Windows 10 update reportedly crashing computers and deleting user files

A concerning number of Windows 10 users are experiencing problems stemming from a faulty update released earlier this month.

Reports are rolling in of blue screen of death errors and missing or deleted files after installing the Windows 10 KB4549951 update, which Microsoft released on April 14 to provide users with a handful of security fixes.

While encountering the blue screen of death is worrying, the reports of deleted or missing files are even more concerning. For many users, these files may contain important documents and cherished photos, and the prospect of losing them is bound to cause significant stress.

Those aren’t the only issues either. There have also been booting issues, as noted by one user in the Microsoft community forum. The user claimed, “I can't boot normally, in Safe Mode, or any other fashion. All files in Documents Folder have vanished. I tried to troubleshoot this major problem and nothing works.” Users have also reported the update is causing poor PC performance.

Fortunately, there is a fix for this nightmare. Simply uninstall the update. Doing so will eliminate important security fixes the Windows 10 KB4549951 update included, but it’ll stop these issues until Microsoft rectifies them.

If you’re experiencing these faults after installing the Windows 10 KB4549951 update, you can install it by following the below steps:

• Open the “Settings” app in the Start menu, click “Update & Security” and select “Windows Update” in the left-hand menu
• Select “View update history,” then click “Uninstall updates”
• Select the update “KB4549951” from the list and click “Uninstall”