Windows broken after update

Question

Hi - I restarted my PC after shutting down after working from home today. It must have completed an update. I chose to pause updates by a few weeks and it must have updated today.

When I log in now I get an error message that it could not log in and if I log off and restart it might fix the problem. It doesn't. I get a completely different background. My downloads and documents folders are empty. If I log into Google account the PC forgets when I restart.

I see updates in the Update system and the PC tries to download. Many it can't and I get a retry error. Install error - 0x80070017. For every files except a few. It does download a few but on restart the PC tries to update but says something went wrong. Hence I am unable to apply any updates.

I am currently trying to install Windows 11 Repair Version.

Can someone help?

I am unable to roll back anything or use system restore.

I tried something on YouTube which tried to fix the Windows cant log in problem but that didnt work.

Thanks

Answer 1

Hi Rahman Az,

Thanks for sharing all the details.

Based on your description, it sounds like Windows may not be loading your original user profile correctly after the update. The changed desktop background, missing files in Documents and Downloads and settings not being retained after a restart can sometimes occur when Windows signs you into a temporary or corrupted profile. The update error 0x80070017 may also indicate corrupted update or system files.

I noticed that you're currently trying a Windows 11 repair installation. Could you let me know how you're performing the repair? For example, are you running Windows Setup from within Windows and choosing Keep personal files and apps, using the Installation Assistant or booting from a USB installation media? It would also be helpful to know whether the repair has completed yet and if any errors were reported.

In the meantime, could you check whether Windows is loading a temporary profile? Open File Explorer and browse to C:\Users to see whether your original user folder is still present. Then press Win + R, type cmd and run the following commands:

whoami
echo %USERPROFILE%

Please share the results. This will show which account Windows believes is signed in and which profile folder is currently being used. If the profile path does not match your normal user folder, that may help explain why your files and settings appear to be missing.

If you're able to access the desktop normally, I'd also recommend opening Command Prompt as Administrator and running:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
sfc /scannow

These commands can repair corrupted Windows system files and may help if the update process or user profile was damaged.

Finally, please press Win + R, type winver and let me know the Windows version and OS build number you're running.

When you have a chance, share the results along with your winver information and details about the repair installation. That should help us narrow down what's going on and I'll be happy to help with the next steps.

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