windows 10 (October 2018 update) (version 1809) deleted all my files

Anonymous
2018-10-03T23:52:17+00:00

I have just updated my windows using the October update (10, version 1809) it deleted all my files of 23 years in amount of 220gb. This is unbelievable, I have been using Microsoft products since 1995 and nothing like that ever happened to me.

Files were located at C:/Users/rober/Documents/

This location is still present, with no files. All of files deleted.

I am extremely upset. Not sure what to do….please let me know.

Robert

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Files, folders, and storage

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  1. Anonymous
    2018-10-05T00:24:51+00:00

    They're not deleted. The links are pointing to the OneDrive (new) folders for Documents, Pictures, etc. You can navigate to the folder under Users and see the original Documents, Pictures, etc folders with all the data. (Happened to me, panicked, worked through it.)

    Either replace the links in File Explorer or move the data to the new folders under your OneDrive folder.

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  2. Anonymous
    2018-10-05T00:50:38+00:00

    Yes, the links are updated to OneDrive locations. However, going to the old location (C:\Users\username\Documents) results in an empty folder. The contents are not in the new OneDrive location (C:\users\username\OneDrive\Documents) either. I've upgraded this machine from Windows 7 Ultimate to Windows 10 1507 and every version since then without issue. This upgrade to 1809 I lost my files. I have a backup that is done nightly so I have all my files available to restore but I feel there is definitely an issue here.

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  3. Anonymous
    2018-10-05T01:23:24+00:00

    Huh. That's different from what I experienced. Sorry to hear that. (Also, they're not available under C:\Windows.Old either?!?!)

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  4. Anonymous
    2018-10-05T01:32:33+00:00

    Huh. That's different from what I experienced. Sorry to hear that. (Also, they're not available under C:\Windows.Old either?!?!)

    No, unfortunately not. And after returning to an older version of Win (like recommended by MS stuff) there is no Windows.old...

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  5. Anonymous
    2018-10-05T01:37:11+00:00

    Robert,

    Do you use One Drive ?

    Do you have a folder like:

    C:\Users\rober\OneDrive

    Does it perhaps have subfolders like "Documents" and "Pictures", etc.

    If so, what's inside those folders?

    That's what I wanted to say. Unfortunately, Robert is missing 220 GB - & OneDrive only holds 5 GB unless more was purchased. (Can it be MSFT gave him the extra real estate & plans to send him a bill?) But maybe the upgrade did the following automatically.

    Before my upgrade to 1809 (still in 1803) - I had set Desktop, Pictures, & Documents to go to OneDrive. That's at "OneDrive Settings, Auto Save tab, Update folders button".  That moved the contents of those folders from C:\Users<Username> to corresponding folders in C:\Users<Username>\OneDrive. The C:\Users<Username> folders remain, but are empty. Any content previously in any of the OneDrive folders also remained, was not wiped out.

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