Latest Windows Updates Cause Folders to disappear from desktop

Might be time to turn Mac

The plot thickens...


Seems I have NOT lost any of the folders or files that were on my desktop.


They can be found here, where 'Floating' is the name of one of the folders I had on my desktop:


C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile\Desktop\Floating


Everything is there...all the other folders that used to be on my desktop and that disappeared are there too.
I tried to copy a simple doc file from that location to the desktop...no problem. So theoretically I can just copy the lot from that location right back onto the desktop....restart and keep my fingers crossed that they stay there on the restart.


The question is...why and how did they go from the desktop to the Windows\System32\config\systemprofile location where they are now???


And that's led me to this site:


Solved: c:\windows\system32\config\systemprofile\desktop - Tech Support Guy Forums


Where the guy seems to be describing my problem...and it happened to him right after an....update...hmmm...
I don't have the energy to read it tonight...so will check it out later.

Hey, I have the same problem as well. 15 'updates', 12 of which classified important, automatically installed when I shut down my computer last night. I wake up this morning to find a default background, default sidebar and my folders/non-default icons missing. I tried to system restore it back 2 weeks, which said it failed cause I had an anti-virus program open or something. Although my system didn't restore, it seems everything is back to normal even with all my files between the last two weeks. The updates are still there and I am very suspicious about this. A quick malware scan showed nothing, a flame virus detector (found on here) showed nothing and same for AVG free. Does windows release a list of updates, so I can verify which ones are correct? Is there anything else I should do?

The following is my full malware bytes scan, found nothing...

11/01/2013 12:32:47 PM
mbam-log-2013-01-11 (12-32-47).txt

Scan type: Full scan (C:\|D:\|)
Scan options enabled: Memory | Startup | Registry | File System | Heuristics/Extra | Heuristics/Shuriken | PUP | PUM
Scan options disabled: P2P
Objects scanned: 405223
Time elapsed: 46 minute(s), 49 second(s)

Memory Processes Detected: 0
(No malicious items detected)

Memory Modules Detected: 0
(No malicious items detected)

Registry Keys Detected: 0
(No malicious items detected)

Registry Values Detected: 0
(No malicious items detected)

Registry Data Items Detected: 0
(No malicious items detected)

Folders Detected: 0
(No malicious items detected)

Files Detected: 0
(No malicious items detected)

(end)

@zoznoz
Please start a NEW THREAD of your own with all the details.

How about my latest news?

I've just tried this:

Trojan.Zeroaccess Removal Tool | Symantec

I just ran that and it didn't find anything. Scan didn't seem to last for more than 5 seconds though...so...who knows.

I haven't lost any data at all...as I said earlier...I found the location where everything from my desktop went to. I don't know why it's where it is...but I was able to copy it all and paste it to an external.

So...everything is alright...except for the fact that 160gig worth of stuff that used to be on my desktop warped itself over to some obscure folder in C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile\Desktop...

But...I still think that I am going to do a reinstall...now I just have to figure out how to do a reinstall that completely nukes the hell out of everything and installs a totally new instance of Windows.

Any thoughts?

None of any consequence
It sounds to me like a case of a corrupted link somewhere.
What on earth the files would be doing in that location, I have no idea, and would be afraid to hazard a guess!

Virus?

dunno - not one that I know of! :)

Well I've had some people...or maybe it was just one person started all this...telling me that I may have Zero Access Rootkit virus...

I've scanned the hell out of my PC...it's clean