[SOLVED] Files disappeared from the desktop

[mightmaster92]

Hello!

One user lost his files - disappeared from the desktop while program icons, folders and files in those folders remained. Recycle bin is empty, windows search can't find them, recent items has some empty links pointing at the desktop.

Anybody had something like that occuring? First time for me.

 

[SkyNetRising]

Files on a different drive? Drive failed?
Links remained on desktop, but files gone.

 

[mightmaster92]

Files on a different drive? Drive failed?
Links remained on desktop, but files gone.

1 drive. Not links on desktop, empty links in 'recent items' folder.

 

[hang-the-9]

Hello!

One user lost his files - disappeared from the desktop while program icons, folders and files in those folders remained. Recycle bin is empty, windows search can't find them, recent items has some empty links pointing at the desktop.

Anybody had something like that occuring? First time for me.

Could be any number of things, user account error where it loaded a temp profile, some other tech reset the account, they deleted the Desktop folder or items inside it by accident, items are set to hidden, really anything that can delete or hide files would do this. No way to know exactly what could have happened without looking at everything and asking the person what they were doing before this happened with exact messages or errors.

 

[mightmaster92]

Could be any number of things, user account error where it loaded a temp profile, some other tech reset the account, they deleted the Desktop folder or items inside it by accident, items are set to hidden, really anything that can delete or hide files would do this. No way to know exactly what could have happened without looking at everything and asking the person what they were doing before this happened with exact messages or errors.

Not hidden, doesn't seem like temp profile as desktop remained largely as it was, and no error messages.

 

[mightmaster92]

Happened again, no error messages - file just disappeared

 

[hang-the-9]

Happened again, no error messages - file just disappeared

Happened again to the same person or someone else? A different computer? Are the computers shared? Is the Desktop redirected to another location or just all Windows defaults? Seems more like user error than anything else, just the user files should not disappear unless someone is clicking around or the profile is corrupted or cleared out.

Keep in mind the Desktop shortcuts to programs may not live in the user folder but in the All Users or Default User location, so if the user's Desktop folder is cleared any program shortcuts can still be there since they are not in that folder.

Maybe a virus also. Are the files in My Documents still there? They don't have backups to a network location for the files?

 

[Deleted member 14196]

If your desktop is pointing at your one drive space in the cloud and you use multiple machines that share this location you could be deleting them yourself

 

[mightmaster92]

Same user. Only he uses this computer, no cloud/redirection or anything. KES with fresh databases hasn't found anything.

 

[hang-the-9]

Same user. Only he uses this computer, no cloud/redirection or anything. KES with fresh databases hasn't found anything.

Check with him exactly what he was doing before the files disappeared.