Microsoft edges nearer to simplifying Windows 11 repairs with 'Fix Problems using Windows Update' feature


A few months have passed since we first heard about Microsoft's plans to simplify the process of reinstalling Windows 11. Once a lengthy and potentially nightmarish task that could involve the loss of files and settings, the reinstallation of Windows 11 is in line for a serious revamp.
A new option called 'Fix Problems using Windows Update' is in the pipeline. We have already seen it referenced in Dev builds of Windows 11, but now it has progressed up the line to the beta channel, signifying that a wider launch is imminent.
Microsoft hides secret 'Fix problems using Windows Update' in latest Windows 11 dev build


When Microsoft released Windows 11 build 23516 a few days ago, the biggest change was billed as being improvements to screen casting. There were other changes, fixes and additions that Microsoft shouted about, but there was also a hidden feature that the company kept quiet about.
Cast your mind back a few months and you may recall that we learned of Microsoft plans to introduce the option to fix problems with Windows 11 using Windows Update. This handy feature is now available in the latest Dev build of Windows 11, but it is hidden and disabled by default. With the help of ViVeTool -- or Microsoft's own StagingTool -- however, it can be enabled.
Microsoft is working on a new reinstall feature to let you fix Windows 11 without losing files, apps or settings


Windows 11 is getting a new recovery feature lets you repair with losing files, apps or settings. Microsoft is currently testing the "Fix problems using Windows Update" option in preview builds of Windows 11.
The feature is an alternative to completely reinstalling Windows 11 from scratch and having to reconfigure all of your software and settings. It is also more advanced than a typical in-place reinstallation of the operating system and is -- in theory, at least -- more likely to fix issues. Here's everything we know about the upcoming "Fix problems using Windows Update" recovery feature.
Do you trust Microsoft enough to use Windows 11's new 'Fix problems using Windows Update' feature?


Updates for Windows 11 have proved to be astonishingly problematic over the last year and a half. Just about every patch and update that has been released has ended up causing new issues that have had to be addressed with yet another update.
Considering the problems caused by Windows Update, it is interesting to see a new option Microsoft is working on at the moment. Hidden in the latest Insider builds of Windows 11 is a new addition to the Recovery tools in the System section of the Settings app: Fix problems using Windows Update.
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