[MUFC7]

I got this error message after a windows update:

c:\windows\system32\config\systemprofile\desktop

i found that all my settings and data had been changed to default the links to practically everything had a message which read something like:

C:\windows\system32\config\systemprofile\Desktop refers to a location that is unavailable. It could be on a hard drive on this computer or on a network. Check to to make sure the disk is properly inserted.

I looked around found no solution so i decided to go to the area it reported a problem:

C:\windows\system32\config\systemprofile\Desktop nothing was in there

so i went in my user then seen i had 2 Desktop Folders 1 blank 1 with my desktop items.

i deleted the blank 1 and in C:\windows\system32\config\systemprofile i deleted the desktop 1 there.

back in user folder i right clicked on the desktop folder and copy

Paste the folder into C:\windows\system32\config\systemprofile\ once it has copied a message will say copy desktop.ini file the top 1 being older and other newer make sure you overwrite this to the older 1.

Reboot and this problem should be fixed.

if you feel you dont want to delete anything then cut and paste in to a folder anywhere but when fixed remove as not needed i hope this helps you all.

no need to uninstall and do any restoring or repair windows stuff

Stuart

[flameb4fire]

OMG! thank you so much! you gave me the goods to fix my comp problem on my own successfully.

[MUFC7]

Your welcome i am glad to have helped.

I feel if you have come across and error at all and you have fixed it some how its best to post how you done it for others whom may have same issue.

[Pageio]

Hi. I've recently had the same problem, and the fix you suggest does work, although not properly. Occasionally, when I log on, I find that my Windows looks like it is in safe mode, although all the desktop icons are there. I'm not sure it is safe mode, but it certainly makes everything run very slowly. Occasionally, a reboot works, and a last known good restore worked on one occasion, but I have found that I generally have to perform the same fix as you've described here again and again. It is as if the desktop.ini file I have replaced sometimes comes back if this is possible? Any ideas?

Thanks

[MUFC7]

Well Safe Mode will have "Safe Mode" on screen in all corners.

The problem coming back all the time suggests to me that you still have left the other files there. if you have 2 desktop files 1 needs to be removed and the other to keep making sure its the one you have been using before hand. also if you have any other folders the same eg music etc then you may need to do the same and also you may need to re-link them all in the links

[LordAnimus]

Hi MUCF7
I have the same problem, but when i go to:

c:\windows\system32\config\systemprofile

i only find 4 files, 3 folders called AppData, Music and Contacts and the last one is a DAT file called ntuser.dat
what can i do whit this?

[MUFC7]

leave them files as they are and go to your user account folder and see if you have 2 folders that are the same if so delete the 1 that is empty or hasn't got what you had in there.

Right click on the folder that you have kept and click copy then paste this folder in to C:\windows\system32\config\systemprofile\ then reboot. i hope this helps

if not post more info or let me know

[LordAnimus]

I didn't understand what to do well...
so... I went to
C:\Users\user
and there are 13 folders, those are the user account folder?
and there are two folders that are the same, music and contacts, both with one file, but in:
C:\windows\system32\config\systemprofile\
both are empty
excuse myself but I'm not very informed about this.
what can I do next?

[MUFC7]

Right delete the the folders in the C:\windows\system32\config\systemprofile\

and copy the folders in the C:\Users\user to C:\windows\system32\config\systemprofile\

if you have more than 1 folder in C:\Users\user that is the same you need to delete the 1 of each that are empty or not as they were before. i hope this helps

[LordAnimus]

so...
what i do is...
delete the folders MUSIC and CONTACTS...
C:\windows\system32\config\systemprofile\
but I figured out that MUSIC is not empty, it has SAMPLE MUSIC and when i click on there, it takes me to:
Public:\public music\sample music
is that ok??
CONTACTS is empty.
and copy both MUSIC and CONTACTS from:
C:\Users\user
both files there have one folder each one and paste them in:
C:\windows\system32\config\systemprofile\
????
that's right??

[MUFC7]

yes thats is right, or just cut the folder and paste them in to a new folder in my documents just in case

[LordAnimus]

ok... what i did is:

cut CONTACTS and paste in DOCUMENTS, cause i can;t delete MUSIC
so, i paste CONTACTS from user account to systemprofile.
that ok right?

[MUFC7]

yes that is correct but if you don't have the other folders in the system profile then copy them in to there

[LordAnimus]

thanks MUCF7 the problem had gone

[liden99]

I just deleted empty folder with my network name from user folder, but couldn't find the folder with the same name under systemprofile folder. And instead of copying and pasting my original desktop folder to systemprofile folder since my user folder that contains 30GB of data, I just restarted my com, and it worked. Thank you so much for giving me this helpful tip.