Windows 10: Why do strange files suddenly appear?

A file "winmail.dat" was suddenly added as an attachment to an email sitting in my New Outlook inbox, a few days after I had received and read the email. It definitely was not there when I received the email.Then later, I got a notification that a file "Personal Vault.lnk" in OneDrive had a name that was not permitted, and I should rename or delete it. I had not put any such file there; it just appeared out of nowhere. The file type was "shortcut."How can these things happen?

:)

 

Strange folder appears listed under desktop

I think you're fine. I think you've just noticed the UsersFilesFolder , a virtual folder ( like Network, This PC, etc. ) that seems to mirror the contents of the user's profile folder. Quick Test:

• In the EXplorer Address bar or a Run dialog, type: shell:UsersFilesFolderEnter

If that command opens the same folder you juist noticed, everything is fine. It's normally always visible when viewing the rooted Desktop in Explorer:



It has this special icon:

The icon can be shown or hidden on the Desktop via:

• Settings >Personalization > Themes and clicking the Desktop icons settings link

 

Strange blank menu items appear

Hello DaveB_1984,



If your phone is acting strange and almost "buggy" I suggest that you try to reset your phone back to factory defaults and see if the icons appear again after adding the email accounts.



Windows Phone 7 Factory Reset:

• From Start on your Windows Phone, flick left to the App list.
• Tap Settings, then tap about.
  
• From the about screen, tap reset your phone, located at the bottom of your screen.
  
• Click yes to confirm your reset.

I hope this information helps!





Regards,

 

Strange files

Hello Chao,

Let's determine the cause of the issue. To get started, we'd like to clarify if you've downloaded any files before the albumart JPG file appeared.

If you're not comfortable seeing the files, you can hide it by following these steps:

• Right-click on the file, and select Properties.
• Click General Tab.
• Under Attributes, select Hidden and click
  OK.

We'll keep an eye out for your response.