Lost files from deleting an XP Pro user account

[Jeremy]

I deleted a user account, and told it to keep the files associated with the
account.
It put a folder on the desktop named after the deleted user account, but it
is basically empty. It had one empty sub-folder called Owners Pictures or
something like that, but I lost many hundreds of other files... any idea
where they might be recoverable from, or where else they could have been put?

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

I deleted a user account, and told it to keep the files associated with the
account.
It put a folder on the desktop named after the deleted user account, but
it
is basically empty. It had one empty sub-folder called Owners Pictures or
something like that, but I lost many hundreds of other files... any idea
where they might be recoverable from, or where else they could have been
put?

When you say "I deleted a user account", how exactly did you do it?
When you look at the folder "c:\Documents and Settings", what subfolders
can you see? Is the deleted account name among them?
If the large number of files you lost are important, can you retrieve
them from your backup?

 

[Jeremy]

I used the control panel > user accounts interface to remove the user, and
it's a wizard, which allows you to choose to keep files. I elected to keep
them.

The user's files are no longer in c:\documents and settings. It only
created a folder on the desktop named after the user, which was basically
empty.

Unfortunately the backup I have is from 2007, and quite old. (bad, I know).

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

I tried your recipe for deleting an account and I'm beginning to suspect
that this method has some major bugs. On my machine it ground away for
several minutes, creating the same desktop folder that you found but
otherwise doing precisely nothing visible. In other words, it did not delete
the account and it did not delete any files. They are still in the original
profile folder. Not good.

I now suggest you do this:
1. Log on as Administrator.
2. Using Explorer, navigate to c:\Documents and
Setings\{NameOfDeletedAccount}

Can you see this folder? Is it populated?

This is probably a good time to review your backup policy. Having important
files stored in just one place is asking for trouble. Your disk might fail
or your file system might get corrupted. A 2.5" disk in an external USB case
is a low cost but highly effective backup medium. A good strategy would be
to use it once a week and keep it well away from the PC for the rest of the
time. Remember - computer failures don't happen to "other" people. They
happen to everyone.

 

[Jeremy]

yeah, in my case, the account is gone, the documents and settings\{name of
user} is gone, and the files are gone... pretty crappy result considering it
gave you the explicit option of keeping files.

I'm well aware of the need for a good backup strategy, ... especially right
now. Unfortunately hindsight is 20-20...

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Your best bet at the moment is to pull out your disk, connect it to some
other PC, then download and use one of the countless undelete tools.

 

[Rockingham500]

yeah, in my case, the account is gone, the documents and settings\{name of
user} is gone, and the files are gone... pretty crappy result consideringit
gave you the explicit option of keeping files.

I'm well aware of the need for a good backup strategy, ... especially right
now.  Unfortunately hindsight is 20-20...









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