Windows 10: Critical problem with Windows update 1809 second release - chkdsk /f DELETES Windows folder

The automatic update process during shutdown crashed.



Aftwards in boot the Windows loader showed bluscreen and could not find the windows installation any more (code 0xc0000225).

• Boot repair from 1809 USB installation medium failed
• Boot partition was already somehow missing on previous installtation (realized during cloning the system from the old SSD)
• creating a boot partition and installing bootloader was possible with the repair console (diskpart, bootrec, ...)
• creating the boot entries failed with error (windows was found but the entry could not be written
• chkdsk on Windows partition showed errors
• chkdsk /f DELETED the whole Windows folder!!

The only solution was to reinstall the complete system and get the data from backup. Repair update failed since no Windows intstallation was found any more.

• I tried the same with the original outdated SSD - it now also showed errors in the file system
• chkdsk /f DELETED the whole Windows folder again

1. WTF: Whatever happens to the system, it is never a solution to repair a filesystem by removing the Windows folder entry, even if the node is broken it should be repaired similar to common unerase tools
2. WTF: How ca an update corrupt a second installation - the disk was checked OK before updating
3. WTF: There are two maybe stupid but definitely error prone concepts in the Release update process
   1. Never touch, move, resize the system partiton, especially if there is no need to do so (on a different machine it even shrunk the hidden boot partition on a half filled 1TB SSD)
   2. Why can't you COPY the mission critical folders (Windows, User,...) and update these. Replacing by renaming on success is safe

System:

• Thinkpad P50
• Primary Windows installation on NVME SSD
  
• older Installation (unused) on sata SSD (used in this machine before upgrade)

After discussing with colleques I heard of two similar experiences during this update. This must not happen!


I do my daily work with an installtion wich was created as Win7 x64 in 2010 whis is updated regularily to a Win10 1809 by now. I know that updates can be safe and are possible, it even survived 4 laptops. All it takes is some cleanup and a new license key for the machine. If I see what Microsoft did to the installtions during the last two major updates I get scared to do any future updates.


Hope Microsoft gets back to a cleaner update mechanism, high risk for minor UX improvement is ....

:)

 

Windows 8 - delete windows folders in another drive

I have the problem (from Windows 8) to delete the folders windows and programs on a secondary disk on which it was 7 .... know how to get full control to delete those folders?

 

C windows installer folder - Delete?

He can do symbolic link redirection and move the files in it to a different location. *Wink
Better try it out in a virtual of first. Just a suggestion.

Like:
First move everything in c:\windows\installer to d:\installercache
Then delete c:\windows\installer folder
Then type this in command mode as admin
mklink /d c:\windows\installer d:\installercache

Removing those installer files is a bad idea. it might prevent you from updating or uninstalling apps.

 

Windows 8 - delete windows folders in another drive

Just run "cleanmgr.exe" in the run command or in a command prompt and select the drive you want to clean......