Automatic Update deleted all my files!

Anonymous
2010-04-29T14:22:13+00:00

Last night my laptop running Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64-bit on a Dell Inspirion Laptop performed an automatic update. After rebooting, all my personal files including two 15 page papers I was working on for my degree were deleted.

All my pictures, word docs, and personal files are gone. Only the shell of My Documents folder, including the sub folders I created, is left.

I ran the System Restore going back to a two day old restore point, but non of my personal files were recovered.

I searced the internet w/ " Windows automatic updates deleted/erased all my files" and came up w/ several threads reporting this automatic update issue, but no solutions.

 Similar questions have been asked in other parts of this forum w/out satisfactory answers:

http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en/itprovistaapps/thread/dd1beef0-4cae-4220-87fd-6556fd1c4d7d

<removed link>

I even displayed all hidden folders and searched the entire hard drive w/ *.doc and did not get a single file back!

I need help!

My papers are due in a week and all my course work is gone.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Files, folders, and storage

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  1. Anonymous
    2012-06-21T18:00:30+00:00

    To avoid confusion & duplication of effort, please post any/all further follow-up in replies to your original thread => http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-windows_update/my-problem-is-i-have-noticed-lately-that-every/747260b2-7908-4f27-84cb-f2d8f6bd5311

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  2. Anonymous
    2013-06-14T15:48:38+00:00

    The same thing just happened to me. This is the second time in a row Windows has installed an automatic update and when my computer rebooted everything was either deleted or moved to a different user folder...System restore won't help me either and last time this happened I changed my desktop background and added a few files to my folders and then shut down my computer like normal, when I turned it back on the files I just added were gone and background was back to the generic one...This is very weird and frustrating! Thankfully my really important stuff was backed up on an external hard drive but I am working on some designs for a job interview and I can not deal with this!

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  3. Anonymous
    2014-09-27T05:26:13+00:00

    Hey! The automatic Windows update did the same to my Asus! All of my personal documents/photos/files etc dissapeared and I was unable to locate them. I spoke with two ITs, which got me nowhere. I tried several times to restart my laptop, use the "Recovery" feature. I even attempted to undo the update- all to no avail. Three frustrating days consumed with hopelessness  ensued.

    But then.

    I had an idea that I was sure wouldn't work; I simply enabled the "Guest" User Account(Control Panel>Users) and restarted my laptop.

    And KABAMM!!!!

    Everything was back to normal- all my files were exactly where I had left them and we finally accomplished world peace

    I don't know if your issue is similar, but worth a shot...

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  4. Anonymous
    2014-12-13T01:07:26+00:00

    Hide both of the updates.

    HOW TO Hide an Update or Restore a Hidden Update

    http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/24376-windows-update-hide-restore-hidden-updates.html 

    ~Robear Dyer (PA Bear) ~ MS MVP (IE, Mail, Security, Windows & Update Services) since 2002 ~ Disclaimer: MS MVPs neither represent nor work for Microsoft

    Please think about what you're telling Dan, PA Bear....

    YOU identifies two KN updates you THINK may be causing Dan's problem....

    So, those updates are CLEARLY installed, yet you suggest Dan "hide" those updates.

    Did you ever think that Dan, and so many other how have had Windows Update delete their files without a trace need to UNINSTALL those KB Updates?!

    Doug

    P. S. - Why, when Microsoft releases updates like these is it always the USER's FAULT?!!!!

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  5. Anonymous
    2014-12-13T01:49:02+00:00

    Everything was fine on my Lenovo desktop running a 32-bit Windows 7.

    The last update, completed on December 12, 2014,  included nothing besides KB915597; updates for Windows Defender.

    Please understand I do NOT run Windows Defender, but am running Kaspersky Anti-Virus, which indicates, "Databases: up to date"

    After this update, and subsequent restart, while unattended, all of my personal files, including EVERY DOCUMENT document and EVERYTHING on my desktop, has disappeared.

    So, please tell me why this occurrence, along with every case of others' files disappearing is THEIR fault and not MICROSOFT's fault.....

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