Original version of Windows 2000 Pro has re-appeared

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

When I booted up my computer this am, the original version of Windows 2000
Pro appeared (without any of the updates religiously made over the years).
There was no internet connection, but all of the My Documents/Program
Files
folders were intact.

I have a backup copy of my hard drive. Can I simply restore the WINNT
folder, overwriting existing files that are not shared, and reboot?

This is strange...

Gordon Biggar
Houston, Texas

What exactly makes you think that the original version "reappeared"?
What folders do you have in c:\Winnt (possibly hidden) that start
with "$"?

 

[G.G. Biggar, Jr.]

When I booted up my computer this am, the original version of Windows 2000
Pro appeared (without any of the updates religiously made over the years).
There was no internet connection, but all of the My Documents/Program Files
folders were intact.

I have a backup copy of my hard drive. Can I simply restore the WINNT
folder, overwriting existing files that are not shared, and reboot?

This is strange...

Gordon Biggar
Houston, Texas

 

[DL]

And is there any change if you boot into safe mode, then check in Explorer
(including hidden files)?

 

[G.G. Biggar, Jr.]

That's part of the problem (I think). When bringing up Windows Explorer,
there are NO $ folders under the main folder. The first one is the Addin
folder. However, when in the Control Panel (Add/Remove Programs), the $
folders appear there.
Also, in Documents and Settings (Windows Explorer), an old user profile now
shows that was removed over a year ago.

 

[G.G. Biggar, Jr.]

I attempted to restore the $...$ folders from my backup, but received a
message at the end of the job that files were not replaced because the
"files already exist." Darned if I can find them using Windows Explorer.
Also tried a system search for one of the folders: "file does not exist."

Strange.

 

[DL]

Check your root folder (C for any chkdsk recovered files

Also try running the hd checking utility, available from the hd
manufacturers web site
eg Seatools for Seagate hd's

 

[G.G. Biggar, Jr.]

Tried that. $ folders still do not appear.

I have the backup files on a flash disc, as well as on a storage disc. I
suppose that I could use Windows Explorer simply to copy the $...$ files
into the WINNT folder, and then reboot. But, the fact that Windows Explorer
does not "see" the folders tells me that some pointer (to use an archaic
term) has been altered, and that those missing folders are not being
executed on boot-up.

 

[G.G. Biggar, Jr.]

On further exploration, the existing WINNT folder does have the $..$
folders, but the "$" signs have been dropped from the titles, and the
folders appear further down the list (under WINNT) as "KB..." text files
(but not as folders). I do not know the significance of the inclusion of
the $ signs in the titles.

 

[G.G. Biggar, Jr.]

I am convinced that part of the problem has to do with the user profile that
has appeared under Documents & Settings (one that I removed a year ago).
When I access Internet Explorer, for example, and look for Favorites, there
are none; they are located under the User profile that I have been using for
the past year. Something in the registry (?) must be pointing to this
recently added profile. When I accessed Word and Excel, it was like I was
opening these programs for the first time.

How does one go about adding (and removing) User Profiles? (I don't
remember how I removed the profile a year ago!)