has not heard back as of yet.

 

Source

[CrAKeN]

Another one? It seems Winbugs 10 will never stop giving surprises to its users. 

[Pete 12]

Another reason to backup , backup , BACKUP, etc................

[steinom]

Installed this without any issue...

[Karlston]

February Win10 1903 and 1909 cumulative update causing desktops to disappear

Reports are starting to pour in about a bug — or maybe a conflict — with the February cumulative update for Win10 1903 and 1909, KB 4532693. Installing the patch may leave your machine with a swapped-out main profile, removing all of your desktop icons and moving files into obscure places. Fingers now point to Avira. There’s a fix.

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OpenClipArt-Vectors (CC0)

Shortly after this month's massive Patch Tuesday dump dropped, several people reported that when they rebooted after installing the patch, their desktops appeared to be wiped clean — icons went missing, wallpaper replaced, desktop data nowhere to be seen.

 

Last night, Lawrence Abrams on BleepingComputer came up with a comprehensive diagnosis:

Based on the reports by affected users, it appears that a bug in the KB4532693 update is loading up a temporary profile to be used during the update process and failing to restore the user's profile when done. 

Which explains all of the symptoms I’ve seen [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].

 

Many people are in a tizzy — their desktop icons are gone, they can’t log onto their usual Admin account, and their files most definitely aren’t where they left them. Abrams has a bit of reassurance:

The good news is that the update is not wiping your data, but rather renaming the original user profile in the C:\Users folder. If you are affected by this issue, you can look in C:\Users and see if you have a renamed profile ending in .000 or .bak.

I’ve seen several reports that uninstalling the KB 4532693 patch solves the problem.

 

Günter Born picked up the baton overnight (U.S. time) and has come up with a tantalizing observation:

 

Currently I’m collecting information about the root cause. One user reported, that a bunch of 50 machines was affected, all using AVIRA antivirus, while the other machines without issues didn’t have AVIRA installed. But this is only a single voice. 

Of course, Microsoft hasn’t said anything. The official Win10 Release Information Status page hasn’t been updated since November. The Feedback Hub is useless, as usual (try searching for “KB 4532693”). The official Answers Forum doesn't have a clue.

 

So we’re back to helping Microsoft crowdsource patching bug reports for its multibillion-dollar product.

 

Did your desktop disappear after installing this month’s patches? Are you running Avira or Avast? Please let us know on AskWoody.

 

I swear, if somebody tells me again how Windows patches are getting better, I’m gonna bust a blood vessel. 

 

 

Source: February Win10 1903 and 1909 cumulative update causing desktops to disappear (Computerworld - Woody Leonhard)