In a curious turn of events, Microsoft’s April 2025 Patch Tuesday updates have led to the unexpected emergence of an empty “inetpub” folder in the root of the C: drive. This phenomenon is occurring even on systems that do not have Internet Information Services (IIS) installed, raising eyebrows among users and IT professionals alike.
Understanding IIS and the C:inetpub Folder
Internet Information Services (IIS) is a web server platform developed by Microsoft, designed to host websites, web applications, and services on Windows systems. Typically, IIS is not included by default and can be activated through the Windows Features dialog. The C:inetpub folder is traditionally utilized by IIS to store website content, logs, and various server-related files. Therefore, its appearance on systems lacking IIS is indeed puzzling.
Following the installation of the Windows 11 KB5055523 update and a subsequent restart, users have reported the automatic creation of the C:inetpub folder. BleepingComputer conducted a verification on their systems and confirmed this anomaly, noting that the folder appeared despite IIS not being installed.
Upon investigation, it was found that the folder is owned by the SYSTEM account, suggesting it was generated by an elevated process, specifically the cumulative update itself.
Implications and User Reactions
While the existence of the folder does not seem to affect system performance or stability, its unexpected creation has led to speculation regarding whether this was a new feature introduced with the update or merely a glitch. Users have been left questioning the rationale behind this development.
In tests conducted by BleepingComputer, removing the folder did not result in any operational issues while using Windows, further adding to the intrigue surrounding its creation.
In an effort to clarify the situation, BleepingComputer reached out to Microsoft to ascertain whether the appearance of the C:inetpub folder was intentional or a result of a bug. However, as of the time of publication, no response has been received from the tech giant.
