My Win 10 and distant Win 8.1 were both missing the Windows folder last week
My backups weren’t current. Still working on Acronis restore on my Win8.1 machine. Only connection between the two are my Goodsync sync folder, and Thunderbird IMAP email.
I couldn’t boot into either. No malware according to several online and on computer checks.
Both lost their /Windows folders within 2 days, I think at reboot from updates. Win 8.1 was not asked for (maybe “delay update expired? I was out of town for 6 weeks or might have been at a reboot after a power outage). Win 10 was at my direction.
All of my files not in the Windows folder were intact. Even the Windows.old from my last crashes (presumably unrelated to each other, a few months apart), last year.
Incredible coincidence or some nefarious action (Russian Hackers!!! Congressional actions [or inaction]!!! Space aliens!! or just because I watched Skinwalker Ranch? I’m guessing “something else” but the coincidence of losing only the /Windows folder on both, separate, different version OSs bothers me.)
Anybody got any insights? I’d prefer something better than “Bigfoot came through a portal, and wiped out my /Windows folders.” I didn’t even think Bigfoots had small enough fingers to work my keyboard. Talk about “being canceled.”
I think I should do a file recovery and see how well the folder was wiped.
Any other speculations, insights, helpful hints, (and even criticisms for being a dumbberry about not having current backup and recovery media) are welcomed
