Latest Windows Updates Cause Folders to disappear from desktop

Here's what I got...thanks for the step by step by the way...

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\earth>REG QUERY "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\Curre
ntVersion\ProfileList"

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList
ProfilesDirectory REG_EXPAND_SZ %SystemDrive%\Users
Default REG_EXPAND_SZ %SystemDrive%\Users\Default
Public REG_EXPAND_SZ %SystemDrive%\Users\Public
ProgramData REG_EXPAND_SZ %SystemDrive%\ProgramData

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList\S-1-
5-18
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList\S-1-
5-19
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList\S-1-
5-20
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList\S-1-
5-21-2059517646-4003682312-4094330946-1000

C:\Users\earth>



By the way...that second profile (as can be seen in the screeny I posted in post #26) has now gone from 30 to 40 and now up to 50 gig...

That's normal - I was half-expecting to find the Default profile lurking in there as well :)
It's possible that the entry is a hangover from the original build, if it was done with a PE environment, rather than a direct load from disk.
I don't think it's anything to worry about.

Do you think it's ok to delete all the stuff that was on my desktop before this happened? Remember I said it all got moved (somehow) to C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile\Desktop...all the folders that I had on my desktop got moved there for some reason.

I have since backed them all up and put new folders on my desktop. Do you think it's ok to delete the folders at the location I list above?

My rule of thumb is never to store data (or executables) on the desktop.
The best thing to do is to have only shortcuts on the desktop - if you place shortcuts to folders on the desktop, it's almost identical to having the folder there anyhow, as you can drag/drop files into them, and they will be moved to the appropriate folder in a less easily-corrupted part of the filesystem.

Right...I keep mainly music on the desktop because it's easy to manage for itunes when it's right there on the desktop. I was dubious about keeping such large amounts of data on the desktop itself. So I'll adopt your advice there I think.

But how about the files that were somehow removed to the location I specified...I have copied them all to an external drive. Do you think it's safe to delete them now?

It seems they aren't being used by anything and have kind of been forgotten. Itunes can't find them...etc

There's 160 gig of data sitting there in C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile\Desktop which is essentially quarantined it seems. It just got taken off the desktop and dumped there.


Also...one other thing...in this image:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...ps0c81f244.jpg

Where the second user profile is 30 odd gig...is that normal? What should a normal W7 profile say...if there is just one person who set the computer up and just one person who uses it?

What's the difference between Default profile and Earth-VAIO?

'Earth' is the name I gave my computer when I set it up...

It all depends on a number of factors - My Profile is listed as being 7.8 GB there - but as I said earlier I can't find any combination of folders that fits that number - I suspect that it's partly some of the content of the AppData folder, and partly other content from the User folder.

I *could* probably move it all back with a single command - but I don't know what else it would affect, so I won't :) That's how easy it is to do things like that, and it doesn't take that much more to do it accidentally.
The reason iTunes can't find your stuff is that it doesn't know where to look - if you move it back to the desktop, iTunes will probably see it fine again.

Earth-VAIO is the start of your FQDN username - the Computer name followed by your Username.
Default is a 'universal' profile which forms the basis of all newly-create profiles.

Sure...I have put folders back so itunes can see the music...I get all that...

I just don't know what to do about the earth-vaio that seems to be growing larger in the profile

...or what should I do with all that data that went to the location

Anyway...I'm thinking of a complete reinstall this weekend

If you move stuff around all the time, you'll see that profile size change all the time :)
Don't fiddle with it - it's not worth the hassle.

So....leave everything as is?

As far as what you have seen and read in this thread...you think all is ok?

You're saying that maybe my use of the registry cleaning component of Ccleaner could have messed things up?

It's a distinct possibility that registry errors caused the problem - perhaps a critical entry was deleted, and Windows did the best it could to relocate things afterwards.

If you're planning on a clean install anyhow, I'd say go for it. :)