Laptop problem

Supatramp

I've got a peculiar problem with my laptop.


Basically, my laptop is operating normally, except that files and folders are randomly going missing from the desktop, and appearing in the Recycle Bin. However, the situation has become critical as when I switched on this morning, again random files and folders had vanished from the desktop, but....................the Recycle Bin was completely empty.


So..............why is this happening, and where have the files and folders gone from my Recycle Bin.


TIA

AndyPix

First guess with limited info is that the desktop cleanup is causing this ..


https://community.spiceworks.com/topic/314966-windows-7-desktop-icons-disappearing


If this doesnt fit, come back with a bit more info .. What OS, is it certain types of file ? etc

googler

If you know the name or part-name of any missing file or folder, do a Search of the whole PC, and see what results.

Get into the habit of saving things in specific folders, maybe, and just put shortcuts to those folders on the desktop....?

arciere

If I'm not wrong, desktop cleanup usually deletes shortcuts, not files and folders.

Another explanation could be a corrupted user profile: if your profile is corrupted, Windows logs you on with a temporary profile (although you normally get notified about this). Anything you put on the desktop gets automatically deleted when you sign off or if you shutdown/restart.

AndyPix

^^ Yeah thats right but as there was so little info this is always my first thought, and simplest to fix.
OP could be referring to shortcuts to files and folders and calling them files and folders ..


Also, if this was a temp profile scenario, then it is unlikely to be random files and folders and they certainly wouldnt appear in the recycle bin.


OP, can you go to the C drive, look in the folder called USERS and tell us if there is more than one folder in there with your username (one will have additional stuff on the end and most likely a tild character)

Supatramp

AndyPix, there is only one user against my username.
Would this be anything to do with activating Google Onedrive? All the desktop file icons have ticks against them, mysteriously.
However, by fiddling around with Onedrive I've found the 2 most important files, e-mailed from one address to another and they've come through ok. But strangely, when I went back to the desktop, the 2 folders had re-appeared there anyway!!!
All very puzzling! Also, the file icons have stopped disappearing from the desktop, so that's good.

DoaM

Google Onedrive? Do you mean Microsoft OneDrive?