Lost all data after Windows update

[paulines56]

When I turned my computer on it said it was updating windows, which seemed to complete okay

It then wanted me to reset my Chrome as my default Web search, but then it didn't come up as an option, so left it as it was.   

I then tried to access my excel spreadsheets but it asked me to confirm the details of the Office 2016 install.  Then when I brought up my files list there was nothing there.  On looking further I realised that I had lost all my data files, including documents, music etc.

I tried turning the computer off and restarting but still nothing.

[A4Apollo]

Hey there! @paulines56, Thanks for stopping by the HP Support Forums!

I understand after updating the windows you have lost all the data on your PC.

Don't worry I'll try to help you out.

Did you make any hardware or software changes on your PC?

Did you upgrade the windows or did you update the windows on your PC?

Did you turn off your PC or interrupt while the windows update was running?

Please provide the product number of your PC to assist you better.

As you mentioned after updating the windows you have lost all the data on your PC.

Try the steps recommended below.

Check to see if you’re signed with a temporary profile

Go to Settings > Account > Sync your settings;
If you are signed in with a temporary profile, you’ll see a message "You are logged on with a temporary profile. Roaming options are currently unavailable."
This means that system is trying to attach an extra account to yours, you’ll need to restart PC and sign in again to get your account settings and data back.

You can directly use Search to search for your files. If you don’t see, use troubleshooter to fix the problems with Search: open Search and type: indexing > Indexing Options > Advanced > Troubleshoot search and indexing. Then you can try to find files in Search again.

If the files are hidden, you may follow below to find hidden files in Windows 10:

In the search, enter Show hidden files and folders > Select Show hidden files, folders and drives under Hidden files and folders;
Try the search again; If you need to find a certain type of files, type: *.doc or *.mp3 etc to search.

If you have created a backup before Windows 10 update, you can restore the backup and find lost files back:

Type: Backup and restore in the search > Open it and select Restore my files; Then follow the instructions.
You can also recover a file by creating a new one with the same name and file type;
After creating the new file, right-click it and select Properties > Previous versions and pick the file to restore.

If the solution provided worked for you, please mark accepted solution for this post.

I'll keep an eye out for your response.

I hope you have a great day! 🙂

Please click "Accept as Solution" if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.

Click the "Kudos, Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say "Thanks" for helping!