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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Durham, within a couple of miles of Cameron

    A little cyber-help, please

    Not a true emergency, but I'm really puzzled about the latest Windows 10 update.
    Got a new Lenovo laptop a couple of months ago as my home laptop was showing its age. Nifty unit, and I was using it to consolidate lots of phone photos, etc.
    2 nights ago, Windows 10 decided it was time to do an update, and all transpired...except when I went back online for the first time, all my Chrome settings were reset and all my bookmarks were gone. It did import Chrome settings from my OLDER laptop, which I hadn't used much since getting the newer one.

    Last night, I realized that (I;m a bit slow these days!) my new laptop was essentially reset to what it was when I first turned it on.
    The standard folders of documents, downloads, and photos, WERE EMPTY. Just plain gone.

    I did try downloading Cloud files, but I hadn't intentionally backed anything up yet.

    So, is there a reset point I can go back to, am I missing something very simple, or is this some evil plot by Bill Gates to get me to donate more funds to Microsoft?

    Nothing was truly irreplaceable *sigh*, but in my decades of doing IBM PC DOS backups, restores, and upgrades, I've never seen such a total removal of my entire saved files before, especially on a 'routine' windows update.

    Thanks for any assistance the fine DBR cyber-experts can provide!

    JStuart

  2. #2
    Three thoughts:

    1. Word is that during some recent Windows 10 updates, users were losing some files. I don't know the details but I think the problem was noted a month ago and Microsoft halted the update, so it probably *shouldn't* be that.
    2. Check if you've got a folder like Windows.old or something...I don't know much about the update mechanism but you might be able to roll it back or restore files from a local backup made during the update.
    3. In your internet connection settings, set your network as "metered." That will force Windows to ask you if you are ready to update.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Durham, within a couple of miles of Cameron
    Quote Originally Posted by BLPOG View Post
    Three thoughts:

    1. Word is that during some recent Windows 10 updates, users were losing some files. I don't know the details but I think the problem was noted a month ago and Microsoft halted the update, so it probably *shouldn't* be that.
    2. Check if you've got a folder like Windows.old or something...I don't know much about the update mechanism but you might be able to roll it back or restore files from a local backup made during the update.
    3. In your internet connection settings, set your network as "metered." That will force Windows to ask you if you are ready to update.
    Thank you so very much. Am quite skittish recently, as I had to erase and reinstall my iPhone twice since Labor Day to restore a vital file I kept on it; I know it has nothing to do with this issue, but Man!

    Appreciate the help.
    SMc

  4. #4
    https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonev.../#54ffbaa4665b

    You really should use a modern OS, something like Fedora.

    https://getfedora.org/

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Asheville, NC

    Cool

    Quote Originally Posted by PackMan97 View Post
    https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonev.../#54ffbaa4665b

    You really should use a modern OS, something like Fedora.

    https://getfedora.org/

    Yeah, but isn't he getting fired???? (God I hope not!)

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by JStuart View Post
    Not a true emergency, but I'm really puzzled about the latest Windows 10 update.
    Got a new Lenovo laptop a couple of months ago as my home laptop was showing its age. Nifty unit, and I was using it to consolidate lots of phone photos, etc.
    2 nights ago, Windows 10 decided it was time to do an update, and all transpired...except when I went back online for the first time, all my Chrome settings were reset and all my bookmarks were gone. It did import Chrome settings from my OLDER laptop, which I hadn't used much since getting the newer one.

    Last night, I realized that (I;m a bit slow these days!) my new laptop was essentially reset to what it was when I first turned it on.
    The standard folders of documents, downloads, and photos, WERE EMPTY. Just plain gone.

    I did try downloading Cloud files, but I hadn't intentionally backed anything up yet.

    So, is there a reset point I can go back to, am I missing something very simple, or is this some evil plot by Bill Gates to get me to donate more funds to Microsoft?

    Nothing was truly irreplaceable *sigh*, but in my decades of doing IBM PC DOS backups, restores, and upgrades, I've never seen such a total removal of my entire saved files before, especially on a 'routine' windows update.

    Thanks for any assistance the fine DBR cyber-experts can provide!

    JStuart
    I HATE (like REALLY HATE) Microsoft! Of course, I DO use a Dell laptop at my office but I'm still on Windows 7 along with Office 2003. I dread having to upgrade to newer versions of Windows and Office.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Steamboat Springs, CO
    Quote Originally Posted by duke79 View Post
    I HATE (like REALLY HATE) Microsoft! Of course, I DO use a Dell laptop at my office but I'm still on Windows 7 along with Office 2003. I dread having to upgrade to newer versions of Windows and Office.
    I got no problems with Windows 10 or PC's, although I did have an expert transfer my files.
    Sage Grouse

    ---------------------------------------
    'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by duke79 View Post
    I HATE (like REALLY HATE) Microsoft! Of course, I DO use a Dell laptop at my office but I'm still on Windows 7 along with Office 2003. I dread having to upgrade to newer versions of Windows and Office.
    I don't hate Microsoft but I am with you on the rest.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Durham, within a couple of miles of Cameron
    Quote Originally Posted by BLPOG View Post
    Three thoughts:

    1. Word is that during some recent Windows 10 updates, users were losing some files. I don't know the details but I think the problem was noted a month ago and Microsoft halted the update, so it probably *shouldn't* be that.
    2. Check if you've got a folder like Windows.old or something...I don't know much about the update mechanism but you might be able to roll it back or restore files from a local backup made during the update.
    3. In your internet connection settings, set your network as "metered." That will force Windows to ask you if you are ready to update.
    I'm sure you'll sleep better tonight when you learn that I simply uninstalled the update (not the one mentioned in the linked article!), and "viola" * all my files, photos, etc, reappeared!
    I'll check with Microsoft as to why, and how I can avoid this in the future.
    Now, where do I find the switch to change to 'metered'?

    Appreciatively,
    JStuart
    * I attempt to play 'cello, so the pun on 'voila!' is pleasing to me.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by JStuart View Post
    I'm sure you'll sleep better tonight when you learn that I simply uninstalled the update (not the one mentioned in the linked article!), and "viola" * all my files, photos, etc, reappeared!
    I'll check with Microsoft as to why, and how I can avoid this in the future.
    Now, where do I find the switch to change to 'metered'?

    Appreciatively,
    JStuart
    * I attempt to play 'cello, so the pun on 'voila!' is pleasing to me.
    Well, obviously, back up everything now in case Windows wants to make another go at it. You may wish to set a regular scheduled backup to external storage. I have such a program running on my desktop, but right now I'm stuck between the desire to have things backed up daily to something I leave plugged in all the time, and the recognition that, should I get "pwnd" by some js-infected page or attachment, it'll surely go after any connected storage as well as my hard drive. So right now I disconnect / unmount any external storage media after backing up ... and tend to only back up weekly or so as a result of the hassle.

    While I don't want to be another "that guy" for saying, "Oh, just switch to Linux" [or Mac], let me make a less cavalier suggestion. If you have an old machine that otherwise is struggling under the demand of typical system requirements these days, consider trying a lightweight OS as a last step before you recycle or give away the machine. You might be pleasantly surprised.

    I have a 6 year old Dell laptop that came with Ubuntu Linux. But wait ... this story isn't going where you might think. Even Ubuntu's updates through the years proved to be too much for this weakly-equipped (Intel Celeron, 2 GB RAM) machine. It became cripplingly slow as each new version of Ubuntu demanded more and more. Just before giving up on it, I came across a lightweight Linux OS that I had been effectively using on a machine of even more modest hardware - the Raspberry Pi. Their OS is a derivative of Debian Linux, and is optimized to run well on rather little in the way of hardware muscle. It was also designed to run on ARM processors. However, by the time my old Dell laptop was becoming catatonic, they had ported the Raspberry Pi OS (known as Raspberry Pi Desktop) to x86 architecture. It has given my laptop a new lease on life, and I have even used it for professional work. Sure, there are a few new things to learn, but most of it is as intuitive as a typical GUI desktop, and can run browser/office suite/email client/ etc. Maybe not the specific brands of programs you like (e.g., not iTunes, not Msft Office, etc) but Firefox, Thunderbird, Libre Office, etc.

    It's nice to once again have a computer that you control, rather than one that controls you - and your files.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Durham, within a couple of miles of Cameron
    Quote Originally Posted by JStuart View Post
    I'm sure you'll sleep better tonight when you learn that I simply uninstalled the update (not the one mentioned in the linked article!), and "viola" * all my files, photos, etc, reappeared!
    I'll check with Microsoft as to why, and how I can avoid this in the future.
    Now, where do I find the switch to change to 'metered'?

    Appreciatively,
    JStuart
    * I attempt to play 'cello, so the pun on 'voila!' is pleasing to me.
    An update; since last night, the computer 'updated' itself again when I turned it on this AM. I had planned -if the same update for W10 'disappeared' my files again- to chat with Microsoft as to how to avoid this again, but, amazingly, the update finished, and all my files, photos, etc., are still there. Even more interesting, my Chrome browser settings were restored -including the saved links that I thought were gone forever (and was the first clue that the update was rogue!)- so, I'm back to baseline, and am updated.
    Hope this helps anyone else who runs into this, and by the way, this was NOT the update # mentioned in the Forbes link above. This one is 1803, and the one MS has held up is 1809, I think.
    Appreciate the community help.
    Go Devils!

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Washington, DC area
    Awesome! That you were just getting hammered by the 1803 update (from last spring) might mean you had other windows update issues floating around. I get a good bit of business from updates that fail - usually because the user restarts the machine mid-update. (I wish MS would put a notice on the screen when an update was running.)

    One client was trying to eject a CD (remember those?) and the eject button was about 1/2 inch from the power button. Oops! I was able to get data off the drive, wipe and reinstall, and restore. She does use Carbonite, but that would have a been a chore for 100K+ pictures.

    For anyone running Win10, at least once a month or so go to Settings > Update & Security > View Update History and look for failed feature or quality updates and resolve them as quickly as practical. (Failed updates of drivers and the like generally aren't as urgent but should be investigated.) Note that after one of the really big updates install, your install history is reset.

    For everyone, be sure your backup strategy works - test it! I recommend a cloud backup (I use Carbonite) for most users even if they do a local one; house fires/lightning strikes/ransomeware can wipe out your local backup.

    -jk

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by JStuart View Post
    Now, where do I find the switch to change to 'metered'?
    In Windows 10, if you go to the Network & Internet settings (right click on the network icon in the system tray or find it through the Control Panel menu) there should be a listing of various sub-menus on the left. If you select either "Wi-Fi" or "Ethernet" from those menus, then click on the name of your network, there should be a section that says "Metered Connection."

    Do note that many people, Microsoft representatives included, would not advise turning that on for the sake of forestalling updates. That's because (1) they believe you are too stupid to think for yourself and in Microsoft's case (2) they don't much care anyway and want to have as much control over your machine as possible. Don't prove them right on (1) by never applying updates; you still should update, but you can avoid being forced to do it.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    raleigh
    you should try www.applestore.com your solution is there
    "One POSSIBLE future. From your point of view... I don't know tech stuff.".... Kyle Reese

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by JStuart View Post
    An update; since last night, the computer 'updated' itself again when I turned it on this AM. I had planned -if the same update for W10 'disappeared' my files again- to chat with Microsoft as to how to avoid this again, but, amazingly, the update finished, and all my files, photos, etc., are still there.

    Voy-la!



    Glad to hear it.

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Asheville, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by PackMan97 View Post
    https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonev.../#54ffbaa4665b

    You really should use a modern OS, something like Fedora.

    https://getfedora.org/
    I knew i liked you.

    "You must spread some yadda yadda yadda"

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    raleigh
    Quote Originally Posted by moonpie23 View Post
    you should try www.applestore.com your solution is there
    well, actually....


    https://www.apple.com/mac/
    "One POSSIBLE future. From your point of view... I don't know tech stuff.".... Kyle Reese

  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by -jk View Post
    Awesome! That you were just getting hammered by the 1803 update (from last spring) might mean you had other windows update issues floating around. I get a good bit of business from updates that fail - usually because the user restarts the machine mid-update. (I wish MS would put a notice on the screen when an update was running.)

    One client was trying to eject a CD (remember those?) and the eject button was about 1/2 inch from the power button. Oops! I was able to get data off the drive, wipe and reinstall, and restore. She does use Carbonite, but that would have a been a chore for 100K+ pictures.

    For anyone running Win10, at least once a month or so go to Settings > Update & Security > View Update History and look for failed feature or quality updates and resolve them as quickly as practical. (Failed updates of drivers and the like generally aren't as urgent but should be investigated.) Note that after one of the really big updates install, your install history is reset.

    For everyone, be sure your backup strategy works - test it! I recommend a cloud backup (I use Carbonite) for most users even if they do a local one; house fires/lightning strikes/ransomeware can wipe out your local backup.

    -jk
    Second the recommendation for Carbonite. Nice part about it is that it's offsite and continuous, so there's no thought. When I upgraded my PC last time I just turned Carbonite from suck to blow (so to speak), and in a couple of days all my files were restored. I did notice it was slowing down my older PC a bit, so I reconfigured it to only run when I'm not typically home. I think it's around $60-70/yr.

    If you'd like a referral for a free month for Carbonite, send me a DM with your email and I'll connect you.
    "There can BE only one."

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