Automated Windows 10 updates deleted all my documents and files

What a Valentines gift for me. Received an up date 2 days ago and every time I log back into my profile, my files are gone. Looks like this issue has been going on for a few months now... Microsoft. What are you doing about this?

I had this issue. The problem was with my windows profile not being recognized after the update. Everything was in place the profile was missing the links / pointers to my documents downloads pictures and videos virtual directories. It also wiped out my desktop and my startup applications and configurations. The only thing that remained from a my profile was my Avatar.

I restored to the previous checkpoint at startup and now my machine is back to normal. However the critical update is not applied and until Microsoft fixes this tissue with the update I cannot apply it.

As one can see from the recent reports, the Windows 10 Update Disaster keeps happening, even as late as Dec. 2018.  And it will keep doing so in future if Microsoft does not remove its damn automated major updates altogether while warning the users to create a system image (clone) of their computers to protect their important data and applications. Obviously, the problem is more serious than a simple glitch.  It is as if one of the Microsoft's angry programmers has implanted a randomly acting virus in the Windows 10 Major Update that even Microsoft cannot trace it!  As I have already reported, in my case, aside from the fact that the Update removed many of my photos, data, and applications (which took me one month to reinstall), my monitor ended up in vertical lines (columns) along the edges of the cursor or window boxes, whenever the display brightness increased. I know some people who thought it was a hardware issue and agreed to change their new laptops with refurbished ones. However, the only (temporary?) remedy for me was to change the monitor driver!-- On the other hand, the only way of preventing the disaster is to upgrade to Windows 10 Professional edition (for $100!) and pause the update for one year in the Update Advance Setting. Of course, the security update can be paused for one month only. Paradoxically, it is like paying the very person who is responsible for the destruction! So, is it any different from ransomware? Surely! because in the case of the latter you'll get your lost data back!. Finally, one has to spend some extra money on some fast backup storage system in order to create a System Image of her/his computer just in case Microsoft imposes another defective update in future!

I too am beyond angry, as I just had the same forced update and subsequent message and black screen with no functionality.  

12/19/18

linux is free.   and very user friendly now.  it will be new, but any windows user can figure it out.   no it's not like something from the 80's. in fact windows is something closer to the 80's than linux.  

linux is also 100% customizable. there's things you can do to linux that microsoft does not allow. yeah, it's that customizable.  you can even choose what kernel you want to run. with windows, you use what microsoft says you can run.  linux will run on a old computer hardware and make it feel as fast as a newer computer.  linux just gets out of the user's way. it doesn't hog system resources like windoze does.  it wont sit there and scan the drive for 15 mins and hog up so much of the system resources you have to wait for it to finish.  it wont do updates that make you restart and then take 30 mins to install them before it boots back up.  

it will be a slight learning curve and you will need to read a bit about linux and a little getting to know linux.  but if you can figure out a smartphone, you can use linux.  

if youre comfortable installing an operating system which they made as easy as installing software then you can install linux.  it will install itself and leave windows  untouched if you want to keep it.  when it boots up you can choose to run linux or windows.  linux can see a windows files system so you can access your files from linux.

I would recommend Linux Mint or Ubuntu for beginners. they both have a complete set of office software called libreoffice (you can download it for windows too, it's 100% free),  dvd/cd burning software, internet browsers such as firefox and google chrome. several email apps such as mozilla thunderbird (makers of firefox)  linux works best with brother and Hp printers. both companies offer drivers for linux.  cannon is pretty much a no go.  and epson is hit or miss.   linux has an "app store" to find all the software you need to do pretty much anything.

if you're an average PC user and mainly just get online for stuff or occasionally use microsoft word and watch youtube, facebook, banking, etc etc, it's excellent for all of that.  it can do much more but most of us do not use our computers for more than that. 

just for example,  microsoft has admitted they use linux on their own servers.  it's just that much better.