Data and Files missing after an upgrade to Windows 11/10

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If yous find that your files are missing after a Windows 11 or Windows 10 upgrade, so this postal service will suggest a few ways, which tin assist y'all recover your lost files.

Files missing subsequently Windows eleven/10 upgrade or update

1] Search using a third-party tool

First of all, search for the files using Windows Search or whatsoever adept 3rd-party alternative Search Tool. Maybe the files have been relocated elsewhere.

ii] Sign in with an admin account and see

Adjacent, confirm that you lot are signed-in with your own profile and not with a temporary profile. To access your user files, you take to be signed in with your own username or an administrator business relationship.

Read: How to extract Border Favorites from Windows.old.

3] Bank check if your files are stuck in a disabled account

You may want to also check if your files are stuck in some disabled ambassador account. Perchance after the upgrade, the files were moved to an admin account which may have now been disabled. To check this, type Computer Management is the taskbar search and open up it. Click on System Tools > Local Users and Groups > Users.

Now see if you see whatever Administrator business relationship which has an pointer pointing down. This means that the account has been disabled. Double-click on it open its Properties box and uncheck the Account is disabled check box. Click Apply/OK and exit.

Restart your computer, log in with this account and see if you can find the files.

4] Restore them from backups

If you have backups, restore them from the backups. If you don't then see if you can retrieve the files from the Windows.sometime binder. You could also make utilise of the Data Recovery Tool from Microsoft.

5] Cheque theses folders also

There are other places y'all could see. If these folders exist on your system please see if the lost files are there:

%SYSTEMDRIVE%\$INPLACE.~TR\  %SYSTEMDRIVE%\$INPLACE.~TR\Automobile\Data\Documents and Settings\<User_Name>\  %SYSTEMDRIVE%\$WINDOWS.~Q\  %SYSTEMDRIVE%\$WINDOWS.~Q\Information\Documents and Settings\<User_Name>\

This is applicable in case your upgrade failed or in case of incomplete data migration. You will be required to show subconscious and operating organization files & folders.

vi] Check the entire bulldoze for the missing data files

In example you are unable to locate data, employ an Administrator command prompt to perform a check on the entire drive for the missing information files.

In the case of incomplete data migration, you tin search for information files using DIR in the following folders:

For case to check for images, blazon the post-obit commands one after the other:

cd\ dir *.jpg /a /s > %userprofile%\desktop\jpg-files.txt

One time the run is completed, you will see a jpg-files text file generated on your desktop, which will list all the jpg image files on your C drive.

If you can identify the location where the information has been copied, employ drag and drib or robocopy.exe to help put the files in a more accessible location.

7] Ensure that it was an upgrade

If you cannot locate any data files on the car, check the \Windows\Panther\Setupact.log file and ensure that this was indeed an upgrade installation. If not, you tin can determine whether the partition was formatted in the log, every bit well as know to bank check other partitions for the information.

Related read: How to recover deleted User data files & folders after Feature Update.

Anand Khanse is the Admin of TheWindowsClub.com, a 10-year Microsoft MVP (2006-xvi) & a Windows Insider MVP. Please read the unabridged post & the comments start, create a Organization Restore Point before making whatsoever changes to your organization & be careful about whatsoever 3rd-party offers while installing freeware.