All icons gone,profile reset,please help

[abdul89]

Hi

Yesterday I was busy on my laptop as usual, browsing the net and busy checking my emails, when my laptop restarted. It does this every now and then so I did not worry about it. However, once I logged back in to my profile, it was as if it had been reset.

All my icons were gone - its just recycle bin and iTunes icons at the moment, at the top left of the screen (as opposed to along the bottom of the screen which is how my icons were placed).

The background wallpaper is now the original vista wallpaper.

When clicking the start menu, the area which usually lists your most frequently used applications is reset, showing only 'welcome centre' and and windows media player.

Also, straight after the restart, the Welcome Center application opened as if it was the first time I had turned the pc on.

The bottom right hand side of the taskbar (next to the clock) which usually hides all the unnecessary icons, is showing ALL of the icons - just like how it is when you turn your brand new pc on for the first time as it still needs to 'learn' the unnecessary icons if you know what I mean.

All my programs are still there, but everything that was in my personal folder is gone ( it looks the way it does when you just create a profile).

Basically what it looks like, is as though my profile was reset. Its still there, but completely bare as if i had just created it.

Another odd thing is that chrome is not working - it just refuses to open. I was using chrome when my laptop crashed and reset - not sure if this has any relevance.

Does anyone have any idea what has happened and how I can fix it?? I have my data backed up so that is not the issue. I just want my profile back with all the data in it etc. and Im worried about viruses etc.

Im doing a virus scan, malware scan, etc etc as I type this and will edit the post if anything comes up.

Thank you in advance for any replies.

 

[abdul89]

EDIT :

Ok i just realised something. When i browse C drive, and go to users, my folder is still there (user name is 'abdul', and the folder called 'abdul' is there), and all my data is in there. However, there is another folder in users, called TEMP.

eg. C->users->abdul - my folder with everything in it as it should be
C->users->TEMP - new user folder that ive never seen before.

If i click start menu, and click the quick links to documents, pictures etc. its all empty, as if i am running off the TEMP user. even though i still log on as abdul (which is the only option on the log on screen, and thats how it always has been).

Its as if a new profile called temp has been created, and when i log onto my profile (called abdul) it somehow runs my profile as this new 'TEMP' profile.