Microsoft explained why some enthusiastic Windows Insiders couldn’t persuade Recall Preview to save snapshots. This is all due to a pesky non-security preview.

KB5046740released on November 21, represents the last non-security preview release for 2024 (although there will be a monthly security release in December).

The issue occurred when users installed this preliminary update and saw the reminder announcementjoined the Windows Insider Dev channel to get his hands on the code, and then… nothing.

It’s reasonable to assume that users looking to install a pre-release update from Microsoft might also want to join the Dev Channel. They might want to check out the company’s latest attempt to convince the world that Recall isn’t a poorly thought-out privacy nightmare, but rather a reason to spend money on a Copilot+ PC.

However, it seems that these users are likely to fall victim to Microsoft’s legendary quality control.

Microsoft’s advice? “We recommend that you do not install this preview update before joining the Dev Channel until we resolve the issue in a future update.”

It appears that anyone who installed the patch, then joined the dev channel and encountered the recall issue may need to reinstall Windows. Again, this is the Windows Insider program, and being prepared to take a PC out of orbit if something goes wrong is part of the experience.

The 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 AI implementation was used to analyze the snapshots to allow users to use a regular text search to navigate back to where they were.

As a demo it looked great. The reality was different, as security researchers quickly discovered flaws in the service and Recall was described as a “nightmare” from a privacy and security perspective.

Microsoft then removed the servicealthough this author noticed the branding plastered all over a local computer retailer trying to persuade buyers that they really want a Copilot+ PC.

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