Computer has updated and now lost all photos and downloads

[magpies]

Not sure what I did but now my laptop has updated to what looks like a new version of windows.

All the files and downloads only show what I've don in the last day or so.

Photos / pictures / videos etc show empty files.

Help

[Actual]

Check what account you are using to log in and possibly you are not logged in using your usual account and can't see your own private contents.

Use Windows File Explorer and check C:\Users to see what accounts are on the computer.

[Captain_Morgan]

It might be worth dusting off your backup and checking that in case you need to reinstall your data.

[Paul Drawmer]

magpies said:

Not sure what I did but now my laptop has updated to what looks like a new version of windows.

All the files and downloads only show what I've don in the last day or so.

Photos / pictures / videos etc show empty files.

Help

What backup system are you using?

[EmailAddress]

C:\Windows.old\Users

[Alex Z]

Captain_Morgan said:

It might be worth dusting off your backup and checking that in case you need to reinstall your data.

Said with the certainty of someone who knows there isn’t a backup but wants to have a bit of a dig at the OP

[Road2Ruin]

Alex Z said:

Captain_Morgan said:

It might be worth dusting off your backup and checking that in case you need to reinstall your data.

Said with the certainty of someone who knows there isn’t a backup but wants to have a bit of a dig at the OP

Exactly what I thought, Alex.

The files are there. They just need to find them.

I guess the laptop may have updated to Win 11. Odd though, as it would normally tell you.

Even if it did, it usually keeps the files in the same place.

My guess is they have logged on with a different account, and the files are therefore hidden.

[grumbledoak]

OP, the update is unlikely to have deleted your personal files. So don't do anything rash.

A Google for "windows update temporary profile" may match your symptoms -
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/...

[.:ian:.]

It might have also helpfully enabled one drive for you and made this the location of your profile.

The files should still be on the pc, you can search c: for file types you had before. *.jpg or *.docx etc

[Louis Balfour]

grumbledoak said:

OP, the update is unlikely to have deleted your personal files.

MS did did exactly this, via an update. Leaving only a hyperlink to Onedrive where the files were backed up.

[Road2Ruin]

Louis Balfour said:

grumbledoak said:

OP, the update is unlikely to have deleted your personal files.

MS did did exactly this, via an update. Leaving only a hyperlink to Onedrive where the files were backed up.

I have used Windows since version 2. It has never done this. I am not saying it didn't happen, but there would need to have been some user input for this to occur.

[Louis Balfour]

Road2Ruin said:

Louis Balfour said:

grumbledoak said:

OP, the update is unlikely to have deleted your personal files.

MS did did exactly this, via an update. Leaving only a hyperlink to Onedrive where the files were backed up.

I have used Windows since version 2. It has never done this. I am not saying it didn't happen, but there would need to have been some user input for this to occur.

Nope. It happened to me. I arrived in the office one morning to find no local files, just a hyperlink to Onedrive.

I subsequently checked for updates and that night a whole bunch of them had happened.

I posted on here to be told "it's your fault, you did it". But I didn't.

As you would expect, I was not alone.

https://www.google.com/search?q=microsoft+deleted+...

[magpies]

Thanks for the replies

Yes everything is now via Onedrive - I hate this and do not know how to reverse back to having my info on my computer and not someone else's.

I think that I in advertently allowed the update while stretching over the laptop and talking to someone.

[bitchstewie]

Just turn off OneDrive.

But I wouldn't do so as you're almost certainly much better off using that than relying on storing your data locally.

[Louis Balfour]

bhstewie said:

Just turn off OneDrive.

A bit late for the OP now.

bhstewie said:

But I wouldn't do so as you're almost certainly much better off using that than relying on storing your data locally.

Except that you aren't. You work in IT don't you? I shouldn't need me to explain why. I wouldn't argue about Onedrive backup though.

Microsoft has been becoming st for years. This stunt has been the final straw. I've begin the migration away from it to Mac. It isn't easy and I haven't completed it because I haven't had time. But I no longer trust MS.

[xeny]

Louis Balfour said:

Microsoft has been becoming st for years. This stunt has been the final straw. I've begin the migration away from it to Mac. It isn't easy and I haven't completed it because I haven't had time. But I no longer trust MS.

Many moons ago I spent time in a group made up of experienced sysadmins. Their opinion was "all hardware sucks, all software sucks."

[Actual]

magpies said:

Thanks for the replies

Yes everything is now via Onedrive - I hate this and do not know how to reverse back to having my info on my computer and not someone else's.

I think that I in advertently allowed the update while stretching over the laptop and talking to someone.

OneDrive is so easy and it is a no brainer to guard against future catastrophe.

Not only are all your files backed up but they are also versioned which can be very useful.

When I get a new computer all I need to do is login to OneDrive and all my files are available.