Windows 10: All data files and system settings gone after last restart - can they be restored?

I recently discontinued my subscription to Office 365. I checked moved/ deleted the few files on my One Drive never used, only a few things were saved there by accident, uninstalled 365 and installed the purchased standalone version of Office apps. On the next restart after install of KB5051974 the entire desktop is altered, all my data files are gone including bookmarks, etc., all my system settings have been changed too app defaults, etc. but all the applications are still intact and working. I have system restore on but it shows no restore points are saved. I tried an uninstall of

:)

 

System Restore - System restore failed to extract the file ...... (0x8007005) error

Hi Loucille,

One of the possible reasons why the error code 0x8007005 occurs when performing system restore is due to corrupted system files that caused software conflicts. Since you have tried several steps to resolve the issue, we recommend that you
perform a System Restore in safe mode. To boot your device in
safe mode kindly click on this link. This will start Windows in a basic state, using a limited
set of files and drivers.

Once done, we suggest that you perform a system restore after booting in safe mode. System Restore will be able to revert your PC or laptop to their previous state, which can be used to repair and recover system malfunctions or issues. Restoring won’t affect
your personal files, but it will remove apps, drivers, and updates installed after the restore point was made. To do this, follow the steps below:

• Right-click the Start button, and then select Control Panel.
• Search Control Panel for Recovery.
• Select Recovery > Open System Restore > Next.
• Choose the restore point related to the problematic app, driver, or update, and then select Next > Finish.

If in case that the issue persists, we suggest that you run the System File Checker tool. This will be able
to scan for corruptions in Windows system files and restore it. We also suggest that you run the DISM command to repair the Windows image on your system. Follow the steps provided
on this link for the complete guide on how to use
the tool.

Please post back with the result.

 

Windows 10 System Restore and Data Partition

System Restore actually monitors a list of file types - see:
System Restore Windows 10

I don't believe there is a way of amending those, and you'll note the ones that typically exist as users 'data' or personal files are excluded of course, which is why SR (when restoring succeeds) is a useful complement to disk imaging.

If the file types on your data disk are not being monitored, it follows SR has no significance for that disk.

 

File History Restore Not Working

My apologies for my not explaining my problem clearly.

File History would always list my external drive. It would not list the File History backup subfolder, "Computer Name", which contained my backup.

I completed the 5 steps you recommended, and in step (4), using Windows Explorer, I opted to change the name to "File History.old" instead of deleting it. Had I deleted it, all my backup files that I want to reload onto drive C would have been gone.

When I look at the external backup drive in Windows Explorer it now shows 4 folders, $RECYCLE.BIN, FileHistory, FileHistory.old and System Volume Information. Bottom line, FileHistory contains only the backed up data currently on Drive C as a result of step
5, while FileHistory.old contains the data I wish to reload.

Now when I go to Control Panel/File History/Select drive, and select the external backup drive, only the subfolder contained in FileHistory shows up. The subfolder contained in FileHistory.old, which contains the data I wish to restore, is still not listed.
When I select "Restore personal files" it only shows folders associated with FileHistory.

Thanks for your attention and help, but I am now resigned to copying and pasting the files that I need to restore. I totally yield to the higher power that is Microsoft.

Again thanks,

RP