A recent Windows 10 update may be the cause of your internet issues - here’s why

Software giant Microsoft has confirmed a new issue regarding internet connections in its optional cumulative updates for operating system, Windows 10.

What updates have caused the issue?

Initially, Microsoft’s May and November 2019 updates to Windows 10 - also known as Windows 10 version 1903 and 1909 - were a part of the company’s plan to bring new features such as a light desktop theme, a better start menu, AI improvements to Cortana and new apps to the software.

However, this led to a number of complaints from users experiencing various issues.

Windows aimed to address the issues with a new update in February 2020, but the company has recently confirmed that this update is also linked to further user troubles.

What issues were caused by the May and November updates?

The May and November 2019 update issues ranged from unusually high central processing unit usage and system crashes, to incompatibilities with antivirus softwares, leaving devices vulnerable to attacks. There were also problems that caused Internet Explorer mode on Microsoft Edge to fail, among many others.

What kind of issues were caused by the February 2020 update?

Referencing the most recent February 2020 update, Microsoft has confirmed that on “some PCs” the internet connection can stop functioning, with very limited internet or “no internet connection”. This issue is strongly linked to systems which are using VPN connections.

Several reports online claimed the update has led to installation issues, crashes and even total losses of data. Some users believe the issues are not apparent in the testing phase.

On a Microsoft community forum for this update, one user wrote, “This update KB4532693 caused all the data on my laptop to be erased. Even after uninstalling the update, the laptop would not successfully boot.

“Then ‘Resetting’ the laptop to factory settings while choosing to keep all personal data erased everything. EVERYTHING. This is a major screw up. Unbelievable.”

Another said, “I have no words, this just happened to me, I just came to confirm it, it’s all over the web, but it’s not just a few files, for me it was dozens of gigabytes of data, this is definitely the end of the line.”