User settings and files lost after update

Windows Update automatically downloaded these last security updates on my
Windows 2000 Professional home system and initiated an system restart. When I
logged in with my username I discovered that all my settings and files
associated with my username were missing.

On closer inspection in the folder c:\documents and settings\ I noticed
that a new subfolder had been created called "\username.computername" to
which my user account was now connected.

All my old information is sitting in the folder "c:\documents and
settings\username"

Question: Why would it have done this and more importantly, when I log in,
how can I get my user to connect back to the original folder?

Any help gratefully accepted.

Thanks, Neil

Settings will be [probably] impossible. Data can just be copied over. looks
like a corrupt profile.

"NeilP" wrote:

> Windows Update automatically downloaded these last security updates on my
> Windows 2000 Professional home system and initiated an system restart. When I
> logged in with my username I discovered that all my settings and files
> associated with my username were missing.
>
> On closer inspection in the folder c:\documents and settings\ I noticed
> that a new subfolder had been created called "\username.computername" to
> which my user account was now connected.
>
> All my old information is sitting in the folder "c:\documents and
> settings\username"
>
> Question: Why would it have done this and more importantly, when I log in,
> how can I get my user to connect back to the original folder?
>
> Any help gratefully accepted.
>
> Thanks, Neil
>
>

Exact same thing happened to one of my users this morning (1/11/2008).

I really don't have time for this...



"NeilP" wrote:

> Windows Update automatically downloaded these last security updates on my
> Windows 2000 Professional home system and initiated an system restart. When I
> logged in with my username I discovered that all my settings and files
> associated with my username were missing.
>
> On closer inspection in the folder c:\documents and settings\ I noticed
> that a new subfolder had been created called "\username.computername" to
> which my user account was now connected.
>
> All my old information is sitting in the folder "c:\documents and
> settings\username"
>
> Question: Why would it have done this and more importantly, when I log in,
> how can I get my user to connect back to the original folder?
>
> Any help gratefully accepted.
>
> Thanks, Neil
>
>

I had the same thing happen to one of our office computers. I fixed it by
searching in the registry for the new created directore
"username.computername" and changing it to the old name "username". I forgot
exactly which setting it was but I only did it for the first one and the old
settings came back to life.

I had already come to the same conclusion as Renoflash prior to reading his
reply.

In my case, the affected user was "id" and his original folder within
Documents and Settings was named accordingly. The new (mostly empty) folder
was named "id.id"

Start -> Run -> type "regedit" and click OK. In regedit, click once to
highlight "My Computer" at the top of the left pane, then File -> Export.
Select a location and enter a name ("registry save" perhaps). Ensure that
Export range = All and then click Save. Why? Because it's always a good idea
to backup the registry before playing with it.

Okay, backup completed. Click Edit -> Find and search for (in my case)
"id.id". When found, double-click the key to open it for editing and change
id.id to simply id (the original folder name, in other words). Continue
searching the registry and for any other instances; I had two, as I recall.

Close regedit, reboot, and test.


"NeilP" wrote:

> Thanks - I was sure there must be a way. Unfortunately though, I haven't a
> clue how to find and change the relevant setting in the registry. Something
> else I'll have to learn!
> Regards, Neil
> "Renoflash" <> wrote in message
> news:571155EF-7E3C-4FB9-B1B5-...
> > I had the same thing happen to one of our office computers. I fixed it by
> > searching in the registry for the new created directore
> > "username.computername" and changing it to the old name "username". I
> forgot
> > exactly which setting it was but I only did it for the first one and the
> old
> > settings came back to life.
>
>
>