Windows 8 Windows 8 Keeps deleting files and icons

[AdamR]

The mother in law has a windows 8 laptop and at the moment it keeps deleting files (ie: my documents, my pictures) and the start menu icons like it is refreshing the profile

When I complete a restore it goes back to normals okay, then a couple of days later we are back to square one

Any thoughts ????

Thanks !!

 

[ussnorway]

Are we talking a new laptop from a shop or a second hand one?

 

[AdamR]

HP Laptop from store. About 12 months old

At this stage only has 8.0

 

[strollin]

I've never encountered an OS that deletes files or icons on its own so if that's truly what is happening I would suspect you have a virus or malware. Have you done any scans with AV or anti-malware software?

 

[badrobot]

Yup. Just like what strollin said, you have something in your library folders that corrupts the files (or make them go missing). Clean up your library folders (My Documents, Photos, etc.) and run Malwarebytes and Superantispyware (one after the other). It's most likely one of the downloaded stuffs you have in there.

 

[AdamR]

Thanks i will give that a go. appreciate it

 

[ussnorway]

Try what Badrobot suggests first... Are the missing files all of a certain type and does groovy-nan have a skydrive?

In any event you can open the schedule tracking manager and have a look at what Window's has running on the system.

Press the [windows key] + [R] to bring up the run command and then type "taskschd.msc" without the quotes and hit ok... Then go to the Action menu and click "Display All running tasks".

p.s. Imo Windows 8 is a friendlier desktop environment than 8.1 which adds the hyper-v server but perhaps I'm being ageist by assuming she isn't into making Virtual machines.