September 2024 Windows Update Breaks File History Backups Across Windows 10/11
What Happened — The September Patch Tuesday update for Windows 10 and Windows 11 introduced a regression that prevents File History from creating or running backups. Affected systems may show “reconnect drive” prompts, stale timestamps, or “no previous version” errors even when the backup drive is functional.
Why It Matters for Trust & Control Assurance
- Continuous control‑assurance programs rely on verifiable backup success; an unnoticed failure erodes the evidence base needed for audit readiness.
- Monitoring backup logs and health metrics provides early detection of such regressions, supporting a defensible audit trail.
- The situation underscores the need for alternative, documented backup mechanisms to satisfy the “backup and recovery” control objective across frameworks.
Who Is Affected – Enterprises and end‑users running Windows 10 (including ESU) or any current Windows 11 release (26H1, 25H2, 24H2, 23H2).
Recommended Actions – Verify backup health via Event Viewer, apply the optional preview update (KB 5124006 or equivalent), and document backup status as evidence. Consider supplementing File History with OneDrive or Windows Backup and incorporate automated backup‑status monitoring into your control‑assurance platform. Source: https://www.zdnet.com/business/windows-update-break-file-history-fix-available/
Technical Notes – The regression surfaces as Application‑Error events referencing FileHistory.exe or KERNELBASE.dll. The issue is not a security vulnerability but a functional bug in the September 8, 2024 update. No CVE is assigned. Source: https://www.zdnet.com/business/windows-update-break-file-history-fix-available/