Some Windows 11 users can now “sanitize” their device
Wipe your PC with caution.
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- Microsoft added two Cloud Rebuild features in Windows 11 preview builds.
- Drive Sanitization permanently cleans supported storage before Windows reinstalls, so users should back up files first.
- IT administrators can trigger Cloud Rebuild remotely through a Microsoft management tool for company devices.
- The features target unresponsive, corrupted, returned, recycled, or reassigned Windows 11 PCs.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
Microsoft expands Cloud Rebuild recovery tool with 2 new features.
Microsoft’s Cloud Rebuild is a recovery tool that restores a Windows 11 PC to a “clean, known-good state by performing a full operating system reinstall.”
It now includes 2 new features found in Windows 11 preview builds.
These are the Drive Sanitization and Remote Deployment via Recovery CSP, which makes reinstalling easier for companies and IT administrators, according to Windows Latest.
Essentially, the new features do the same thing: clean the device, but on different levels.
One feature allows PC owners to remove files, accounts, apps, and settings, while the other “sanitizes” the device to its core, making it ready for use by someone else.
Before reinstalling Windows, the tool can securely sanitize supported storage with IT admins triggering rebuilds remotely via Recovery CSP.
“This option is faster, but files might be recoverable using specialized recovery tools,” noted Microsoft in its Cloud Rebuild preview page.
With this, the company hinted that even if users remove their files and reinstall Windows, their files can still be recovered.
The company recommends “removing and sanitizing files” before “recycling, returning, or reassigning” the device.
The new feature could be especially useful to companies and enterprises, which tend to reuse or reassign their devices.
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Cloud Rebuild can wipe your PC clean
According to Microsoft, Cloud Rebuild can also “sanitize the device’s drives as a part of the rebuild.” This means it would clean the computer before it's ready for someone else to use.
The company notes that the data sanitization process is permanent and can’t be reversed. Thus, users should back up their data before enabling data sanitization.
If a PC has more than one drive, users can also select which one should be sanitized.
When should Cloud Rebuild be used?
Microsoft’s Cloud Rebuild is available to those enrolled in the Windows Insider program.
However, it isn’t the only requirement. Users will also need a device that supports Windows 11 and has a healthy Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE).
Cloud Rebuild’s new features may be useful in situations when the device is unresponsive, corrupted, or requires a clean install.
