Windows 10: Microsoft Tests Cloud Rebuild Recovery Option in Windows 11 Insider Builds

Microsoft is testing a new Cloud Rebuild recovery option in the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) on Windows 11. This was identified through strings found in recent Insider builds by XenoPanther and reported by PureInfoTech.

The feature appears under Advanced Options in WinRE and is part of the Experimental 25H2 channel.

Microsoft has not officially announced Cloud Rebuild, and it is not currently available in public or beta versions of Windows 11. The code refers to the internal feature name as Servicing_DeviceRebuild_WinREUX.

What Cloud Rebuild Could Do In Windows 11


Cloud Rebuild would allow users to restore Windows 11 by downloading a fresh copy of the operating system from Microsoft's servers, similar to the existing cloud download reset option.

This approach guarantees the reinstalled version is the latest and most secure build, rather than a locally stored older image. Based on the strings identified so far, Cloud Rebuild appears not to preserve user files or applications during the restoration.

Files and installed apps seem to be wiped as part of the process, requiring users to restore them from a separate backup. Microsoft has not yet published official documentation for Cloud Rebuild, so the exact details of how it will work remain uncertain until the feature is officially announced.

PureInfoTech points out that internal links related to Cloud Rebuild reference support pages for Quick Machine Recovery.

Microsoft has not officially confirmed this connection, but the discovery indicates that Cloud Rebuild might become part of the automated recovery process instead of a manual reset option.

If this connection is correct, the recovery process could work as follows:

• Windows 11 detects that a device can no longer boot properly.
• The system first attempts to repair the installation using Quick Machine Recovery.
• If those repairs fail, Windows Recovery Environment offers Cloud Rebuild as the next option.
• Cloud Rebuild then downloads a fresh image from Microsoft's servers and reinstalls the operating system without the need for installation media or manual intervention.

This approach could reduce the reliance on USB installation media in cases where a device cannot boot into Windows.

When Cloud Rebuild Might Become Available


The Cloud Rebuild feature is visible in the Experimental 25H2 channel of the Windows Insider Program. Currently, it doesn't function in a user-facing mode, and Microsoft has not announced when or if it will move to Beta, Release Preview, or become generally available.

Users running the standard Windows 11 release should not expect to see Cloud Rebuild anytime soon. Insiders enrolled in the Experimental channel can monitor future flight releases for the potential activation of this feature.

If you're using Windows 11 today, there's no need to take any action. The recovery options available now will continue to work as they always have, including resetting your PC with a local reinstall, performing a cloud download reset, using System Restore points, accessing or WinRE repair and troubleshooting tools, or creating a recovery drive through the Control Panel.

For those who want to be prepared for potential recovery scenarios, it's advisable to create a full system backup with Windows Backup or a third-party tool.

You should also save a recovery drive on a USB stick via Settings under System and Recovery, verify that your BitLocker recovery keys are backed up to your Microsoft account or printed, and ensure important files are synced to OneDrive or another cloud storage service.

The cloud download reset option found in Settings under System and Recovery offers a similar function to what was previously called Cloud Rebuild, providing an easy way to reset your system using cloud resources.

What Windows 11 Users Should Do Now


Cloud Rebuild currently appears only as internal strings in Windows 11 Experimental 25H2 Insider builds. It is not available for end users and has not been officially announced by Microsoft.

The feature is not present in stable Windows 11 releases. Microsoft has not provided a timeline for rollout nor confirmed if or when Cloud Rebuild will become a public feature.

Users interested in updates can follow the Windows Insider Blog for future announcements and check the Experimental channel flight notes for any changes related to the feature.

Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Microsoft Tests Cloud Rebuild Recovery Option in Windows 11 Insider Builds appeared first on gHacks.

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Windows OS Builds List

Windows Operating Systems Builds List by Matthew Smith
*Many Builds Are Subject To Change Due To Various Sources
NOTE: the listing titles are in order from the order in the actual list, anything added in v8 will show which beta it was updated in to keep you guys informed on what changes were made where, as of 8.0 BETA 8, 7.1 is obsolete, but will keep it up to show how many changes I've made.


NOTE 2: each new list version doesn't just come up with more builds but might come with renaming/removing/replacing of the builds aswel to show proper release names such as,
Release Candidate, RTM, Pre-Beta, etc.
Enjoy


Windows OS Builds Lists - http://www.T4CFantasy.com/WOS/
Currently 5583 Builds Listed
Microsoft DOS / OS/2 (Currently 118 Builds Listed) 8.4.0 Alpha 1
- Microsoft BASIC (Currently 5 Builds Listed) 8.4.0 Alpha 1
- Microsoft Xenix (Currently 4 Builds Listed) 8.4.0 Alpha 1
- Microsoft DOS 1.x (Currently 6 Builds Listed) 8.4.0 Alpha 1
- Microsoft DOS 2.x (Currently 18 Builds Listed) 8.4.0 Alpha 1
- Microsoft DOS 3.x (Currently 27 Builds Listed) 8.4.0 Alpha 1
- Microsoft DOS 4.x (Currently 6 Builds Listed) 8.4.0 Alpha 1
- Microsoft DOS 5.x (Currently 23 Builds Listed) 8.4.0 Alpha 1
- Microsoft DOS 6.x (Currently 24 Builds Listed) 8.4.0 Alpha 1
- Microsoft DOS 7.x (Currently 4 Builds Listed) 8.4.0 Alpha 1
- Microsoft DOS 8.x (Currently 1 Build Listed) 8.4.0 Alpha 1

Microsoft Windows Emedded CE (Currently 138 Builds Listed)
- Microsoft Windows Embedded CE 1.x (Currently 4 Builds Listed) 8.4.0 Alpha 1
- Microsoft Windows Embedded CE 2.x (Currently 9 Builds Listed) 8.4.0 Alpha 1
- Microsoft Windows Embedded CE 3.x (Currently 6 Builds Listed) 8.4.0 Alpha 1
- Microsoft Windows Embedded CE 4.x (Currently 9 Builds Listed) 8.4.0 Alpha 1
- Microsoft Windows Embedded CE 5.x (Currently 45 Builds Listed) 8.4.0 Alpha 1
- Microsoft Windows Embedded CE 6.x (Currently 3 Builds Listed) 8.4.0 Alpha 1
- Microsoft Windows Embedded Compact 7 (Currently 32 Builds Listed) 8.4.0 Alpha 1
- Microsoft Windows Embedded Compact 8 (Currently 30 Builds Listed) 8.4.0 Alpha 1

Microsoft Windows Operating Systems (Currently 5316 Builds Listed)
- Microsoft Windows 1.x (Currently 14 Builds Listed) 8.1.0 BETA
- Microsoft Windows 2.x (Currently 10 Builds Listed) 8.1.0 BETA
- Microsoft Windows 3.x (Currently 59 Builds Listed) 8.4.0 Alpha 1
- Microsoft Windows 3.x For Workgroups (Currently 7 Builds Listed) 8.4.0 Alpha 1
- Microsoft Windows For Pen Computing 1.0 (Currently 5 Builds Listed) 8.1.0 BETA 4
- Microsoft Windows For Pen Computing 2.0 (Currently 1 Builds Listed) 8.1.0 BETA 3
- Microsoft Windows NT 3.1x (Currently 31Builds Listed) 8.4.0 Alpha 1
- Microsoft Windows NT 3.5x (Currently 78 Builds Listed) 8.4.0 Alpha 1
- Microsoft Windows BackOffice Server 1.5 (Currently 1 Build Listed) 8.1.0 BETA
- Microsoft Windows NT 4.x (Currently 104 Builds Listed) 8.4.0 Alpha 1
- Microsoft Windows BackOffice Server 4.0 (Currently 1 Build Listed) 8.1.0 BETA
- Microsoft Windows BackOffice Server 4.5 (Currently 1 Build Listed) 8.1.0 BETA
- Microsoft Windows Terminal Server 4.0 (Currently 3 Builds Listed) 8.1.0 BETA
- Microsoft Windows BackOffice Small Business Server 4.0 (Currently 1 Build Listed) 8.1.0 BETA
- Microsoft Windows BackOffice Small Business Server 4.5 (Currently 1 Build Listed) 8.1.0 BETA
- Microsoft Windows 95 (Currently 224 Builds Listed) 8.4.0 Alpha 1
- Microsoft Windows 96 / Nashville (Currently 7 Builds Listed) 8.2.0 Alpha 4a
- Microsoft Windows 97 / Memphis (Currently 12 Builds Listed) 8.2.0 Alpha 4a
- Microsoft Windows 98 (Currently 151 Builds Listed) 8.4.0 Alpha 1
- Microsoft Windows Me (Currently 58 Builds Listed) 8.4.0 Alpha 1
- Microsoft Windows 2000 (Currently 279 Builds Listed) 8.4.0 Alpha 1
- Microsoft Windows BackOffice Server 2000 (Currently 2 Build Listed) 8.1.0 BETA 9
- Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2000 (Currently 2 Builds Listed) 8.1.0 BETA
- Microsoft Windows Neptune (Currently 8 Builds Listed) 8.2.0 Beta 2
- Microsoft Windows XP (Currently 1226 Builds Listed) 8.4.0 Alpha 1
- Microsoft Windows XP Embedded (Currently 3 Builds Listed) 8.1.0 BETA 6
- Microsoft Windows Server 2003 (Currently 186 Builds Listed) 8.4.0 Alpha 1
- Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 (Currently 2 Builds Listed) 8.1.0 BETA
- Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 (Currently 1 Build Listed) 8.1.0 BETA
- Microsoft Windows .NET Server 2003 R2 (Currently 5 Builds Listed) 8.0.0 BETA 4
- Microsoft Windows Embedded for Point of Service (Currently 1 Build Listed) 8.1.0 BETA
- Microsoft Windows Embedded Standard 2009 (Currently 2 Builds Listed) 8.1.0 BETA
- Microsoft Windows Embedded POSReady 2009 (Currently 1 Build Listed) 8.1.0 BETA
- Microsoft Windows Vista (Currently 713 Builds Listed) 8.4.0 Alpha 1
- Microsoft Windows Server 2008 (Currently 483 Builds Listed) 8.1.0 BETA
- Microsoft Windows 7 (Currently 580 Builds Listed) 8.4.0 Alpha 1
- Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 (Currently 364 Builds Listed) 8.1.0 BETA 5
- Microsoft Windows HPC Server 2008 (Currently 8 Builds Listed) 8.0.2 BETA
- Microsoft Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 (Currently 12 Builds Listed) 8.1.0 BETA 5
- Microsoft Windows Hyper-V Server 2008 (Currently 5 Builds Listed) 8.2.0 Beta 1
- Microsoft Windows Storage Server 2008 (Currently 2 Builds Listed) 8.0.2 BETA
- Microsoft Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 (Currently 3 Builds Listed) 8.0.2 BETA
- Microsoft Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials (Currently 1 Build Listed) 8.0.3 BETA
- Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2008 (Currently 3 Builds Listed) 8.0.1 BETA 2
- Microsoft Windows Essential Business Server 2008 (Currently 14 Builds Listed) 8.0.2 BETA
- Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Foundation (Currently 1 Build Listed) 8.1.0 BETA 6
- Microsoft Windows Home Server (Currently 20 Builds Listed) 8.0.2 BETA
- Microsoft Windows Home Server 2011 (Currently 10 Builds Listed) 8.1.0 BETA 7
- Microsoft Windows MultiPoint Server 2010 (Currently 2 Builds Listed) 8.0.0 BETA 5
- Microsoft Windows MultiPoint Server 2011 (Currently 6 Builds Listed) 8.1.0 BETA 7
- Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials (Currently 4 Builds Listed) 8.0.3 BETA
- Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2011 (Currently 7 Builds Listed) 8.1.0 BETA
- Microsoft Windows Embedded Standard 7 (Currently 6 Builds Listed) 8.0.3 BETA
- Microsoft Windows Embedded POSReady 7 (Currently 3 Builds Listed) 8.1.0 BETA 5
- Microsoft Windows Thin PC (Currently 3 Builds Listed) 8.1.0 BETA 5
- Microsoft Windows 8 (Currently 419 Builds Listed) 8.4.0 Alpha 1
- Microsoft Windows Server 2012 (Currently 161 Builds Listed) 8.4.0 Alpha 1
- Microsoft Windows Server 2012 Essentials (Currently 2 Builds Listed) 8.4.0 Alpha 1

 

Windows 11 Insider builds take an EXTREMELY long time to install

This is listed as know issue on Dev channel release announcement.

• Some users are experiencing longer than expected update times installing recent builds. We are actively investigating this issue.
  

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25281 | Windows Insider Blog

 

Lost default photo viewer after profile rebuild

Thanks Brink. I've tried those steps before i started searching Google. After the profile rebuild i don't have the Photo app listed to choose to make it default in either the system settings for default apps or the Open With option.

I can't even find it doing a search. Seems to have been removed somehow with the profile rebuild, which doesn't make sense.

Might be helpful to list what i've done I've done the open with check, the choose default program in the system menu, tried that in device manager default programs also. I've checked the programs and features Turn windows features on/off and it's not listed there (never thought it was but that was a suggestion), searched the MS Store, it's not listed there either.

I don't like playing in the registry unless i have defined steps and haven't found anything for this yet, just the Win7 version like in my OP.