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Quick machine recovery

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Important

This article describes a feature that is under development and only applicable to Windows Insider Preview builds. The content is subject to change and might have dependencies on other features or services in preview.

Quick machine recovery is a feature that enables the recovery of Windows devices when they encounter critical errors that prevent them from booting. This feature can automatically search for remediations in the cloud and recover from widespread boot failures, significantly reducing the burden on IT administrators when multiple devices are affected.

Building on the foundation of Startup Repair, quick machine recovery uses a secure and connected Windows Recovery Environment to scan Windows Update for remediation options. This allows devices to be recovered without requiring manual intervention.

How it works

There are two main settings of quick machine recovery: cloud remediation and auto remediation.

Cloud remediation

Cloud remediation is the process of using Windows Update to find remediations and fix issues on devices:

  • When enabled, devices connect to the network and utilize Windows Update during recovery scenarios
  • When disabled, Windows uses Startup Repair as a local recovery option

Screenshot of quick machine recovery boot while attempting to connect to the network.

Note

Quick machine recovery is a best-effort feature. It might not always be able to find a solution for every issue.

Auto remediation

Auto remediation allows you to automate the recovery process:

  • When enabled, the device connects automatically to Windows Update and tries to find a remediation. If a solution isn't found on the first attempt, the device retries without requiring manual intervention

Screnshot of the Windows Recovery Environment in the auto remediation screen, showing that the device retries to find a solution.

  • When disabled or not configured, the device requires manual intervention to continue the recovery process

Screnshot of Windows Recovery Environment showing the quick machine recovery option.

Quick machine recovery process

Here are the phases of the quick machine recovery process:

  1. Device crash: When the device fails to boot repeatedly, the system automatically detects the issue and initiates the recovery process
  2. Boot to recovery: The device boots into the recovery environment to initiate the quick machine recovery process
  3. Network connection: After a network connection is established, the device scans Windows Update for remediations
  4. Remediation
    • If no solution is found, the system retries the process based on the configured retry scanning intervals and time-outs
    • If a solution is found, the system downloads and applies it
  5. Reboot: After a remediation is applied, the device reboots:
    • If the solution is successful, the device boots into Windows
    • If the solution fails, the device reboots into the recovery environment again and the process repeats from step 2

Diagram of quick machine recovery showing the five phases of recovery.

Configuration

Cloud remediation is enabled by default on Windows Home edition devices, while auto remediation is turned off by default. For Windows Pro and Enterprise editions, both cloud remediation and auto remediation are disabled by default. Organizations can decide the best configuration for their devices based on their specific needs.

The configuration options consist of:

  • Enable or disable cloud remediation
  • Enable or disable auto remediation
  • Configure auto remediation scanning intervals and time-outs to optimize remediation triggers
  • Configure network connections to ensure smooth recovery workflows

    Important

    Currently, only wired and WPA/WPA2 password-based Wi-Fi networks are supported. Ensure your network uses this configuration for compatibility.

The following instructions provide details about how to configure your devices. Select the option that best suits your needs.

To configure devices with Microsoft Intune, create a Settings catalog policy and use the following settings:

Category Setting name
Remote Remediation Enable Cloud Remediation
Remote Remediation Enable Cloud Remediation > Enable Auto Remediation
Remote Remediation Enable Cloud Remediation > Enable Auto Remediation > Set Time To Reboot
Remote Remediation Enable Cloud Remediation > Enable Auto Remediation > Set Retry Interval
Remote Remediation Enable Cloud Remediation > Enable Auto Remediation > Network SSID
Remote Remediation Enable Cloud Remediation > Enable Auto Remediation > Network Password
Remote Remediation Enable Cloud Remediation > Enable Auto Remediation > Network Password Encryption Type
Remote Remediation Enable Cloud Remediation > Enable Auto Remediation > Network Password Encryption Store

Assign the policy to a group that contains as members the devices or users that you want to configure.

Verify Recovery Settings

To check the configured recovery settings, run the following command from an elevated command prompt:

reagentc.exe /getrecoverysettings

Output example:

C:\>reagentc.exe /getrecoverysettings
<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

<WindowsRE>
    <WifiCredential>
        <Wifi ssid="ContosoWiFi" password="ContosoWiFiPassword" />
    </WifiCredential>
    <CloudRemediation state="1" />
    <AutoRemediation state="1" totalwaittime="2400" waitinterval="120"/>
</WindowsRE>

REAGENTC.EXE: Operation Successful.

Test mode

Quick machine recovery offers a test mode, providing a controlled, simulated environment to experience the auto remediation process without triggering an actual system failure. Test mode allows you to verify that the recovery experience functions as expected before deployment to production systems.

Screenshot of the Windows boot screen where quick machine recovery is attempting to connect to the network.

To simulate the quick machine recovery experience, use the following commands from an elevated command prompt:

  1. Enable test mode:

    reagentc.exe /SetRecoveryTestmode

  2. Configure Windows to boot to Windows Recovery Environment on the next boot:

    reagentc.exe /BootToRe

  3. Reboot your device. The system goes through autoremediation of a simulated crash and reboots back to Windows

    Note

    If after reboot the device goes into Windows RE instead of starting test mode, follow these steps:

    1. In Windows RE, select Continue to boot Windows normally

    2. In Windows, execute the two commands:

      • reagentc.exe /Disable
      • reagentc.exe /Enable

    3. Retry the quick machine recovery simulation starting from step 1

  4. To verify the quick machine recovery remediation, go to Settings > Windows Update > Update history. The remediation should be listed under Quality updates

    Screenshot of the Setting app - Windows Update - showing the installation of a quick machine recovery update.

Provide feedback

To provide feedback for quick machine recovery, open Feedback Hub and use the category Recovery and Uninstall > Quick Machine Recovery.