--- title: Microsoft’s Patch of Meltdown-Spectre Proves the Need for Backup description: You’ve heard about “the cure being worse than the disease”? Well, that’s what is happened with Microsoft’s patches for the Meltdown-Spectre vulnerabilities. canonical_url: https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/microsofts-patch-meltdown-spectre-proves-need-backup/ locale: en last_updated: 2026-10-27 --- [Acronis Blog](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/) # Microsoft’s Patch of Meltdown-Spectre Proves the Need for Backup The ancient Greeks once warned about “the cure being worse than the disease.” Unfortunately, that’s exactly what’s happened when Microsoft released its patches for the Meltdown-Spectre vulnerabilities. Microsoft’s fix is bricking some computers, proving once again that creating a backup before installing any system update is critical. [Try Now](https://www.acronis.com/en/products/cloud/trial/) [![Image 2: Peter Hale](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/4ebd2c6ab90855a20d45286557169382.png)](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/authors/peter-hale/ "Peter Hale") [Peter Hale](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/authors/peter-hale/) 2 min read Last updated 17 January 2018 The ancient Greeks once warned about “the cure being worse than the disease.” Unfortunately, that’s exactly what’s happened following Microsoft’s patches for the Meltdown-Spectre vulnerabilities. It seems many computers became unusable after the update, proving once again that creating a backup before installing any system update is critical. Researchers revealed that those vulnerabilities could allow malicious applications to access the memory of another program running on the same machine, creating a major security concern. Because these vulnerabilities were embedded in certain modern processors – including chips from Intel, AMD, and Arm – it could affect machines running common operating systems such as Windows, macOS, and Linux. ### Windows’ failed patch Once the broad impact of these vulnerabilities was found, each software company quickly developed patches to close these vulnerabilities on machines running their operating system. Microsoft released its patches on January 3, 2018. After its Windows update, Microsoft’s community message boards soon began receiving complaints that some computers stopped working if they had a certain AMD chipset. Rather than booting as normal, they instead entered an unbootable state that rendered the machine unusable. In response, Microsoft stopped sending its Meltdown-Spectre update to machines with AMD processors until the issue could be fixed. Microsoft’s decision to postpone its update helps those who have not loaded the patches, but what about the machines that have already been rendered useless by the “fix”? ### No backup? No laptop This incident proves that there is one piece of advice that individuals and small businesses should always follow: [back up before you update](https://www.acronis.com/en-us/personal/windows-update/). There’s no guarantee that a patch is going to work smoothly. In fact, there are plenty of examples of past updates causing major disruptions. Creating a full image backup of your system before applying an update is the only guarantee that you can “stay calm and carry on” if something bad happens, since you can use it to revert your system to a known, working state. ### Backup gets you up and running A full image backup creates a carbon-copy image of your entire system: not only the precious photos and important files, but more importantly your operating system, applications and settings that you need to [restore your computer](https://www.acronis.com/en-us/personal/true-image-features/fast-recovery/). Not only are the documents on your computer safe, but the operational files can be restored to immediately function as expected: booting the system as normal, launching your inbox, and retrieving the documents you were working on. Without a full image backup, you’ll have to reinstall your operating system, all of the programs you use, and reset all of the preferences that you’ve added – an annoying and time-consuming task. Acronis makes creating a full image backup easy, reliable, and secure. ### Final thought Microsoft’s patching problems is just the latest evidence that things don’t always go smoothly when companies try to update their products. No one wants to lose time or, worse, their files because something went wrong while fixing a problem, which illustrates once again that you should always back up your computers before installing an update. Whether you’re updating [your family computer](https://www.acronis.com/en-us/personal/computer-backup/) or [your business’s systems](https://www.acronis.com/en-us/business/backup/), a full image backup will let you restore your system quickly, easily, and reliably. [Cybersecurity](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/tags/cybersecurity/) [Cyber protection](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/tags/cyber-protection/) ## Written by ![Image 3: Peter Hale](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/4ebd2c6ab90855a20d45286557169382.png) Peter Hale [Previous post](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/acronis-responds-protects-users-spectre-and-meltdown/) [Acronis Responds, Protects Users from Spectre and Meltdown](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/acronis-responds-protects-users-spectre-and-meltdown/) [Next post](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/globeimposter-ransomware-holiday-gift-necurs-botnet/) [GlobeImposter ransomware: A holiday gift from the Necurs botnet](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/globeimposter-ransomware-holiday-gift-necurs-botnet/) About Acronis Acronis is a leader in AI-native cyber protection, unifying data protection, cybersecurity, IT operations and hybrid infrastructure to deliver business continuity, security and compliance with less cost and complexity. More than 21,000 service providers trust Acronis to protect over 750,000 businesses in 150 countries. Acronis is headquartered in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. [Add as a preferred source on Google](https://google.com/preferences/source?q=acronis.com) ## Related stories Want to learn more? Read the latest stories featuring this solution on our blog. [Acronis Blog](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/) ![Image 4: stc Bahrain and Acronis partner to bring advanced endpoint security to businesses in Bahrain](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/blog-card/9600f3eea83b8f4e168ea6c1409c8c26.png) [stc Bahrain and Acronis partner to bring advanced endpoint security to businesses in Bahrain](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/stc-bahrain-and-acronis-partner-to-bring-endpoint-security-to-businesses/) We are proud to announce a strategic partnership with stc Bahrain, expanding access to advanced cybersecurity services for businesses across Bahrain. **October 26, 2026**3 min read ![Image 5: Introducing New Acronis CEO: Prakash Panjwani](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/blog-card/30cb571f6f1aaa131733e5727a4a250c.png) [Introducing New Acronis CEO: Prakash Panjwani](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/introducing-new-acronis-ceo-prakash-panjwani/) We are pleased to announce the appointment of our new Chief Executive Officer, Prakash Panjwani. A veteran cybersecurity CEO, Panjwani previously served as CEO of WatchGuard Technologies and SafeNet. **October 15, 2026**2 min read ![Image 6: Acronis expands MDR toward broader workspace protection](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/blog-card/18e90e89f5ec4ef0901f19008d4ccbf2.png) [Acronis expands MDR toward broader workspace protection](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/acronis-expands-mdr-toward-broader-workspace-protection/) Acronis is expanding the MDR service with capabilities that make this expertise easier to deliver and help partners address more risks. The developments build on a broader commitment to managed security: helping service providers protect the connected workspace while giving customers access to the expertise needed to investigate threats, respond effectively and maintain business continuity. **October 13, 2026**6 min read