Weirdest computer glitch I ever expeienced

[batmagadanleadoff]

Anybody have any idea what happened here? I logged into my PC and my Firefox browser was gone, and all the browser settings and bookmarks I had accumulated over the past two years. (I've been using a new computer pretty much since the covid lockdowns began - about two years ago). I also noticed that my Adobe Acrobat program was gone, too. So I reloaded both of those. I got the newest version of Firefox, without any of my saved bookmarks, which I then had to tinker with to get my toolbar the way I like it, screen sizes, etc. Some icons were missing in my Windows taskbar below and I worried that those programs were gone, too -- but I did some searching and those programs are still here -- but the taskbar/icons were gone. I did some livid steaming, figuring there'd be a lot of other crap to do to get my PC back to where I had it but I just hadn't found those issues yet.


After a while, I powered out, in disgust. I'm leaving out some stuff here.

But then a few minutes later, I decided to restart again, and when the PC loaded, it was back to normal, the old way -- as if that incident with the missing browser and stuff gone and new stuff loaded never happened.

So what the hell happened? I'm scared to log out now, because I'm scared of what may appear and disappear from my PC the next time I log on. I think I'm gonna hafta get one of those backups that mirrors or copies the whole hard drive, not only the data, but the operating system and the programs and everything. I've always told myself I was gonna get one of those but never did, mainly from inertia. But I've had too many incidents already over my lifetime of using PC's that I should have one of those by now.

[Ceetar]

Did you accidentally switch desktops or users or something?

[batmagadanleadoff]

Nope.

[Edgy MD]

First rule of IT: Turn it off and on again.

[Lefty Specialist]

That exact thing happened to me and I wondered how it was possible (I'm a Firefox user, too). Turns out I had generated a new Windows ID somehow. This duplicate ID was like a new computer- none of my settings or favorites were there. When I logged in as 'myself' everything was there. It took me a couple of weeks to deactivate my alternate identity, because I was afraid of the results, but I finally did it without harm.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Ceets asked me If I'd mistakenly logged in as somebody else, i.e., under another account or login. But I didn't. I'm the only account/user on that computer. So my situation was really weird. Initially I blamed it on an upgrade and involving Microsoft. It's usually a struggle to get another browser onto my computer other than Microsoft's. Microsoft does some real dirty, sneaky stuff to try and get their browser as the default one and it usually takes me several sessions to work out all the sneaky stuff, short of totally uninstalling MS's browser to make sure that my preferred browser is always the default one. I figured there was a Windows upgrade that did all that. But that wasn't the case.

[Ceetar]

I also asked about separate desktops. There's a little 'task view' button on Windows, next to the search/Cortana button that tiles your windows and also gives you the option to create a whole new desktop, with separate applications open and what not. Though perhaps you'd accidentally clicked into there and something was up. All my installed programs exist there, but I guess it's possible depending on versions/security/install for everyone stuff that it wouldn't be.

[MFS62]

Oh, crap.
I'm running my business application on Firefox. (Everything else through Chrome)
Now you have me worried.

Later

[kcmets]

The laptop I'm on now, I have four computers, had that Windows update issue in
another thread. It did an update automatically yesterday, even though I thought I
turned that off and if finally took without issue. I miss MS-DOS, I was a know-it-all
back then and it was Greek to everyone else.

[batmagadanleadoff]

The laptop I'm on now, I have four computers, had that Windows update issue in
another thread. It did an update automatically yesterday, even though I thought I
turned that off and if finally took without issue. I miss MS-DOS, I was a know-it-all
back then and it was Greek to everyone else.

I think I have that same update on hold on my computer. I'm putting it off because the last couple of MS updates knocked out my internet settings and the first time I hadda fix it was a real pain in the ass. You can't put those updates off for too long because eventually, they'll just update automatically whether you grant permission or not.

[MFS62]

The laptop I'm on now, I have four computers, had that Windows update issue in
another thread. It did an update automatically yesterday, even though I thought I
turned that off and if finally took without issue. I miss MS-DOS, I was a know-it-all
back then and it was Greek to everyone else.

LOL!
I think if I looked hard in my attic I might be able to find my Commodore Vic-20 (and maybe even the WANG Clamshell portable).

Speaking of glitches, if you wrote a program that bombed on the Engineering computer in my college, the abend gave you a dump (printout) of your program, followed by the face of Alfred E. Newman with "what, me worry?" under it.
Later

[MFS62]

My desktop PC bombed last night - the one I use to access my company applications.
It was a 6 year old Dell and is now a brick.
I went to the Best Buy near me and saw an HP.
I bought it and it never booted up.
I returned it and got an HP "all-in-one".
It doesn't come with an installation guide and it froze during setup.
So I called the 800 number and was on the phone from about 2PM to 4:15 PM.
TA=DAAA!

It worketh.
Because Chrome remembers passwords, I never wrote them down, and had to get new ones.
Still having problems getting to the application at my office, but that will be a job for the company techie on Monday.
But I'm here.
Later

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Hello is the also the general Help Desk Thread?

My HP desktop all-in-one, it's old, but never had an issue, its far past warranty, I love it but don't actually use it a lot anymore (work at home still optional+way too busy+phone= RIP home desktop)--even though I am now.

On that, my windows taskbar is fubared, such that icons (Wifi + Volume, for example) aren't directly clickable--nor is the windows icon itself. I mean you can click them, but nothing happens. But--If I left-click em, I can get those functions awakened --like on volume, it reveals options--Open Sound Settings, Open Volume Mixer, etc--and can follow them to where I want to be, but just expressing that you guys is a PITA, much less doing it. Googling seems to reveal this is one of those problems that some people have from time to time -- but the solutions seem highly risky for an illiterate like me. as in: https://bigtechquestion.com/2022/01/28/ ... t-working/

What to do?

[MFS62]

I don't know beyond saying that the very next thing you do is backup your PC before you try anything.
And, HP offers the one disk (think it is called that) internal backup option, too.

It will save your data, but you will have to reinstall software apps if the machine gets FUBAR-ed and you have to use them.

You might want to get an estimate from your local GEEK squad (there's one in the local Best Buy where I got my computer) before you try anything on your own. I asked my friendly neighborhood geek about restoring the disk from my old PC and he said it would be $200, but prices may vary.

Replacing your computer is one of those unpleasant things we all must do every few years, like a colonoscopy. But it feels great when it's all over.

Later

[Ceetar]

Hello is the also the general Help Desk Thread?

My HP desktop all-in-one, it's old, but never had an issue, its far past warranty, I love it but don't actually use it a lot anymore (work at home still optional+way too busy+phone= RIP home desktop)--even though I am now.

On that, my windows taskbar is fubared, such that icons (Wifi + Volume, for example) aren't directly clickable--nor is the windows icon itself. I mean you can click them, but nothing happens. But--If I left-click em, I can get those functions awakened --like on volume, it reveals options--Open Sound Settings, Open Volume Mixer, etc--and can follow them to where I want to be, but just expressing that you guys is a PITA, much less doing it. Googling seems to reveal this is one of those problems that some people have from time to time -- but the solutions seem highly risky for an illiterate like me. as in: https://bigtechquestion.com/2022/01/28/ ... t-working/

What to do?

I'd try the task manager/restart Windows Explorer option. Though if restarting hasn't worked I dunno why that one would.

I'd try futzing with the taskbar settings themselves. you can right click on the date/time (or not, depending of course) and go to taskbar settings, or type taskbar in the search/cortana bar. Or, Windows-R to open run command, ms-settings:taskbar should launch that same window. It'd just start turning stuff off, etc, see if it refreshes somewhow.

[Frayed Knot]

My ten? year old Mac Mini has now slowed down to the point where it's virtually useless so I'm going to have to go 'puter shopping soon and am not looking forward to it.
The biggest PITA is that there's stuff in there I'd like to save but, being Apple, it's all self-contained and therefore would probably entail professional help to get out and
transferred over to a new product which itself would probably have to be Apple as well. Not that I'd object to getting another Jobs product but I'm also not one of those
Apple cultists (Hi bro-in-law) who wants to limit themselves to only their stuff.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Your brother in law can solve all your issues in like, 20 seconds.

Thanks for the advice above. My first instinct was to look at taskbar settings and they seem, "cool" to me. Also just tried the Explorer restart option, and.. dick