Desktop preferences and all files are gone!

[Guest]

I sign onto my user profile with my password, but my wallpaper is gone, all
my data files are gone, iTunes library is gone, TurboTax is gone, etc. "My
Documents" is empty except for folders for "My Pictures" etc.

In the Recycle Bin is a huge .dat file called dbCache. It's 400 MB. Don't
know how it came about - I run Disk Cleanup utility regularly and never
encounter this kind of scale.

Is my old profile in this dbCache? How do I restore from dbCache? What the
heck happened here, and how do I remedy?

Can anyone help?

 

[db]

i couldn't find a dbCache on
my winxp system. so i don't
know anything about yours.

according to this kb, that
file is known to increase:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/275517
however, it appears that it is a simple
cache/repository that is expendable.

it sounds like you ran out of hd space
or your profile crashed if it was located
there.

i don't know of the exact fix, but as
a suggestion i would run a chkdsk from the recovery
console with your windows setup cd.

afterwards maybe downloading the
free profile hive cleaner from
Microsoft.com might be useful as well.

unfortunately, i am leery of
music programs, since music files
are extremely large and if the
settings are improper, the pc becomes
a repository of internet music file
downloads until no room is left on the hd.

- db
I sign onto my user profile with my password, but my wallpaper is gone, all
my data files are gone, iTunes library is gone, TurboTax is gone, etc. "My
Documents" is empty except for folders for "My Pictures" etc.

In the Recycle Bin is a huge .dat file called dbCache. It's 400 MB. Don't
know how it came about - I run Disk Cleanup utility regularly and never
encounter this kind of scale.

Is my old profile in this dbCache? How do I restore from dbCache? What the
heck happened here, and how do I remedy?

Can anyone help?

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

I sign onto my user profile with my password, but my wallpaper is gone, all
my data files are gone, iTunes library is gone, TurboTax is gone, etc. "My
Documents" is empty except for folders for "My Pictures" etc.

In the Recycle Bin is a huge .dat file called dbCache. It's 400 MB. Don't
know how it came about - I run Disk Cleanup utility regularly and never
encounter this kind of scale.

Is my old profile in this dbCache? How do I restore from dbCache? What the
heck happened here, and how do I remedy?

Can anyone help?

What is your current profile folder? Do this to find out:
- Click Start / Run / cmd {OK}
- Type this command:
set userprofile {Enter}

What profile folders do you currently have? Use "My Computer"
to have a look in the folder "C:\Documents and Settings".