# Windows update changes user files **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 9, 2023, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-update-changes-user-files/988336 "2023-08-09T22:13:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2023, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-update-changes-user-files/988336/1 "2023-08-09T22:13:43Z")
This is embarrassing, because an am an IT guy. After Windows update, my local account was like new; just created, all saved files, bookmarks, passwords were gone. Thunderbird had no account associated with it. Upon a Google search, I found that four restarts in a row would fix an account where the user name had been changed. It worked. After four restarts in a row, everything was back. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2023, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-update-changes-user-files/988336/2 "2023-08-09T22:19:45Z")
Might want to mention what version of Windows you’re using, and perhaps the update number? ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2023, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-update-changes-user-files/988336/3 "2023-08-09T22:20:59Z")
You’re not the one who should be embarrassed. Bill Gates should be embarrassed for the shitty software development culture he created at Microsoft. Microsoft cares about avoiding software problems the way a pig cares about avoiding mud. The word “quality” isn’t even in their vocabulary. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2023, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-update-changes-user-files/988336/4 "2023-08-09T22:21:26Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > After Windows update, my local account was like new; just created, all saved files, bookmarks, passwords were gone. Thunderbird had no account associated with it. - So who’s the moron at Microsoft who thought that was a good idea? ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2023, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-update-changes-user-files/988336/5 "2023-08-09T22:51:35Z")
Always make a restorable backup before running an update. Apple’s are better about not hosing your current customized environment, but not perfect, and I’ve had to revert a few over the decades. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2023, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-update-changes-user-files/988336/6 "2023-08-10T06:13:02Z")
From what I understand, what actually happened is that Windows was logging you into a new profile that it created just to perform the update. The old profile is still there, but is temporarily renamed. The bug is likely due to something called a race condition, where a computer does two things at once that need to be done in a specific order. In this case, it isn’t renaming the profile before trying to log in. If you restart your computer enough times, eventually the rename winds up being done first, and so everything goes back to normal. It’s a bug that’s been there since at least 2019. And people wonder why I delay all my updates and take precautions. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2023, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-update-changes-user-files/988336/7 "2023-08-10T12:24:50Z")
Win 11 Pro 10.0.22621 build 22621 KB5029263 KB5028948 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2023, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-update-changes-user-files/988336/8 "2023-08-10T12:25:43Z")
Thanks, Big T. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2023, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-update-changes-user-files/988336/9 "2023-08-10T19:45:48Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > From what I understand, what actually happened is that Windows was logging you into a new profile that it created just to perform the update. The old profile is still there, but is temporarily renamed. > > The bug is likely due to something called a race condition, where a computer does two things at once that need to be done in a specific order. In this case, it isn’t renaming the profile before trying to log in. Ah, that sounds extremely plausible. All hardware designers know about race conditions. I learned about ways of preventing this kind of thing in software when I was in college - back in 1971. Guess they don’t teach it anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2023, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-update-changes-user-files/988336/10 "2023-08-12T00:19:58Z")
M$ Tech support: “Oh yeah that’s the race condition feature. It means your computer is so super-fast that it runs out of CPU cycles and the CMOS starts up before the BIOS. Just restart four times and the BIOS will sync up with the CMOS”