Topic Wiki

I figured that even this thread can have a wiki.
If your computer or phone is giving you issues:

• Please read this before posting: 4 Reasons Why IT People Ignore Your Requests for Help
• Restart the computer. Hopefully this will take care of any issues
• If your problem has not yet been solved, try to Google it. There may be a very simple solution
• On a Windows computer, a system restore may do the trick.
(This is a work in progress, please feel free to add whatever you may feel is helpful)


Please post whether or not the problem was fixed

Apple iPhone Master Thread
« Last edited by Thingywingy on May 07, 2019, 08:00:02 PM »

Author Topic: Computer Troubleshooting/Help Master Thread  (Read 977220 times)

Offline DanH

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Re: Computer Troubleshooting/Help Master Thread
« Reply #600 on: April 30, 2014, 02:06:02 PM »
For tech help feel free to Telegram me @DanTechSupp

Offline srap

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Re: Computer Troubleshooting/Help Master Thread
« Reply #601 on: May 04, 2014, 01:45:07 AM »
I am in utter shock.  My computer has been erased?! All the settings have been changed.
 
I closed the laptop lid as I usually do instead of hibernating or turning off.  When I opened it the computer went to 'Windows is (starting/reconfinguting/updating/?--I forgot what)',  After 20 min or so just I shut off computer then restarted, typed in password, written page appeared giving me choice.  I always (and I think I did this time) chose 'Start windows normally' as opposed to  in safe mode or something else.
 
Then it happened:  A black and gray HP background page came up with only a handful of icons (including a couple of 3rd part applications(?!), yet EVERYTHING else is gone--docs, pics, data, most of my apps, chrome (my usual browser with all my opened tabs), etc.  Even this post is in a different font and skipping lines.
 
How can I find all lost data? 
 
« Last Edit: May 04, 2014, 01:59:30 AM by srap »

Offline dudi

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Re: Computer Troubleshooting/Help Master Thread
« Reply #602 on: May 04, 2014, 01:50:22 AM »
I am in utter shock.  My computer has been erased?! All the settings have been changed.
 
I closed the laptop lid as I usually do instead of hibernating or turning off.  When I opened it the computer went to 'Windows is (starting/reconfinguting/updating/?--I forgot what)',  After 20 min or so just I shut off computer then restarted, typed in password, written page appeared giving me choice.  I always (and I think I did this time) chose 'Start windows normally' as opposed to  in safe mode or something else.
 
Then it happened:  A black and gray HP background page came up with only a handful of icons (including a couple of 3rd part applications(?!), yet EVERYTHING else is gone--docs, pics, data, all my apps, chrome (my usual browser with all my opened tabs), etc.  Even this post is in a different font and skipping lines.
 
How can I find all lost data?
is it possible you pressed safe mode by mistake?

Offline srap

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Re: Computer Troubleshooting/Help Master Thread
« Reply #603 on: May 04, 2014, 01:52:49 AM »
I don't think so, but how would I know if I am in safe mode or not?  Besides, safe mode would not erase all docs, pics, etc.
Desktop does not say SAFE MODE on it and the HP background has blocks and dimension; safe mode is only black background, right?
« Last Edit: May 04, 2014, 01:55:57 AM by srap »

Offline notanonymous

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Re: Computer Troubleshooting/Help Master Thread
« Reply #604 on: May 04, 2014, 02:03:42 AM »
I don't think so, but how would I know if I am in safe mode or not?  Besides, safe mode would not erase all docs, pics, etc.
Desktop does not say SAFE MODE on it and the HP background has blocks and dimension; safe mode is only black background, right?
Go to C drive, then Users.  What do you see in there?

Offline srap

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Re: Computer Troubleshooting/Help Master Thread
« Reply #605 on: May 04, 2014, 02:17:04 AM »
Go to C drive, then Users.  What do you see in there?
B"H!!!    Yesh!  I see my missing files.  Does it matter what happened to delete 90% of my desktop? 
Under C: 'users' is my folder with all my files, but when I press the start circle, it brings up a lower left hand corner rectangle with my same user folder name listed at the top with all the folders (pics, docs, etc) being empty.  How do I reconstruct everything?
« Last Edit: May 04, 2014, 02:21:43 AM by srap »

Offline notanonymous

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Re: Computer Troubleshooting/Help Master Thread
« Reply #606 on: May 04, 2014, 02:21:33 AM »
B"H!!!    Yesh!  I see my missing files.  Does it matter what happened to delete 90% of my desktop? 
Under users is my folder with my files, but when I press the start circle, it brings up a lower left hand corner rectangle with my same user folder name with all the empty files.  How do I reconstruct everything?
You are signed on with the wrong profile.  Click start, then log off.

Offline srap

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Re: Computer Troubleshooting/Help Master Thread
« Reply #607 on: May 04, 2014, 02:23:26 AM »
You are signed on with the wrong profile.  Click start, then log off.
Never made or changed a profile that I know of.  Ok, I'll log off, then sign on under my user, right?  (I think I already did this though) Do it again.

Offline dudi

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Re: Computer Troubleshooting/Help Master Thread
« Reply #608 on: May 04, 2014, 02:23:27 AM »
You are signed on with the wrong profile.  Click start, then log off.
I told him to do that but he tried and it didn't help I think he is on safe mode

Offline notanonymous

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Re: Computer Troubleshooting/Help Master Thread
« Reply #609 on: May 04, 2014, 02:24:39 AM »
I told him to do that but he tried and it didn't help I think he is on safe mode
No, safe mode would still have his profile intact.

Offline dudi

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Re: Computer Troubleshooting/Help Master Thread
« Reply #610 on: May 04, 2014, 02:25:29 AM »
No, safe mode would still have his profile intact.
even in vista?

Offline notanonymous

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Re: Computer Troubleshooting/Help Master Thread
« Reply #611 on: May 04, 2014, 02:27:23 AM »
even in vista?
Yes.  I can confirm that your profile stays intact in safe model for all Windows versions through 7. 

Offline notanonymous

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Re: Computer Troubleshooting/Help Master Thread
« Reply #612 on: May 04, 2014, 02:29:38 AM »
The pronlem could possibly be that an update screwed up your profile path.  It can manually be changed in the registry.  Dudi said you are using Vista?

Offline dudi

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Re: Computer Troubleshooting/Help Master Thread
« Reply #613 on: May 04, 2014, 02:31:16 AM »
The pronlem could possibly be that an update screwed up your profile path.  It can manually be changed in the registry.  Dudi said you are using Vista?
he wrote that he shut it down during a update is it possible that scwered it up?

Offline notanonymous

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Re: Computer Troubleshooting/Help Master Thread
« Reply #614 on: May 04, 2014, 02:34:38 AM »
he wrote that he shut it down during a update is it possible that scwered it up?
Absolutely.

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Re: Computer Troubleshooting/Help Master Thread
« Reply #615 on: May 04, 2014, 02:36:22 AM »
You can try to uninstall that. update, but I would not count on that working.

Here is the registry key to change your profile path -
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft
\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList

Offline dudi

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Re: Computer Troubleshooting/Help Master Thread
« Reply #616 on: May 04, 2014, 02:37:27 AM »
Absolutely.
so that is what I told him as a second option to what may have happened.
I'm not an expert in manual registry codes so I will leave it to you to help him out

Offline srap

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Re: Computer Troubleshooting/Help Master Thread
« Reply #617 on: May 04, 2014, 03:23:14 AM »
Ok. We're good!  Thank you @dudi and @notanonymous for all. 


By shutting off computer during windows update (because I thought it was stuck) it created a new user called TEMP with all docs, pics, etc folders being empty.   Even though I was logging off and back on again under my user name, it apparently kept logging in under TEMP with no files and a different desktop (scaring the living daylights out of me!).  By totally shutting down the computer and logging in again, everything was BH restored as before (and the empty TEMP folder under users also disappeared). 


ETA:  What a waste of two hours!

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Re: Computer Troubleshooting/Help Master Thread
« Reply #618 on: May 04, 2014, 10:01:38 AM »
Ok. We're good!  Thank you @dudi and @notanonymous for all. 


By shutting off computer during windows update (because I thought it was stuck) it created a new user called TEMP with all docs, pics, etc folders being empty.   Even though I was logging off and back on again under my user name, it apparently kept logging in under TEMP with no files and a different desktop (scaring the living daylights out of me!).  By totally shutting down the computer and logging in again, everything was BH restored as before (and the empty TEMP folder under users also disappeared). 


ETA:  What a waste of two hours!
very happy to hear how did you figure out the point of the temp user?

Offline srap

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Re: Computer Troubleshooting/Help Master Thread
« Reply #619 on: May 04, 2014, 12:27:18 PM »
very happy to hear how did you figure out the point of the temp user?
The first time I went into C:/users I noticed 3 folders:  mine, public, and TEMP.  The created file dates on all the TEMP files (docs, pics, music, etc) were 4/5/14 with all of them being empty.  My user folder contained original created file dates.  Even though I kept logging on to my user through the logon page, I kept getting everything empty with the 4/5/14 date; only when I clicked on it through the C:/user did it actually put me in my real user folder.


You two were awesome!  I wouldn't have figured it out without your forum and PM help.
« Last Edit: May 04, 2014, 12:31:27 PM by srap »