Microsoft says premature patch could make Windows Recall forget how to work

Microsoft has pinned down why some eager Windows Insiders could not persuade the Recall preview to save any snapshots. It's all down to a pesky non-security preview.

KB5046740, which emerged on November 21, represents the final non-security preview release for 2024 (although there will be a monthly security release in December).

The problem came when users installed this preview update, saw the Recall announcement, joined the Windows Insider Dev channel to get their hands on the code, and then... nothing.

It's reasonable to think that users willing to install a preview update from Microsoft might also be keen to join the Dev Channel. They might want to check out the company's latest attempt to convince the world that Recall is not an ill-thought-out privacy nightmare but instead a reason to spend some cash on a Copilot+ PC.

However, it appears that those users stand every chance of falling victim to Microsoft's legendary quality control.

Microsoft's advice? "We recommend you not install this preview update before joining the Dev Channel until we fix the issue in a future update."

It sounds like anybody who has installed the patch, then joined the Dev channel, and then encountered the Recall issue might have to reinstall Windows. Then again, this is the Windows Insider program, and being prepared to nuke a PC from orbit when something goes wrong is all part of the experience.

Recall first arrived in preview earlier this year. It takes snapshots of the desktop to allow users to search for activities that took place in the past. An implementation of AI was used to parse the snapshots to permit users to use ordinary text search to get back to where they were.

As a demo, it looked great. The reality was different as security researchers soon poked holes in the service, and Recall was described as a "nightmare" from a privacy and security perspective.

Microsoft thenv pulled the service, although this writer has noticed the branding plastered all over a local computer retailer attempting to persuade shoppers that they really want a Copilot+ PC.

After repeated delays transforming what could be described as half-baked demoware into something more suitable for production, Microsoft re-released the code to Windows Insiders in November. ®