Lost all recents files on laptop

Crazyteacher

Any advice appreciated. I was working on a PowerPoint presentation and a word proposal. Saved both in my documents. Went back to work on both today and all files worked on from 2017 are gone. I have tried everything I can think of. I know it's my own fault , not backing it up but they have to be somewhere.

DopeTech

Tried going to word/Powerpoint and pressing File-Open- Recent to see if they are there?

Or go to File - Info and see if they are in there under unsaved documents?


Have you typed the name of the files into the searxh box in the start menu? If they show up there you can right click on them and open file location to see where they are saved.

ED E

That sounds suspiciously like the behaviour of ransomware.

Crazyteacher

Tried that frostyjim , thanks anyway.

I Can see that windows updated sometime after I logged out yesterday. I tried to uninstall just now but no luck recovering anything.

What do if it is ransomware?

DopeTech

May seem like a silly question but have you shut it down and started it up again? May be a temporary profile you are logged into at the moment after the update.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-ie/help/12386/windows-10-find-lost-files-after-update

ED E

You'd then pay a few hundred dollars to get the files back. Not saying it is, that, but they tend to go from new to old and only hit user documents (word, powerpoint, excel, pdf, email etc etc).


Be careful what you do as some actions may increase the damage. If you leave the laptop sit for ten minutes and come back, is the hard drive light still flashing like mad?

Crazyteacher

No flashing anyway.

No luck switching it off and back on again either.

Think I need to start everything over from scratch:(

Crazyteacher

Have a message popping saying that I need to fix my Microsoft account for apps. I don't use any apps ?

DopeTech

Crazyteacher wrote: »

Have a message popping saying that I need to fix my Microsoft account for apps. I don't use any apps ?

Unlikely they are gone completely. Log back into apps and see if they start to reappear. It sounds like your not signed into microsoft meaning you are in a temporary profile.

When you go to Settings- System - Sync your settings, does it say you are signed into a microsoft account?

Crazyteacher

No PowerPoint or word apps in settings.

DopeTech

Crazyteacher wrote: »

No PowerPoint or word apps in settings.

No, thats not what i mean. When you go to settings - system - sync your settings does it show up like below? or does it show that you are signed into a microsoft account?

https://support.microsoft.com/en-ie/help/12386/windows-10-find-lost-files-after-update

Crazyteacher

Right the account its signed up to is a college account which no longer exists.

DopeTech

Crazyteacher wrote: »

Right the account its signed up to is a college account which no longer exists.

Hmm, ok, did the college account come with office 365? Did you save your files to C:\\users\yourname\Documents ? or the Documents folder on one drive?

Crazyteacher

No I purchased the office software myself.

Crazyteacher

FrostyJim wrote: »

Hmm, ok, did the college account come with office 365? Did you save your files to C:\\users\yourname\Documents ? or the Documents folder on one drive?

Definitely the documents in my documents. Not onedrive.

DopeTech

Go to c\users and see if there is a second folder there with your name on it. There may have been a new one created after the update.

Crazyteacher

I switched it off and now updating again ! Will try that.

ED E

Crazyteacher wrote: »

Right the account its signed up to is a college account which no longer exists.

How long ago was that account removed?

Crazyteacher

FrostyJim wrote: »

Go to c\users and see if there is a second folder there with your name on it. There may have been a new one created after the update.

No sign unfortunately.

Crazyteacher

ED E wrote: »

How long ago was that account removed?

Not 100% about when it stopped being available. I tried updating it today to a current account to see if that was the problem.

Crazyteacher

Have started to redraft the proposal. Wrecked my head over it all day. Lesson learned. Thanks for your help anyway.