All desktop icons somehow disappeared. Help please!

[AliceN1derland]

Ok, I know this sounds crazy...but, somehow, all the icons on my desktop disappeared. As in, nothing left at all.

I made the mistake of letting a friend use my computer for only a couple of minutes and when I came back....

When I go into My Computer and attempt to access the desktop, I receive this message:

C:\users\Alice\Downloads\Desktop refers to a location that is unavailable. It could be on a hard drive on this computer....

Can anyone help me discover where my desktop went? I feel a little like Neo at the moment and I am wondering if my girlfriend is an agent in disguise.

Thank you,

Alice

[Alice really is in wonderland tonight, and the rabbit definitely did disappear down the hole]!

 

[Arduwyn]

Is this limited to the desktop or other directories on the computer? The shortcuts are missing, but can you go to start and use the program? Do you have any other problems with the computer, freezing, bosd, trouble booting?

 

[AliceN1derland]

Arduwyn,

I cannot access the desktop from start menu. No other problems with the computer.

Alice

 

[Arduwyn]

Try running Checkdisk on your c drive. Go to my computer > right-click the c drive > properties > tools > checkdisk > restart computer.

 

[MindoverMaster]

Or you could simply press F8 after POST, before Windows splash, and choose "last good configuration". See if that works.

Chkdsk won't work. She is not having a file problem. It was simply moved somehow.

 

[AliceN1derland]

Try running Checkdisk on your c drive. Go to my computer > right-click the c drive > properties > tools > checkdisk > restart computer.

Ran checkdisk, all is well.

Or you could simply press F8 after POST, before Windows splash, and choose "last good configuration". See if that works.

Chkdsk won't work. She is not having a file problem. It was simply moved somehow.

MOM, hit F8, ran lgc, and still all folders that were on the desktop are lost in space.


After a recent restart, the recycle bin, CCleaner, Itunes, and Quicktime came back. Everything else is gone.

Scanned for viruses with MS SE, everything is good.

I am not sure what happened.

Hey guys, any more ideas?

ALice

 

[Arduwyn]

If your desktop directory was moved then you should be able to just do a search for it.

 

[bob442]

Ran checkdisk, all is well.



MOM, hit F8, ran lgc, and still all folders that were on the desktop are lost in space.


After a recent restart, the recycle bin, CCleaner, Itunes, and Quicktime came back. Everything else is gone.

Scanned for viruses with MS SE, everything is good.

I am not sure what happened.

Hey guys, any more ideas?

ALice

Part of your user profile got corrupted, thus it logged you into a tempory profile. chkdsk usaly fixes the problem like it did for you. But it is, in my experiance, from a HD that is slowly dieing.

 

[Slaymate]

Have you tried a system restore? Restart, hit F8 and choose Safe Mode. When it logs in a box should pop up asking you if you want to use system restore. Pick a date that is before the lose. It might work.

If the programs/apps are still installed you can just navigate to the installed location, find the executable file and right click>copy then go to the desktop and right click>paste shortcut. It's a pain but it will keep you from reinstalling everything.