Author: Martin Brinkmann

Microsoft has paused the rollout of the June 2024 preview update for Windows 11. The company says that it may cause booting issues on affected devices.

Good to know: preview updates are optional updates. These should be considered beta. All included fixes and features are included in the coming month’s cumulative update for the operating system.

A new entry on the official Windows Health Dashboard website confirms this.

Here are the main points:

• Windows 11 devices with the preview update installed may fail to start.
• The device may restart multiple times.
• Recovery operations may be required to fix the issue and restore booting into Windows.

Microsoft says that the issue is “more likely to affect devices utilizing virtual machines tools and nested virtualization feature”. Engineers analyze and debug the issue to “determine the precise conditions under which this issue can trigger”.

Rollout of the update KB5039302 is paused

Microsoft has paused the update while it is investigating the issue. Pausing means that users who seek for it won’t get it offered on their devices.

Windows Home devices are less likely to be affected according to Microsoft, as virtualization is less commonly used.

While it is still possible to download the preview update from the Microsoft Update Catalog website, it is not recommended because of the issue.

Affected devices may have their functionality restored either through automatic repairs or by manually removing the update from the operating system.

Closing Words

It is usually a good idea to skip any preview updates that Microsoft releases. While it may sometimes be tempting to be “first”, they tend to introduce bugs and issues frequently.

The next cumulative update is just a few weeks away, and all fixes and features are included in those as well.

There are just a few cases where it makes sense to install a preview update:

• If they fix a critical issue that is experienced on a device.
• For testing purposes.

What about you? Do you install optional Windows updates, or do you prefer to skip those?

Your data is getting backed up automatically, if you sign-in to a new Windows 11 PC using a Microsoft account.

Windows setup is taking longer and longer to complete. Microsoft is adding new screens to the setup process on a regular basis. Besides ads, for testing Game PC, setup has other pitfalls that many users may want to avoid.

The upcoming Windows 11 version 24H2 makes another change that is going to hit users full in the face once they realize what is happening. Problem is, it may take a while before they realize it.

Here is what has changed: when you sign in using a Microsoft account, your data is automatically synced using OneDrive. That is to be expected, but Microsoft is now also backing up certain folders from the new Windows installation that reside outside the OneDrive folder automatically.

In other words, files may get backed up that you do not want to end up in the cloud. By default, Documents, Pictures, and Desktop folders are getting backed up. If you place the wrong file(s) there, you risk having your account disabled. Even worse, files that you do not want in the cloud may be uploaded to it automatically.

Note: we are still talking pre-release version. There is a chance that Microsoft is changing the behavior before public release.

OneDrive backs up files to the cloud automatically

Neowin was the first to report about it, but they provided no source. I downloaded the latest official Windows 11 version 24H2 to put this to the test.

Fired up a virtual machine using VMWare and started the installation. I kept everything set to the default values, which is probably what most Windows users do. I signed-in using a Microsoft account, as this is the one requirement to get OneDrive up and running.

Tip: you can check out my guide on bypassing the Microsoft account requirement in Windows 11.

It took a while for setup to finish, but the Windows 11 desktop loaded eventually. I noticed that OneDrive was starting to sync files from the cloud storage to the local system. This is also an automated process, which can push device storage to the limit.

When things settled down, I checked OneDrive > Settings > Sync and backup > Manage backup to find out if OneDrive was configured to back up certain folders automatically.

The next screen confirmed this. OneDrive was backing up Desktop, Documents, and Pictures automatically. It never asked whether it could do that.

While it is somewhat okay to get data that is in the cloud synced to the local PC, backing up files automatically without getting consent is a whole new dimension.

What you can do about it

• Skip signing in to a Microsoft account during setup. If you have troubles, try using Rufus to prepare the Windows ISO image.
• If you sign in with a Microsoft account, consider creating a new account.
• Once setup completes, go the OneDrive settings and turn the backup option off.
• Another option is to create a local account after setup completes and use it from that moment on. You can delete the Microsoft account.

Closing Words

With Microsoft making it difficult to set up Windows without a Microsoft account, it appears that many Windows 11 users will have data copied to the cloud once Windows 11 version 24H2 hits.

What is your take on this? Do you use OneDrive or other file syncing services?

Last week, Microsoft unintentionally explained why offline accounts are better in Windows. It does not seem to have taken long for Microsoft to realize that listing instructions to switch to local accounts was not the best strategy for a company that is doing everything in its might to make the creation of local accounts as awkward and irritating as possible.

What you need to know: local accounts are device-specific. They are not known to Microsoft and no data gets synced. Microsoft has a vetted interest in getting customers to use Microsoft accounts. This binds them to Microsoft and gives Microsoft more data.

Microsoft updated the support page recently. While it still lists the benefits of local accounts as well as Microsoft accounts, it no longer reveals to users how to create one or switch to using a local account.

Now, that support page is focused almost entirely on Microsoft accounts. (via Neowin)

Here is an overview of the page’s content after the update:

• Explains the differences between local and Microsoft accounts.
• Lists the benefits of Microsoft accounts.
• Lists the benefits of local accounts.
• Explains how to switch from a local account to a Microsoft account.
• Links to another support page entitled “What is a Microsoft account”.

The instructions to switch from a Microsoft account to a local account were removed.

How to switch from a Microsoft account to a local account in Windows 11

Thankfully, the Internet rarely forgets. Here they are again:

1. In the Settings app on your Windows device, select Accounts > Your info, or use the following shortcut: Your info
2. Select Sign in with a local account instead. You’ll see this link only if you’re using a Microsoft account
3. Type the username, password, and password hint. The username must be different than any others on the device
4. Select Next, then select Sign out and finish. Sign back in with your new local account

Closing Words

Here is a funny idea: maybe it is time to give customers what they want. Restore the option to create a local account during Windows setup and let customers decide. It is fine to make the Microsoft account the default.

This alone would make lots of Windows users happy who want to use a local account. It means that they won’t have to go to Settings to switch the Microsoft account to a local account, cursing Microsoft all the way of the process for being anti-consumer in this regard. The vast majority of users would still select a Microsoft account, giving Microsoft what it wants.

What about you? Do you prefer using a Microsoft account or a local account?