All Documents//Pictures on Window disappeared

cisko65

bazdvd said:

too late to do a backup but if you done one recently try restoring it

Thanks, I never do back up, unwisely. For the future I must find a way to do it automatically if that is possible.

cisko65

Not sure which suggestion to choose:

bazdvd 
try a system restore.

1. Open System Restore: Search for "Create a restore point" in the Windows search bar and open it, or run rstrui.exe. 
2. Start Restore: In the System Protection tab, click the System Restore button, then Next. 
3. Choose a Point: Select a restore point from the list (check "Show more restore points" if needed). 

JSmithy45AD  I would sign out of Windows, select Start , select your user picture or the Accounts icon, and select Sign out and then log back in with the correct account credentials, even if the picture and email address shown looks correct.

Vitor said:

What maybe happened is that after the update Windows failed to load the original user profile and silently created a temporary or fresh one instead. From the OP's point of view it looks like the same account, but under the bonnet it is a different profile, so Documents, Pictures, Downloads all appear empty.

My question for Vitor And how can I look "under the bonnet" and hopefully find the different profile under which Documents etc. appear?

Thanks, and apologies for this kind of query.

booneruk

Has anyone else had access to your laptop? It sounds like what you're seeing would be the result of a fresh windows install (especially if C:\Users only has only your current folder/files in it)

However, try searching your whole PC for documents. Use an AI to help you do that, I'd go to gemini.google.com and ask it "How do I search my Windows 11 PC for all docs and pdfs?"

bazdvd

open file explorer on the pc.
go to the c drive
Click on the "users" folder to open it and see what names are there.
Go into each folder if there is more than 1 to see if your documents are there.

If you find them let us know and we can show you how to copy everything over to the new user profile if windows cannot access the one you used to use.

You will not break anything by doing the above so give it a try.

bazdvd

also your pc could have been saving restore points without you knowing thats why i suggested a system restore.
When you go into system restore it will show the dates of any restore points, just choose the newest one and restore it.
If all goes wrong its very simple to undo the restore to back you to where you are now.
Again you wont break or trash anything doing this.

Boohoo

I don't think the OP has said what flavour of Windows they have installed on the laptop.

It may have been a Windows 11 update to the latest build if the laptop top is running down 11.

Boohoo

In my early post Windows 11 here is a link to a very good forum.

https://www.elevenforum.com/

Nothing to do with Stranger Things though.

bazdvd

Boohoo said:

I don't think the OP has said what flavour of Windows they have installed on the laptop.

It may have been a Windows 11 update to the latest build if the laptop top is running down 11.

windows 10 wont receive any updates now unless OP specifically changed update settings to get extended support and security updates until late 2026 so it must be 11.
i had updates on the 3rd and also today on my windows 11 pc.

Hopefully OP will try the suggestions as its very easy to do with zero risk of overwriting any lost data.
Plus they would get the satisfaction of fixing their own PC.

Boohoo

bazdvd said:

Boohoo said:

I don't think the OP has said what flavour of Windows they have installed on the laptop.

It may have been a Windows 11 update to the latest build if the laptop top is running down 11.

windows 10 wont receive any updates now unless OP specifically changed update settings to get extended support and security updates until late 2026 so it must be 11.
i had updates on the 3rd and also today on my windows 11 pc.

Hopefully OP will try the suggestions as its very easy to do with zero risk of overwriting any lost data.
Plus they would get the satisfaction of fixing their own PC.

I have known 3 people's pc's that were updated to Win 11 from 10 when there was an update and they never knew anything about until they noticed the splash screen was different.

They may have changed the settings about updating but they don't remember doing it 

cisko65

booneruk said:

Has anyone else had access to your laptop? It sounds like what you're seeing would be the result of a fresh windows install (especially if C:\Users only has only your current folder/files in it)

However, try searching your whole PC for documents. Use an AI to help you do that, I'd go to gemini.google.com and ask it "How do I search my Windows 11 PC for all docs and pdfs?"

No document results with the search. In driver C only amd64_ microsoft... and others.
Also followed the gemini.google.com instructions but I don't get access to any files.