Where have my files gone?

Hi folks,

Not sure where to post this - think this sub forum is the best fit (Mods please move to more relevant forum if in wrong place - thanks).

History.

Win 7 SP1 machine. Running fine. I had a bunch of documents and stuff under the computer user 'Dad'.

I wanted to alter a file which was in App Data. Looked in C:\users and App Data wasn't there. No problem I thought, it is simply hidden. Clicked on 'Show hidden files and folders' and got a message saying something similar to 'You need to apply the changes to this folder'. I clicked on 'Apply' (or similar) and pc started doing 'stuff'.

Come back to my computer after several hours (of doing something else) and ALL of my documents and desktop links have gone.

In Computer\C:\users there are only two user accounts listed 'Administrators' (with a padlock icon) and 'Public'. Neither of these user accounts has my documents in it.

However, in Control Panel > user Accounts > Manage User Accounts, there are three accounts listed: Dad (Administrator), Administrator (administrator) and Guest (Guest Account is Off).

Any idea

1) What happened to my stuff

2) if there is any way to get my stuff back

Thinking about it, I may have 'hidden' the 'Dad' account. If I have, how can I 'unhide' it?

Cheers

Zaph

Hi,
Showing hidden folders files and drives is pretty much system wide setting.
Only thing more system wide is showing protected system files = not necessary and should be left alone unless one knows what one is doing :)

Which navigation pane listings do you see in Libraries.. ?
As far as I've noticed Public would never have a lock symbol on it being it is shared with other user accounts on the same machine.
Your user name folder would though.

Oops reasons
Well malware is one common cause for files being set to hidden so what do you use for security ?
https://www.malwarebytes.org/antimalware/

I see what your security is
have you changed it from what is listed in system spec's ?