Windows 11 randomly reset, removing all saved data. PC soon after restarted and did it again

Question

I turned my pc on in the afternoon after shutting it down that morning and not seeing any sign of an update. When i started it up, i was greeted with a different screen than usual, and upon signing in i had to wait a while as it did something with windows. Once i was in the pc, i found out that all of the apps i had pinned to my taskbar had been removed and reset to default, any apps which i had signed into i had to sign into again and all of my bookmarks on my browser were removed. upon fixing the taskbar and signing into the necessities, i tried to play a game with my friends. The game launched once, froze a couple times, timed me out and i decided to restart it. It then always gave me an error message when i tried to launch it. after a good few of these attempts, the screen went black and i realised my pc had restarted. After waiting for a loading screen which wasn’t even telling me what it was doing, just telling me to “please wait”, i was again greeted with the new sign in screen. once it was done doing the same thing with windows as before it was the same reset situation.

Answer 1

Hello Thomas Gee,

Thank you for posting in Q&A forum.

It sounds like your PC might have undergone some unexpected changes, possibly due to a temporary profile issue or a partial Windows update.

Troubleshooting Steps:

1. Check if You're Logged into a Temporary Profile:

If it is the case:

Restart Your PC: This might force Windows to log back into your normal user profile.

Or Create a New User Profile:

Go to Settings > Accounts > Family & other users > Add someone else to this PC.

Create a new local user account, log in to it, and transfer your files from the old (corrupted) profile to the new one.

2. Run a System File Check (SFC) and DISM:

There could be corrupt system files that are causing the profile or system instability issues.

sfc /scannow

DISM:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

3.Check for recently Windows Update, try to re-install them if needed.

4. Check Event Viewer for Errors:

Any recurring errors may give insight into what’s causing the instability or profile issues.

5. Check for Hardware Issues:

If the restarts and freezing persist, please check for hardware issues.

 

I hope the information above is helpful.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to let us know.

Best Regards,

Daisy Zhou

============================================

If the Answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and upvote it.

Answer 2

Hello Thomas Gee,

Thank you for posting in Q&A forum.

It sounds like your PC might have undergone some unexpected changes, possibly due to a temporary profile issue or a partial Windows update.

Troubleshooting Steps:

1.Check if You're Logged into a Temporary Profile:

If it is the case:

Restart Your PC: This might force Windows to log back into your normal user profile.

Or Create a New User Profile:

Go to Settings > Accounts > Family & other users > Add someone else to this PC.

Create a new local user account, log in to it, and transfer your files from the old (corrupted) profile to the new one.

2.Run a System File Check (SFC) and DISM:

There could be corrupt system files that are causing the profile or system instability issues.

sfc /scannow

DISM:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

3.Check for recently Windows Update, try to re-install them if needed.

4.Check Event Viewer for Errors:

Any recurring errors may give insight into what’s causing the instability or profile issues.

5.Check for Hardware Issues:

If the restarts and freezing persist, please check for hardware issues.

I hope the information above is helpful.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to let us know.

Best Regards,

Daisy Zhou

============================================

If the Answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and upvote it.

Answer 3

Same happened to me today, everything gone from desktop what wasnts an Launcher of app. Recovery seems like it wasnt windows update so it doesnt allow it. All programs been signed off aswell. Edit: mine is windows 10 home