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Lost all my dock items, settings, etc
http://forums.winstep.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=11115
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Author:  Cenay [ Mon Aug 12, 2019 5:38 pm ]
Post subject:  Lost all my dock items, settings, etc

Not sure what happened, but this morning when I came out to the office, all my dock items (multiple docks) were gone, reset, missing.

Themes, reset.
Modules, reset.

I've spent a good bit of time over the last three years getting my desktop exactly the way I want it, only to lose it all today.

A reboot, no help.

Before I start tackling the task of rebuilding it, I want to know:
1) Why?
2) Will it happen again?

I am seriously considering just removing it from my system, rather than rebuild it all. Pretty frustrated.

Author:  winstep [ Mon Aug 12, 2019 10:03 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Lost all my dock items, settings, etc

A spontaneous reset of the settings has NEVER happened ONCE in the 20 years (since 1999) Winstep has been in business developing software. Not once.

The only way something like that can happen is premeditated: someone opened Preferences, went to the Advanced tab, clicked on Troubleshooting Options and then on the Reset Everything button.

Alternatively, somebody restored from an early backup or deleted the Winstep hive in the Windows Registry (did you run any system cleaner software recently?).

Open Preferences, go to the Advanced tab and make a Backup of your current settings (just in case). Now click the Restore button and see if you can find a backup other than the one you just made. Also, in the Troubleshooting Options dialog, click on 'Check Integrity of Docks and Shelves' to see what it tells you.

Who else has access to your computer?

Author:  winstep [ Mon Aug 12, 2019 10:50 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Lost all my dock items, settings, etc

Something else that just occurred to me: each user on your PC has their own settings. Is it possible you logged in into Windows as a different user?

Author:  Cenay [ Tue Aug 13, 2019 12:53 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Lost all my dock items, settings, etc

FYI, I live alone, so there are no other users, and no one to maliciously reset my computer, which is behind a locked door at night.

I left my desk last night and the dock's had all my settings, dock items, etc. And this morning, my computer was at the login screen, and when I did... it came in like it did the day I first installed it.

re: did you run any system cleaner software recently
No, nothing in the last 7 days.

re: someone opened Preferences, went to the Advanced tab, clicked on Troubleshooting Options and then on the Reset Everything button.
Again, I am the only one here, no one but me has access to my computer. My Wireless network is fully secured and monitored by my firewall.

I didn't know there was a backup option, so I've never used it (other than just now to do as you asked). There are no other backups to restore.

Author:  winstep [ Tue Aug 13, 2019 8:01 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Lost all my dock items, settings, etc

Before calling a priest to perform an exorcism in your house ( :P ), check out your Windows Event Log for any weird events on the night in question (Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Event Viewer -> Windows Logs). Check the System and Application logs.

Also, what version of Windows are you running? Windows 10? If so, is it possible that it upgraded itself to a new build during the night, something went wrong and it wiped your Registry? Again, a look at the logs should help establish this.

Check the number of users on your computer. Since you also rebooted I am pretty sure the answer is negative, but are you really sure you didn't log in as a different user?

During the time you have owned the Winstep software, you must have downloaded different themes. Are those themes still available on your hard drive or were they wiped out too?

Unfortunately you will have to do some detective work yourself to try and determine what exactly happened. The only thing I can tell you for sure regarding this is that Winstep applications do not go around spontaneously losing their settings - so this really spiked my curiosity too.

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