Windows 10: All user libraries are empty after a microsoft update - Documents, pictures downloads etc...

My wife today went to use her PC and all her user files are gone. Looks like a windows 10 update is the cause. Appears that the apps are o'k . Can still access the internet . Using Windows 10.


This is a disaster. I think the data is still someplace on the on the PC.


Algert Sanders


203 272-7146

:)

 

Picture User Folder vs Library Picture Folder / Add to User folder

Hi,



Form the issue description, I realize that you are trying to view your pictures in the default pictures library. To do so, you have to change the location of the folder that contains your pictures to the default pictures library folder.



To view your pictures in the default pictures library, I suggest you to follow the steps below.

• 
  Right-click on the default Picture folder
  and click on Properties.
  
• 
  Navigate to Location tab.
  
• 
  Click on Move…. and select the folder that contains your pictures and click on
  Apply and then click on Ok.
  

Hope the information helps. Kindly write back to us for further information on Windows. We will be happy to assist you.



Thank you.

 

? After I Moved Libraries ie. Documents, Pictures and Download Folders

If done right, any thing now downloaded or Saved will end up on D:\ in the new Folders , but don't fret too much about "wearing" out a SSD ...never going to happen....for a normal user....unless you are somehow writing Terabytes of data to your SSD Daily

You didn't say you were Dual booting ....what 2 windows OS's ? if you moved the Libraries on both OS's to D:\ you could be really confusing the issue....

If you moved The libraries to D:\ there should be nothing in the Folders at C:\Users\UserNAME\Docs ...... (Pics) (Downloads)

Perhaps you are confusing Folders and Libraries? Libraries are just a Shortcut to a Folder hence you see the same thing in both.... ie the Documents Library , shows you what is in D:\Documents now not C:\Users\UserNAME\Documents



Windows libraries

Applies to: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2008 R2 Libraries are virtual containers for users’ content.
A library can contain files and folders stored on the local computer or in a remote storage location. In Windows Explorer, users interact with libraries in ways similar to how they would interact with other folders. Libraries are built upon the legacy known folders (such as My Documents, My Pictures, and My Music) that users are familiar with, and these known folders are automatically included in the default libraries and set as the default save location.

Features for Users

Windows libraries are backed by full content search and rich metadata. Libraries offer the following advantages to users:

• Aggregate content from multiple storage locations into a single, unified presentation.
• Enable users to stack and group library contents based on metadata.
• Enable fast, full-text searches across multiple storage locations, from Windows Explorer or from the Start menu.
• Support customized filter search suggestions, based on the types of files contained in the library.
• Enable users to create new libraries and specify which folders they want to include.

 

Problem with location of Pictures library after making pictures available on OneDrive

Thanks Rhina

I did what you suggested but it ended up making OneDrive the Pictures library. This may have something to do with the way i originally moved the Pictures folders to OneDrive. I probably should explain:

Because there already was a (fairly empty) Pictures folder under OneDrive (automatically set up I think when transferring a few Ipad photos to PC via OneDrive) I had moved the top level Pictures folders into D/users/myname/OneDrive rather than moving
the Pictures folder itself. This was probably a bit stupid but I subsequently moved the top level Pictures folders into that pre-existing Pictures folder on OneDrive and that's how we got to where we are today.

To continue after that diversion. Following the restore you suggested, the pictures folder under Libraries was still wrong but it looked a lot better ie it was no longer offering me a choice of locations for Pictures folders and, instead was just showing
me all the top level folders for what it (wrongly) thought was the Pictures folder. But it was still not appearing directly under This PC.

My next step was to go into Properties option for Libraries/Pictures. Here I simply added the correct location D/users/myname/OneDrive/pictures and deleted the location D/users/myname/OneDrive which at that time was the current location.

So, on the Positive side:

• Libraries/Pictures now shows what I would expect ie my top level Pictures folders

But, on the negative side:

• Pictures still does not appear under This PC, unlike Documents, Videos, Music etc
• in the Photos app, if I go to Folders option, it shows the folder as OneDrive, not OneDrive/Pictures even though, if i go into "choose where to look" it is correctly showing OneDrive/Pictures as the location. Obviously i can still get to the photos I need
  but it's an extra unnecessary step
  

That's where i am currently.