Some sort of update has lost my documents and bookmarks

Addiscomber

When I turned on my Windows 8 laptop (less than 3 months old) this morning it took a lot longer than usual and appears to have done some sort of update either to Windows, Firefox or Classic Shell, I'm not sure which. There was no warning that this was going to take place and therefore no warning that I might lose data.

All of the contents of My Libraries have disappeared (Documents and Downloads) and also all of my bookmarks in Firefox. Is there any way that I can get these back? I do have backups of the majority of my stuff as I had imported it from other computers when I got the laptop, but I have lost all of the stuff that I have been doing recently.

Is this likely to be a frequent occurrence with Windows 8? As if so I shall have to get a high capacity USB drive and backup daily which I have never found necessary before.

bluesnake

I've been using windows8 for over a year and never had your problem.

I would open file manager and look in C:\Users\ and you should see your login name and within that should be Documents and Downloads

It is always good to have a current backup

Addiscomber

Thank you bluesnake. The contents of My Documents and Downloads are both there that way, but do not show up through the My Libraries icon on the Task Bar. I am copying them onto a USB drive at the moment before I work out how to find them the normal quick way.

Pikeyp

This might have been the update to Windows 8.1 coming in?

It should be simple enough to add any new folder locations to the Libraries by hand if needed, although it should have done that automatically I would have thought (perhaps the update was interupted somehow?)

macman

You should be backing regulalrly up any data that you can't afford to lose, regardless of the OS.
A flash drive is not suitable for backing up, it's too fragile and too easy to lose. Use optical media or an external USB hard drive, or cloud storage.

Addiscomber

Pikeyp wrote: »

This might have been the update to Windows 8.1 coming in?

Having googled how to do it I have checked and I have Windows 8 version 6.2.9200 Build 9200

I have had 2 windows updates since I got the laptop but each has given me the option of when to install it. Whatever happened this morning happened on starting up and gave me no warnings or options at all. I didn't interrupt it as there was no start screen, just a green screen with my name and the revolving circle made of dots followed by a purple screen with the same thing on it. I do remember a message about an update being available for Classic Shell, but I didn't have time to download it at the time, and still haven't done it.

Anyway, having turned it off whilst I cooked lunch, everything is back to normal now that I have started it up again.

I do know that a flashdrive isn't suitable for backing up, but that was all that I had to hand and I just did it in case my stuff did disappear completely. I will transfer it onto the hard drive of my PC later.

I am now going to do a virus scan just to make sure that there is no problem of that nature.

bluesnake

Addiscomber wrote: »

I do know that a flashdrive isn't suitable for backing up, but that was all that I had to hand and I just did it in case my stuff did disappear completely. I will transfer it onto the hard drive of my PC later.

install http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx
Backup to external usb drive using backup not clone
Create rescue cd at the end of the backup.

Or use the much simpler, but not as flexible Redo Backup - simple and easy to use.

See here for a video tutorial:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYWXVwOLooU

What ever method you use, test those backups - do a restore

searchlight123

bluesnake wrote: »

install http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx
Backup to external usb drive using backup not clone
Create rescue cd at the end of the backup.

Or use the much simpler, but not as flexible Redo Backup - simple and easy to use.

See here for a video tutorial:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYWXVwOLooU

What ever method you use, test those backups - do a restore

hi
was reading this thread and it prompted me to use macrium to create a disc image of my laptop. i note you also suggest to create a rescue cd. i cannot see that option. would you mind explaining how to do this please?
many thanks.

closed

other tasks, create rescue media