MW does not open

[Train]

Put them on C:\ in the programs folder.
Anyway what I do and have done since the 60 GB hdd come out years ago.

[yurka]

I will, probably on E, as it has more free space; the instructions for one of them warn only about untoward effects of installing it on the same drive as that missing file was, i. e. in my case, no D:\ 1. Download and install FreeUndelete. Whenever possible, save the setup executable and install the program to a disk that does not hold files you need to undelete. .
But...
I think I entered a period when many things break down, beginning with my arm to software and even hardware, and from experience I know that one should not try to fix this season of misfortunes: the matter can get worse. The best tactic is to wait quietly till life normalizes. Unfortunately, I need this missing folder badly.
However, when I tried to run a data DVD (found another old backup), neither of my drives could open - "Drive is not accessible. Incorrect function". In Device Manager M$ Kernel DSL Synthetizer has a yellow circle with exclamation point. After I read the description of the DSL Kernel I concluded that it could cause both drives to malfunction. I tried to troubleshoot it, its driver was up-to-date. So, I uninstalled it as soon as I found a download site for it. But when I clicked on download now, my WOT darkened the download page and warned me. I closed the page and could not find another download site. Immediately after that, the WOT icon disappeared; Start>Search found only two non-working shortcuts for WOT.
So, I did System Restore back to this morning, installed a new copy of WOT as it was not present even after System Restore job, but the fact itself is very alarming! Somebody seems to have access to my PC and moves and messes things. I have one suspect:

This article applies to a different version of Windows than the one you are using. Content in this article may not be relevant to you.

It happened when I was researching M$ site for some repairs. How M$ knows what version of windows I am using? What if I had Linux? Or something else? All this anti-malware, except Avast, can find malware by scanning the PC. I wonder, is there some "filtering" gizmos capable of catching malicious intruders before they enter the system, like Avast does: It warns me of incoming viruses BEFORE they break in (but not other malware, like Trojans and such.

[Train]

Interesting reading I think.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malware

[Welshjim]

yurka--

I'd like to know if I should use all three, sequentially, or ... Please, advise:

I think Train has already answered this. Undelete is just a name given to this type of program. None are named Undelete. They are just separate programs to hopefully get the recovery job done. So you try one and then another until you have success.

Jim advised me to run uninstall programs from from flash stick.

Not install. Undelete. I am surprised to hear they do not run from a flash stick. As mentioned the objective here is to Write as little as possible to your HD where the data you want to recover is located. Downloading to the HD is writing to the HD.

[yurka]

Thank you.
Actually, I'd rather write of some better things, but life sucks...
Just to keep you abreast: I installed Recover and did the deep scan of D:\ drive. It found all lost files, almost all of them in "excellent" condition. But... "Recover" button was grayed out and it requested me to register for $29.95, for one year. I gladly paid and get registered. (It appears to be a good SW; I hope that I will NEVER use it again, certainly, not in a year). But either I missed something at the beginning or no warning was displayed, at all: when I clicked Scan it started right away, and when I learned that unregistered version had limiter capabilities (no recovery), it was to late and now it's repeating the scan. I hope that eventually it will recover the lost files*.
I will read the link to Wiki yet would appreciate your opinion on the following:
1. Do you know a safe place to download M$ Kernel DLS Synthesizer from?
2. Seriously, how M$ knows what Windows version I run (and that I had troubles opening MW?
----------------------
* I spoke to soon: the Recover" button is still grayed out. Tomorrow I'll email them...
I told you than one has to wait patiently till the planets rearrange themselves :-)

[yurka]

I did emailed them and got a reply with instructions - how make screenshots of Error messages, etc. When I came home, I wanted to run Recover again, to make sure it's still malfunctional, but could not find it in my PC - see a copy of email I sen them instead of screenshots:

Thank you for your timely reply.
I just got home and wanted to run Recover scan, to make sure that the Recover button is still nonfunctional buy could not find Recover in my PC. It is not present in Start>Programs, there is no icon on the Desktop, Start>Search has no evidence of it and only in Reg. Editor the is a Recovered Files folder, which is empty.
It all looks like a Halloween hoax but it's not Halloween yet. I even checked System Restore which automatically creates a Restore Point prior to any SW installation - no evidence of Recover. The only evidence that I ever touched Recover in in my Received Mail folder and that info, which I C+P to my Password folder: license Code: E717-D066-42A0-98D5-C89F-67E8-AD1F-2E4F-C3FC-D0DC, Expiry Date:October 18, 2010 .

I never encountered anything like that, nor have I ever heard of it. You and people around you know much more about computing and SW than me. So, perhaps you can solve this puzzle. BTW, can a new copy of Recover (when I receive and install it) recover itself? It would be a good test of Recover potential. But that for the future. Now I'd appreciate a new copy and the new license code (if a need a new one). I'll enter it before running my first scan.
Regards, Y.

I wonder how many of you believe me and how many will think of me differently from now on and will ignore any future posts with my signature.
Seriously, though, I'd like to hear from anyone of anything like this.

[Train]

Had a bad shutdown?

Lose lots of things sometimes with one of them.

Just salvaged a rig that had one. Boy did I jump through the hoops too.

[yurka]

Nope.
The closest thing to "bad shut down" (whatever it means) recently happened, might been prior to the disappearance of My Documents folder, or after - cannot remember. I do remember that I could not close a small window asking me about downloading something; since it was in the middle of the screen, it effectively blocked the screen. This window virtually paralyzed my work as I could not even open Task Manager to press on End Task, nor to click Start>Shut Down. So, I had to press power button and hold it for six seconds.
Another break down began on Sunday. Pressing Power button turns on PC. After 6 seconds it shuts down (no lights, no fun humming), for 45 seconds, then restarts as I am watching it in amazement. Just a nuisance, but interesting... To be continued...

[Train]

"So, I had to press power button and hold it for six seconds."

Yes, that is a example of a bad shutdown and pretty close to what happened to the rig I salvaged.

[yurka]

I remember that years ago one of our company IT wizards taught me that 6" trick on my firm's PC and ever since I used it on all machines that refused to tun off with simple press push. He just told me that PC power switch is very different from household appliance power switches, i. e. it does more than interrupting power supply.
However, my priority now is to fix M$ Kernel DLS Synthesizer and to recover missing folder. I also wonder if those two seemingly different events are somehow connected, more than just in time, and if they are related to the two separate occasions, about two weeks apart, when ALL my Yahoo mail contacts received an email ad allegedly from me, that I never sent; it was not present in my Sent box either. (It happened 3-4 month ago). At that time somebody explained to me that a hacker got remotely connected to my PC and stole my contacts list.