Windows 10: Multiple MS account folders simply gone..

Hi all,This is something you wouldnt wish on an enemy.It seems something has happened to my families document and pictures as all the detail and save pics and docs have gone.10, 15 20 years of files!!First suggestion of this was:Then could only see:So, being a fairly clever bloke, I referred to my numerous if not regular backups.I have backups produced by ISOO, by ashampoo, by backup maker, and also by aomei.These are located on external drives.NOW, - Backup maker program support functions evidently located in europe ascomp software evidently only works to restore IF the backup file is TOT

:)

 

Local Acct user and MS account user - sync them or merge them

If the local account is the one where you have most of your personal data, this is how I would do it:

• Sign in to your Microsoft account
  
• Copy all documents, pictures and other personal data from Microsoft account's user folders to corresponding folders in user Public (contents of MS account Documents folder to Public Documents folder and so on)
• Sign out from Microsoft account

Notice that above steps are only required if Microsoft account user folders contain data you want to keep. If its user folders are empty or do not contain anything worth saving, you can skip the above steps. Continue from below.

• Sign in to the local account
  
• Delete the Microsoft account (Option One in this tutorial)
• Switch your local account to a Microsoft account (tutorial)
• Copy the data backed up from old Microsoft account to Public folders to new Microsoft account in corresponding folders

That's it. Using the Public folders as temporary storage you will have none whatsoever file owner / permission issues later on.

 

Local Acct user and MS account user - sync them or merge them

Thank you. I will give it a try later today and post my results.

Got to it sooner than I thought.
Your method worked perfectly.

Thank you

 

Multiple questions about installing - transfer accounts etc.

According to you, the accounts were Windows built-in admin, a local admin and standard user. None of them needs to be moved.

The built-in admin account, as the name says, will be there when you boot the laptop first time. It is disabled by default, you just need to enable it. For two other accounts, simply create same accounts on laptop.

Attach the HDD to laptop using an external USB enclosure, copy contents of data folders to respective folders on laptop.

You mentioned that the desktop accounts were / are local accounts, not Microsoft accounts. See the options to get Pro here:

• Upgrade Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro

If you can still access Windows on desktop, boot it up, make it a Microsoft account and link license to that MS account. Tutorials:

• Switch to Microsoft Account in Windows 10
• Link Microsoft Account to Windows 10 Digital License

When done, see this tutorial. It will show step by step what do on the laptop to transfer desktop license to it: Use Activation Troubleshooter in Windows 10

This article is the best I have seen about when a license transfer is possible, and when not:

• https://www.howtogeek.com/261053/whe...e-to-a-new-pc/