All Files on Desktop and My Documents Folder Missing after upgrade toWindows XP Service Pack 3 and I

[aaron95133]

I upgraded my company laptop to Windows XP Service Pack 3 and Internet
Explorer 8. When I did this, all the files on my desktop and My
Documents folder "disappeared." I rolled back the install with System
Restore, but this only resulted in restoring some folders to my
desktop, but no documents. Nothing was restored to My Documents. I've
tried looking for missing and deleted files with freeware data
recovery tools like Pandora Recovery and PC Inspector, with no luck.
My IT person seems at a loss. Anyone have any suggestions?

 

[DL]

That was nothing to do with either the sp or IE8, if docs are truly missing
something else went on
Presumably this Company laptop has no data backups

 

[Andrew E.]

Those are two major updates to the OS...Before you restart the pc after
installing you should have had a "check disk" scheduled..For now,install xp
cd,
boot pc to xp cd,at menu,press r For recovery console,select 1 for C:
Press enter for password,type: Fixboot Agree,type: CHKDSK C: /R Once its
thru,type:EXIT Let xp start,remove cd.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Never, EVER use System Restore to "undo" a Windows Service Pack, IE upgrade,
and/or Windows Update! Uninstall them via Add/Remove Programs.

If you can "undo" the System Restore, do so then reply to this post for
further instrux.

 

[Paul Randall]

I'm a little better at remembering reasons than rules. What is there about
Windows Service Packs, IE upgrades, and Windows Updates that makes System
Restore so useless or dangerous?

-Paul Randall

 

[aaron95133]

So I should use System Restore to put the computer back to the point
where IE8 and SP3 have just been installed? I'm pretty sure I can do
that.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Yes, give that (i.e., undoing the last System Restore) a whirl, please.

Which was installed first, WinXP SP3 or IE8?

WinXP SP3 was released over a year ago. Any reason in particular that you
waited so long to install it?

What anti-virus application or security suite is installed and is your
subscription current? What anti-spyware applications (other than Defender)?
What third-party firewall (if any)? Were any of these applications running
in the background when you installed SP3 and/or IE8?

Has a(another) Norton or McAfee application ever been installed on this
machine (e.g., a free-trial version that came preinstalled when you bought
it)?

 

[Terry R.]

The date and time was Thursday, August 20, 2009 9:35:40 AM , and on a
whim, aaron95133 pounded out on the keyboard:

So I should use System Restore to put the computer back to the point
where IE8 and SP3 have just been installed? I'm pretty sure I can do
that.

Hi Aaron,

If this is a company laptop, are you on a domain? If so, could you now
be logging into a local account rather than the domain profile? Maybe
your My Documents is located on a network drive? If you have
Administrator rights, look in the Documents and Settings folder and
check the users listed. You might be able to look into each accounts My
Documents folder and see if your data is in one of them.

Report back,

Terry R.

 

[Jose]

I upgraded my company laptop to Windows XP Service Pack 3 and Internet
Explorer 8. When I did this, all the files on my desktop and My
Documents folder "disappeared." I rolled back the install with System
Restore, but this only resulted in restoring some folders to my
desktop, but no documents. Nothing was restored to My Documents. I've
tried looking for missing and deleted files with freeware data
recovery tools like Pandora Recovery and PC Inspector, with no luck.
My IT person seems at a loss. Anyone have any suggestions?

Disappeared can have many interpretations.

Your recover programs are designed to recover items that have been
deleted. They are not useful to locate things that are missing.

If your file recovery programs did not discover any deleted items to
recover I would venture that the items have not been deleted but
instead are not where you think they should be or where they were
before.

If installed properly following the well documented installation
procedures, there is no reason installing SP3 or IE8 would delete user
created files. If either did, people would be screaming about it all
over the world.

SR is not the method to uninstall things or recover from an
installation that went wrong (as has been noted). SR is not useless
and dangerous if used properly. It only does what it is designed to
do. It is not a time machine.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Perhaps seeing a list of folders that System Restore does *not* monitor will
make things clearer: http://bertk.mvps.org/html/filesfolders.html

In the bottom section of the page, also notice that System Restore does not
monitor any executables (i.e., EXE files).

Since System Restore does *not* monitor the contents of
%windir%\SoftwareDistribution <=this folder or
%windir%\$NtServicePackUninstall$ <=this folder or any executables and since
it *does* monitor DLL files, using System Restore to "undo" such updates
usually leaves Windows in a very "confused" and unreliable state (e.g., Is
SP3 and/or IE8 installed or not?).

 

[aaron95133]

Hi Andrew, my IT person says he can follow your procedure, but he
doesn't see how this will recover my files. Is there a simple
explanation I pass on?

 

[aaron95133]

The IT person said that they don't support SP3, for what reason he
wouldn't say. Looking at the System Restore history, it looks like SP3
was installed first (KP932823-v3) and then IE8 was installed.

We run Symantec Endpoint Protection. It seems to be current. It was
probably running when the updates installed.

So just to be sure, I should go back to the System Restore Point just
after IE8 was installed and then try Add/Remove?

 

[aaron95133]

The date and time was Thursday, August 20, 2009 9:35:40 AM , and on a
whim, aaron95133 pounded out on the keyboard:





Hi Aaron,

If this is a company laptop, are you on a domain?  If so, could you now
be logging into a local account rather than the domain profile?  Maybe
your My Documents is located on a network drive?  If you have
Administrator rights, look in the Documents and Settings folder and
check the users listed.  You might be able to look into each accounts My
Documents folder and see if your data is in one of them.

Report back,

Terry R.

How do I know if I'm on a domain? I don't think I'm on a network
drive. All my files were always saved to the the C: drive. I have the
only profile other than the Administrator profile. I don't have admin
rights.

 

[Jim]

Only Andrew knows what he means .

Hi Andrew, my IT person says he can follow your procedure, but he
doesn't see how this will recover my files. Is there a simple
explanation I pass on?

 

[Terry R.]

The date and time was Thursday, August 20, 2009 11:19:19 AM , and on a
whim, aaron95133 pounded out on the keyboard:

How do I know if I'm on a domain? I don't think I'm on a network
drive. All my files were always saved to the the C: drive. I have the
only profile other than the Administrator profile. I don't have admin
rights.

Your "IT" person will know. If he doesn't, it's time to look for one
that WILL know.

So you're saying there are only two profile folders under Documents and
Settings? Yours and Administrator? Have your IT guy make sure you can
see hidden files and folders in Explorer and do a search for a file you
know was in your My Documents folder. Let's see what turns up.



Terry R.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

What "IT person" are you referring to?

So just to be sure, I should go back to the System Restore Point just
after IE8 was installed and then try Add/Remove?

No, at this point I only want you to see if you can "undo" the last System
Restore. Have you done so? If you have, is "Windows Internet Explorer 8"
listed in Add/Remove Programs? (Just asking for now)

We run Symantec Endpoint Protection. It seems to be current. It was
probably running when the updates installed.

Not good.

 

[aaron95133]

What "IT person" are you referring to?


No, at this point I only want you to see if you can "undo" the last System
Restore.  Have you done so?  If you have, is "Windows Internet Explorer 8"
listed in Add/Remove Programs?  (Just asking for now)


Not good.

The last undo of the System Restore would take me back to the point
where IE8 and SP3 were installed. I haven't done anything yet since I
wanted to know explicitly what you were saying.

The IT person "I" am referring to is the in-house guy here who sits in
room full of equipment and swaps out hard drives, etc.

 

[aaron95133]

The date and time was Thursday, August 20, 2009 11:19:19 AM , and on a
whim, aaron95133 pounded out on the keyboard:





Your "IT" person will know.  If he doesn't, it's time to look for one
that WILL know.

So you're saying there are only two profile folders under Documents and
Settings?  Yours and Administrator?  Have your IT guy make sure you can
see hidden files and folders in Explorer and do a search for a file you
know was in your My Documents folder.  Let's see what turns up.

Terry R.

Hi Terry, well I don't hire the IT people. I take who is here. I do
have "hidden" files turned on. No documents that I know were in My
Documents showed up.

There is also an All Users profile.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Please top-post your replies to my posts, Aaron. Thank you.

Repost: Undo the last System Restore now. Then tell me if "Windows Internet
Explorer 8" is listed in Add/Remove Programs.

Tell you IT person this: WinXP computers will NOT be offered any further
critical security updates nor will Windows Update website be available after
12 April 2010 until and unless SP3 is installed.

And tell your boss that your company needs a new IT person ASAP!

 

[aaron95133]

The last System Restore could not be undone.

Please top-post your replies to my posts, Aaron.  Thank you.

Repost: Undo the last System Restore now.  Then tell me if "Windows Internet
Explorer 8" is listed in Add/Remove Programs.

Tell you IT person this: WinXP computers will NOT be offered any further
critical security updates nor will Windows Update website be available after
12 April 2010 until and unless SP3 is installed.

And tell your boss that your company needs a new IT person ASAP!