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Vista Update ruined my desktop layout

shutter
Community Veteran
Posts: 22,206
Thanks: 3,769
Fixes: 65
Registered: ‎06-11-2007

Vista Update ruined my desktop layout

Today, I had an "automatic" update from MS ..... after it did the necessary, I shut down the laptop, and went out for the day, when I came back home and put the laptop on. 90% of my Icons had disappeared.... some of the remaining ones had moved places, I got the stupid "sidebar" on the screen, and the Dell Dock had returned...... not only that, but my email client had been reverted to windows mail, and Firefox had been replaced by the windows default explorer....
Running Vista Home Premium..... and it took me about 20 minutes to do a system restore, after I had searched for the location of that little gem....
Is this going to happen every time I update automatically?    (I have turned it off now..... and the two updates that are available should not have affected the desktop at all )

Oh and don`t try to get me to go t Linux.... I am having enough problems learning Vista after XP ! ! !
22 REPLIES 22
VileReynard
Hero
Posts: 12,616
Thanks: 582
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Registered: ‎01-09-2007

Re: Vista Update ruined my desktop layout

Why should you be forced to learn Vista if you don't want to?
Send it back Cheesy

"In The Beginning Was The Word, And The Word Was Aardvark."

artificer
Grafter
Posts: 1,850
Registered: ‎11-08-2007

Re: Vista Update ruined my desktop layout

why not learn linux instead of vista?  windows is a dead end.  linux has a long life ahead of it.
Lurker
Grafter
Posts: 1,867
Registered: ‎23-10-2008

Re: Vista Update ruined my desktop layout

Why not use XP if you preferred it?
paulby
Grafter
Posts: 1,619
Thanks: 1
Registered: ‎26-07-2007

Re: Vista Update ruined my desktop layout

Quote
Is this going to happen every time I update automatically?

It shouldn't!  I'm running Vista on my desktop PC and have never had any issues after Windows Updates (including the most recent ones).
The only thing I notice is (and the same happens on the Xp laptop) when there's any change to Outlook (normally Junk Mail filter updates) it gets set as the default mail client even though I have Thunderbird set as default on both machines.  Other than that I've had no issues and I've certainly not seen the behaviour you're describing.
shutter
Community Veteran
Posts: 22,206
Thanks: 3,769
Fixes: 65
Registered: ‎06-11-2007

Re: Vista Update ruined my desktop layout

Well, even weirder!.... this morning when I switched on, it showed the usual Dell screen, then went blank, as usual, then the flashing cursor appeared in the top left corner, and fast (couple of lines) changing lines of code (referring to registry entries) appeared, for about 20 seconds. screen went blank again, then the Dell screen and then into the normal Vista boot up sequence...... then I got a notification saying updates were being configured, (despite turning off the auto install yesterday).... then the password screen, entered the password then the desktop appearerd as it should have done originally, (before this started)....
I am running AVG 8.5 free, which has daily updates automatically, and automatically runs a complete scan daily at 10:00, so far with no reports of any virus attack.....
I normally run Superantispyware weekly on Saturdays, so I could run that just to make sure, but I do clean up every night using CCleaner with 3 X overwrite in the settings..
I don`t want to go back to XP, (unless I really have to) my missus is using Vista, and as others have said, it is frustrating to try to find things with the two different OS running.....
This is a New Machine, and has Vista pre-installed by Dell.... I could go back to WIN 98 if I really wanted to, but time and technology have a way of moving on, and I have to keep up ! ! (even at my age)

VileReynard
Hero
Posts: 12,616
Thanks: 582
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Registered: ‎01-09-2007

Re: Vista Update ruined my desktop layout

You can run a sample version of Linux from a CD, it won't use the hard disk at all.
Try (for example) the Ubuntu Live CD, don't install it, just play with it a bit.
It will be relatively slow because it is running from CD/memory - but if you like it, the next step is obvious!

"In The Beginning Was The Word, And The Word Was Aardvark."

candygirl
Newbie
Posts: 8
Registered: ‎15-06-2007

Re: Vista Update ruined my desktop layout

Vista update i got today had destoryed my windows completly. After restarting to complete update windows camplained about stuff being missing or unaccessable on c drive. My desktop only had a recycle bin on it and the theme had changed to resemble win 98 grays & blues. Then i tryed to do a system restore, but it cannot find that. then when i restated again, it now cannot load the profile so i can't log on to windows at all now?  Looks like i'm going to have to reinstall the whole thing, but how can i be sure exactally which update did this and aviod ever getting it again because there were 8 updates in total and they were all automatic ones Cry Angry
mal0z
Grafter
Posts: 3,486
Registered: ‎02-10-2008

Re: Vista Update ruined my desktop layout

Hi Shutter
I'm on the office laptop at the moment - with Vista.
I turned it on again at about 3.30pm - used for a while - went to make a few phone calls and came back to find the PC had rebooted and wanted me to sign on again.
I found out it had done an auto update. Everything seems as before and ok
not much help to you I know - but it does work for some of us.........
VileReynard
Hero
Posts: 12,616
Thanks: 582
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Registered: ‎01-09-2007

Re: Vista Update ruined my desktop layout

Sounds like you could have been using Vista - but whilst you weren't looking it:-

  • Fell over

  • Rebooted

  • Decided to download stuff off of the internet

  • Did all these things without asking its owner


You should do a low-level format - that would make it mend its ways.

"In The Beginning Was The Word, And The Word Was Aardvark."

shutter
Community Veteran
Posts: 22,206
Thanks: 3,769
Fixes: 65
Registered: ‎06-11-2007

Re: Vista Update ruined my desktop layout

Watch this space, I shall report on tomorrow`s boot up !....  Smiley
pierre_pierre
Grafter
Posts: 19,757
Thanks: 3
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: Vista Update ruined my desktop layout

I have Secunia PSI on my machines, lets me know what has changed, just now it came up that DivX has been modified, but how? no body asked me and I have MS auto update turned off
scootie
Grafter
Posts: 4,799
Thanks: 1
Registered: ‎03-11-2007

Re: Vista Update ruined my desktop layout

i run vista trouble free. comodo and avg. windows update set to notify but not download. never had a problem that you would say is only specific to vista.
and yes exitsofevil i have a partion with ubuntu on. i only have a play with it now and then and to be honest linux in its current form will just not take off with the mass public. theres to much messing about to get simple things to work. using wpa2 encpt use to be a big job to get running. it just will not cut the mustard with we want it now generation
VileReynard
Hero
Posts: 12,616
Thanks: 582
Fixes: 20
Registered: ‎01-09-2007

Re: Vista Update ruined my desktop layout

I used to have a WEP setup and I switched over to WPA - so I may have written my configuration for the Wireless Supplicant.
But it's only half a dozen lines anyway - the only tricky bit was generating the pass key from the pass-phrase.
I expect Ubuntu would handle it automatically on a new install - must try it one day.
I've (only once) had to install a driver Cheesy Cheesy Cheesy

"In The Beginning Was The Word, And The Word Was Aardvark."

shutter
Community Veteran
Posts: 22,206
Thanks: 3,769
Fixes: 65
Registered: ‎06-11-2007

Re: Vista Update ruined my desktop layout

Good morning guys!.... and yes.... it is a GOOD moring.... booted up this morning as it should have done.... no problems.... so need for linux....... Grin Grin Grin