Some versions of Windows 10 and Windows 11 do not erase data completely Microsoft’s data wipe feature doesn’t work as expected in some versions of Windows, leaving data easily accessible, researchers say.
The news was confirmed by Microsoft MVP Rudy Ooms, who posted a blog post about his findings and also explained them in a bit more detail on Twitter.
As Ooms explained, the Reset PC > Erase everything option leaves data in the old system in Windows 10 version 21H2 and Windows 11 version 21H2. The Wipe and Fresh Start options work as expected in Windows 10 21H1 and Windows 11 21H1, he added.
In most cases, the operating system would create a folder called Windows. old on “deleted” or “new boot” disks that would contain user data, Ooms explains. This is obviously not intentional, as selecting these two options will bring up the warning “This will erase all personal and corporate data and settings on this device”.
Fixing the problem
To make matters worse, when a user wipes a device, the Windows. the old folder also contains data that was previously encrypted but is now decrypted. Additionally, OneDrive files marked as “Always keep on this device” also remain in the Windows. old folder.
On the other hand, erasing the drive will also remove Bitlocker, which might be a problem for some users who use Bitlocker to save important data.
At this time, Microsoft does not have a solution to the problem. However, Ooms says it created a PowerShell script as a workaround. Those looking for a complete and complete wipe of all data should first run the script and then proceed with the cleanup.
Reporting the news, Tom’s Hardware also says that users can delete this data manually by deleting Windows. old files after cleaning. After that, they can use a free space wiping utility to ensure that no data recovery tool can recover sensitive data.
Users should always recheck the contents of the drive after erasing, the message concludes because they can find their old files not only on Windows. old but also on other storage hardware installed on the device.
