tried viewing hidden folders and now desktop icons etc are missing

J

jaycairns

New Member
Hi folks. Im new to the site and not very good with searching threads to see if this has been talked about yet, if so I apologize.

My problem began when I was looking for a hidden folder called AppData, to look for a file to do some modding for a game I play called Empire Total War. I am currently using vista home premium 32bit. I wish I could explain exactly what I did but i vaguely remember right clicking in users and either checking or unchecking hidden then apply and then to all sub folders etc... it went through its folders and took about 4 mins then next thing i know my desktop is practically empty. My firefox wont work, etc.
I tried to do a system restore to a earlier date and that didnt change anything. I found how to show hidden files etc and clicked that so now i can see transparent icons.

I have tried scanning the net looking for a way to reverse whatever I have done so that my pc can go back to normal but cant find anything to bring me back, only how to hide/unhide files. Can anyone please please help me out. I have tried using CMD and then attrib blahblah but it doesnt do anything.

Again im sorry if this is a repost of a earlier thread but i suck at searching threads and reallllllly need some help.

Thanks for your understanding and any help!!!!!
 

My Computer

System One

>>EDIT<<
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Compaq SR5310F
    CPU
    Intel Pentium dual-core E2140
    Motherboard
    IPILP-LC (Lancaster8)
    Memory
    1GB DDR2 DIMM (Two Sticks)
    Graphics card(s)
    PNY Nvidia GeForce 9500GT
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio
Oh my, I see that you've got a bigger problem than I thought.

You've got to try System Restore until it works. If it doesn't work, you're either, A.) Lying or B.) SOL. Actually, you're not SOL, you can always do a fresh install.

OR!!

Try clicking the "Restore Defaults" button.

In your Windows Browser (open up anything, like the Recycle Bin) click the Organize button, then click Folder Options, then in the bottom right corner of the General tab, click Restore Defaults. Restore Defaults in each tab as well.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Compaq SR5310F
    CPU
    Intel Pentium dual-core E2140
    Motherboard
    IPILP-LC (Lancaster8)
    Memory
    1GB DDR2 DIMM (Two Sticks)
    Graphics card(s)
    PNY Nvidia GeForce 9500GT
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio
Hmm...I don't know why System Restore didn't work... Try restoring it to the earliest date. If that doesn't work, try this:
Right click on your desktop > View > "Show Desktop Icons"
Make sure Show Desktop Icons is ticked.
If that still doesn't work, take a look at this: http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/148461-personal-user-folder-restore-missing-folder.html


And I did a research..this might solve your problem:
How to restore missing desktop icons and start menu items after malware/virus infection | The Computer Group Evansville
 

My Computer

System One

the app data folder is in C:\Windows\Administrator unless you're logged in on a separate user account. In that case substitute your username for Administrator.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Operating System
    Vista Home Premium 64 bit SP2
    Manufacturer/Model
    Cyberpower
    CPU
    Intel Quad CPU Q6700 2.67 GHZ
    Motherboard
    NVIDIA 780i
    Memory
    4 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    MSI GTX 560 TI Twin Frozr
    Sound Card
    Sound Blaster SB Audigy
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Viewsonic VG2436
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080p
    Hard Drives
    Samsung HD 105SI WDC WD20
    Case
    Apevia XJupiter
    Cooling
    air
    Mouse
    Logitech MX 600
    Keyboard
    Logitech MX 3200
    Internet Speed
    30 Mbps
That folder contains almost everything that your profile needs to function properly. Unless you have a backup of your system probably the only way out of you situation would be to create a new profile. http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/93009-user-account-create.html

That's an alternative to a fresh install which is also an option.
 
Last edited:

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 8.1 Industry Pro x64
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion Elite HPE-250f
    CPU
    Intel i7 860 Quad core 2.8 ghz
    Memory
    8 gb
    Graphics card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 5770 1 gb ram
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Alienware 25 AW2521HF
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 &1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    1 TB x2
    Other Info
    https://www.cnet.com/products/hp-pavilion-elite-hpe-250f/
  • Operating System
    Windows 2012 R2 Data center/Linux Mint
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Poweredge T140
    CPU
    i3 9100 3.6GHz, 8M cache, 4C/4T
    Memory
    8GB 2666MT/s DDR4 ECC UDIMM
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    1 TB & 360 GB x2
    Other Info
    https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/productdetailstxn/poweredge-t140?~ck=bt
Since it's been a week since jaycairns posted, I suspect the problem has been resolved.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Operating System
    Vista Home Premium 64 bit SP2
    Manufacturer/Model
    Cyberpower
    CPU
    Intel Quad CPU Q6700 2.67 GHZ
    Motherboard
    NVIDIA 780i
    Memory
    4 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    MSI GTX 560 TI Twin Frozr
    Sound Card
    Sound Blaster SB Audigy
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Viewsonic VG2436
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080p
    Hard Drives
    Samsung HD 105SI WDC WD20
    Case
    Apevia XJupiter
    Cooling
    air
    Mouse
    Logitech MX 600
    Keyboard
    Logitech MX 3200
    Internet Speed
    30 Mbps
That's the breaks with free support... most people don't feel obligated to let anyone know when they've overcome the problem. ;)
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion dv5t
    CPU
    Intel Core Duo 2.53GHz
    Memory
    4Gb
    Graphics card(s)
    NVidia GeForce 9600M GT 512Mb
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800 32bit
    Hard Drives
    Seagate Momentus XT 500Gb Hitachi Travelstar HTS543225L9A300 250Gb
    Mouse
    Microsoft 4000
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