Microsoft has begun testing a new Windows 11 tool called Quick Machine Recovery, which is designed to remotely deploy fixes for buggy drivers and configurations that prevent the operating system from starting.
The tool is part of Microsoft's Windows Resiliency Initiative, an effort to enhance system stability and reduce downtime by introducing automated tools and features to detect, diagnose, and fix critical failures in Windows 11.
"With system failures, devices can sometimes get stuck in the Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE), severely impacting productivity and often requiring IT teams to spend significant time troubleshooting and restoring affected machines," explains Microsoft.
"With quick machine recovery, when a widespread outage affects devices from starting properly, Microsoft can broadly deploy targeted remediations to affected devices via Windows RE—automating fixes and quickly getting users to a productive state without requiring complex manual intervention."
On Friday, Microsoft released the Quick Machine Recovery to Windows Insider Preview Beta Channel, so Insiders can start testing the tool.
Source: Microsoft
When enabled and a new driver or configuration change prevents Windows 11 from properly starting, the operating system will boot into the Windows Recovery Environment and automatically launch the Quick Machine Recovery Tool.
This tool will connect to the Internet through ethernet or Wi-Fi and send crash data to Microsoft's servers. Based on the analysis of this data, Microsoft can remotely apply fixes such as removing problematic drivers or updates and changing configuration settings.
This new tool comes in response to the faulty CrowdStrike update that caused millions of Windows devices worldwide to suddenly crash with a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) and enter reboot loops in July 2024.
To remove the bad update, Windows admins were forced to boot into the Windows Recovery Environment or Safe Mode and manually delete the driver so their Windows devices could boot normally.
With a tool like Quick Machine Recovery, Microsoft could have pushed out a fix that removed the driver and brought machines back online far more easily and quickly.
Microsoft says this feature will eventually be enabled by default in Windows 11 Home. The enterprise will be able to customize how the tool works in Windows 11 Pro and Enterprise through RemoteRemedation CSP or directly on the device via reagentc.exe.
The tool can also be preconfigured with network credentials to make it easier to deploy fixes and configure how often problematic PCs reach out to Microsoft's servers for a fix.
Microsoft will release a test remediation package in a few days, allowing Insiders to test the feature live.
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Original Article Published at Bleeping Computer
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