Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
This is weird because something similar happened to me at about the same timeframe as the OP.
I also use Windows 7 with Firefox as my main browser. I turned my computer on one evening and everything on it had changed. My screen said that windows had changed/updated all my settings, etc. Some of my icons were missing. When I got on Firefox, all my favorites tabs were gone and the pages looked different. I then tried IE, which I also use sometimes, and that also had been altered with my favorites tabs also gone.
Worse, pictures I had in my files were also gone, or at least they had been moved where I couldn't find them. I looked around a little bit and decided maybe just turn the damn thing off and try again later.
When I started up a couple of hours later, it was all restored, like nothing had ever happened. I ran Spybots, and my anti-virus program but they detected nothing. Since then, everything has been fine. In fact, my computer has been running a bit better than it had been. Who knows?
My guess is that your local user profile had an issue where Windows couldn't properly load it so it let you log on using a TEMP profile which will be like a brand new user profile (but none of the changes you make or files you created using the TEMP user profile gets saved).
Since you were using the TEMP profile, your favorites/bookmarks, files folders were all under your regular user profile which you couldn't see/access directly.
After you rebooted, Windows somehow resolved the glitch and loaded your regular user profile, hence everything was back to normal like nothing happened.
This may happen again, soon, or never again but I do agree, if you never backed up your user data and there are important or irreplaceable files, I would do so pronto, just in case.
I agree that this sounds like Win couldn't start up your profile, and just started up as a new, default one.
It may have been a one-time file access glitch, or a sign the settings have a bug, or your drive is starting to fail.
All STRONG signs that you should do as thorough a backup as you can.
+1 on MozBackup for Firefox, and also use it's
Firefox // Settings // Firefox Account // Sync Settings to make sure your bookmarks are backed up.
Save both, outside the computer.
(I have a desktop and a laptop networked, and one saves to the other weekly, and monthly I burn a DVD with all the data and keep those disks at work).
There's a frre program called MozBackup that will save you Firefox profile (including bookmarks). You can upload your profile from the back up. It also works for Thunderbird and will back up all of your emails.
Thanks - I uploaded it (I still have lots of bookmarks gone - mostly recipes, etc. - not earth-shattering, LOL) - but in case this happens again........
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
