files missing in folders

I am a user on a network and I have folder prob. 10 folders with numerous files. login today all the files are missing but the folders and sub folders are there, empty!.

what is wrong?

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Comments

RobertKaucher

They were deleted or moved. If you have logging enabled see who deleted them and flog the individual. Then restore from backup. If you do not, then enable logging and restore from backup. I am assuming this is a Windows Environment.

audit in windows 2003 - Petri.co.il forums by Daniel Petri

snadam

Hopefully you have Volume Shadow Copy running on your network too. Its usually the easiest way to restore missing files like this. All this assuming its a Windows 2003 environment, and the data is deleted. This happened frequently at my old job. I swear the managers were worse than the "grunts"

RobertKaucher

Hey, good point. I had forgotten about that as our file server is windows 2000...

This also why I am encouraging everyone in my company to adopt the SharePoint server for storing their files. With versioning and the recycle bin... I don't have to do anything except a little user education. <knock on wood>

Psoasman

I hope you had auditing set up, so you can track who accessed the files. Previous versions is awesome. did you check recycle bin?

kizzibillet

thank you all for responding

1. I am in a windows 2003 environment
2. volume shadowing? don't have a clue
3. other users on the network is experiencing the same problem
4. can i do a system restore point if it was done previously could this affect the files?

rsutton

Do you administer your domain? Can you log in to the File Server? You can check if Volume Shadow Copy is running by right clicking on a folder and choosing properties. If you have a previous versions tab then you can restore files from that (and consequently you have confirmed that VSS is running).

If you don't have that running you will need to restore from back.

If you do not have backup in place, then present this case to whomever handles your department's IT budget and recommend implementing a backup solution.

can i do a system restore point if it was done previously could this affect the files?

If these are network files then doing a system restore on your computer would not restore them.

rwwest7

rsutton wrote: »

Do you administer your domain? Can you log in to the File Server? You can check if Volume Shadow Copy is running by right clicking on a folder and choosing properties. If you have a previous versions tab then you can restore files from that (and consequently you have confirmed that VSS is running).

If you don't have that running you will need to restore from back.

If you do not have backup in place, then present this case to whomever handles your department's IT budget and recommend implementing a backup solution.

If these are network files then doing a system restore on your computer would not restore them.

You can only access the previous versions tab via a network browse. So if you log onto the server locally and open My Computer then no matter what the Previous Versions tab won't be there. You should right-click on the folder from your computer and choose properties if you want to view previous versions. By default it's not enabled, so if you don't know what it is then it's likely not turned on yet.

rwwest7

kizzibillet wrote: »

thank you all for responding

1. I am in a windows 2003 environment
2. volume shadowing? don't have a clue
3. other users on the network is experiencing the same problem
4. can i do a system restore point if it was done previously could this affect the files?

2. Learn it, love it, live it. VSS will save your job some day.
4. Windows System Restore points only restore programs and settings, they in no way touch data.

mallyg27

Does shadowing and auditing slow down your network?

dynamik

You'd be looking at local resources, such as disk and CPU.