C:\Users is gone!

[vaylon]

I need some help.

A few days ago I turned on windows update and downloaded and installed all the security updates available for my win7 ultimate 32bit.
Everything was fine up till yesterday when I started crashing playing CODMW2.

So I went to look in my user folder to see what was up and its gone. Not hidden, but gone.
Instead, all of the folders that would have been in the user folder are now in my C:\Documents and settings folder.


Anybody got a clue what is going on.?

 

[WindowsStar]

Welcome vaylon,

Screenshots will help. Fill out your "My System Specs" will help too.

 

[whs]

Run Shadow Explorer and retrieve it from an earlier restore point. Alternatively you could do a system restore.

 

[Capt.Jack Sparrow]

Hello !!

I think it's the Default locations might have messed. It's a good idea to do a System Restore. Or use this Microsoft Fixit You receive an "Error 1606" error message when you try to install or remove a Microsoft program it will help you restore the shell settings in registry to default.

Hope this helps,
Captain

 

[vaylon]

I tried to do the system restore, but it just freezes up at the start and theirs nothing in the windows error logs.
and I tried the fixit, no luck. Everything is still the same.

Except for the crash with CODMW2, the system is running fine.

Here's the strange thing.
Most applications are storing their data in the default location (according to their property links) in the C:\Users\tk\appdata folder. But its really being written to C:\Documents and settings\TK\appdata folder.

But after doing the fixit things have changed. The documents and settings folder has now become "Desktop" folder.

The C:\Desktop folder has all the original files that use to be in C:\users folder.

And when I try to make a new file on C: called USERS. It says I already have a file called "desktop".

 

[WindowsStar]

Here's the strange thing.
Most applications are storing their data in the default location (according to their property links) in the C:\Users\tk\appdata folder. But its really being written to C:\Documents and settings\TK\appdata folder.

Typically this is the reverse with Windows 7. The C:\Documents and settings\<username> is a junction point to C:\Users\<username>.

If we can see some screenshots that can help, especially me, picture worth a 1000 words.

 

[vaylon]

Here you go. Maybe this will help.
This is the files on my C:
Yfrog Image : yfrog.com/e7429201081500pmj

and this is the folders in the C:\documents and settings folder ( which has since changed to C:\desktop)
http://yfrog.com/0o429201081844pmj

 

[WindowsStar]

What happens if you logon as Administrator? Do you see the same thing?

 

[vaylon]

What happens if you logon as Administrator? Do you see the same thing?

Even under administrator, its the same.


I did find the cause of the crash tho. It was a messed up nvidia driver.

 

[mjf]

Vaylon
could you pls report if it was a recent Win 7 MS update nvidia driver. I have a current (optional) driver update sitting in optional updates.

 

[mitchell65]

Have you tried a System Restore in Safe Mode? Also if you can see and open C:\Documents and Settings then the option in Tools, Folder Options, Views "Hide protected operating system files" must be unchecked. Does this mean you have "tinkered" here before?

 

[vaylon]

MJF
The microsoft optional driver is the same driver as the nvidia 197.45 whql.
The problem I ran into wasn't so much the driver as it was how Microsoft update installed the driver.

To install video or sound drivers correctly, you first have to remove the old drivers completely using the uninstall function. Then restart in safe mode and run a driver cleaner program like driver cleaner pro.
Then restart back to a normal desktop and install the new driver.

You are better off getting the latest drivers for video and sound from the manufacturers website than letting windows update do it for you.
I should have known better, but I wanted to see if the update process had improved.
Windows updates is great for windows and small drivers like a printer or a scanner. But video and sound drivers are so complex that if all the files are not in perfect sync, you get a crash.
WU does the same kind of install that you would get if you tried to install a new driver over the top of the old driver. Most files are rewritten to the new file, but every so often while the install is going on a file will have all the same attributes as the one thats getting replaced and windows and the installer end up keeping the older file.
but yea, it was the nvidia driver from WU.
Hope that helps.

 

[mitchell65]

So is the whole problem now solved? If so could you click the red triangle at th top of each post and report the thread as "solved"

 

[vaylon]

Have you tried a System Restore in Safe Mode? Also if you can see and open C:\Documents and Settings then the option in Tools, Folder Options, Views "Hide protected operating system files" must be unchecked. Does this mean you have "tinkered" here before?

My C:\Documents and Settings folder has changed its name to C:\Desktop. It's still has all the files as when it was C:\Users, it just decided to change its name.

I keep my system wide open. So I can see changes that are made to system files and folders.

My other system is has the same specs as this one except it has a multi boot setup for many operating systems.(95, 98, XP, VISTA, win7 and Ubuntu)

This system is optimized for gaming and the only real change to the system over the past couple of weeks( other than the driver) was an update for the steam client. That caused headaches for about a day.

Also, I have never gotten an error message or a BSOD.

also
The registry still shows command and controls for C:Users.
Command prompts even list everything as it should be ( C:\Users\tk)

It just seems to be in explorer where things are odd.

 

[mitchell65]

This system is optimized for gaming and the only real change to the system over the past couple of weeks( other than the driver) was an update for the steam client. That caused headaches for about a day.

There's the problem. Most of us use electricity! :roflmao:

 

[mjf]

You are better off getting the latest drivers for video and sound from the manufacturers website than letting windows update do it for you.
I should have known better, but I wanted to see if the update process had improved.
Windows updates is great for windows and small drivers like a printer or a scanner. But video and sound drivers are so complex that if all the files are not in perfect sync, you get a crash.
WU does the same kind of install that you would get if you tried to install a new driver over the top of the old driver. Most files are rewritten to the new file, but every so often while the install is going on a file will have all the same attributes as the one thats getting replaced and windows and the installer end up keeping the older file.
but yea, it was the nvidia driver from WU.
Hope that helps.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[vaylon]

I had a feeling it had something to do with electricity.

One last observation and then I give up.

Using DOS, the directory structure is exactly as it should be. Everything is named exactly as it should be and where it should be.

But with explorer and a couple of explorer alternatives, the odd names are showing up. The user folder is still named Desktop.

A search thru the registry for c:\desktop shows nothing. Everything is still pointing to c:\users\tk

 

[Jacee]

Just out of curiosity, have you run any anti-malware scans? Run Malwarebytes Anti-malware:

download Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware to your desktop
|MG| Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 1.46 Download
* Double-click mbam-setup.exe and follow the prompts to install the program.
* At the end, be sure a checkmark is placed next to Update Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware and Launch Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware, then click Finish.
* If an update is found, it will download and install the latest version.
* Once the program has loaded, select Perform full scan, then click Scan.
* When the scan is complete, click OK, then Show Results to view the results.
* Be sure that everything is checked, and click Remove Selected.

 

[vaylon]

Jacee
MB didn't find any threats.
SBS&D only found a couple of tracking cookies.
AVG didn't find anything
GMER came up clean
Security essentials was clean
Hijackthis had nothing.
and
Avast was clean.

I am kind of thinking that whatever has changed the name must be related to a basic service, because it does the same thing in safe mode.

Then on the other hand it may just be a glitch in the code.

 

[fseal]

Well... try doing a "dir /a" in a command prompt at the root of your C drive. See if there are any funny junctions that shouldn't be there? Cut and paste the command window text back here if you want.