Windows update 1909 changed my user folder name from C:\Users\NH to C:\Users\NH.000, and moved or deleted all previous system restore points. How can

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The problems, immediately after the update:

  • My user folder, C:\Users\NH was originally empty except for an un-hidden AppData folder that eventually leads to C:\Users\NH\AppData\Local\Temp, which has five files in it:
    WMZuneComm.etl.001
    WMZuneComm.etl.002
    WMZuneComm.etl.003
    WMZuneComm.etl.004
    WMZuneComm.etl.005
  • C:\Users\NH.000 is either a new folder or it used to be C:\Users\NH and was renamed, and it appeared to have all of my old files.
  • All browser extensions and settings were broken (which I later discovered could be "fixed" by moving the files from the hidden AppData folder in C:\Users\NH.000 to the un-hidden one in C:\Users\NH)
  • System restore points from before the update are all gone
  • Saving files to C:\Users\NH requires administrative permissions, which I still apparently have, but it means that I can't do it directly from programs like Word or an IDE. If I want something in the C:\Users\NH folder, I have to save it somewhere else and then move it, so the operating system can ask me to grant administrator permissions. Most annoyingly, not being able to save things in C:\Users\NH prevents me from putting programming files and functions where they need to go to be discovered on the path.


Steps I've tried:

  • Restarted my computer several times
  • Uninstalled the parts of the update that I was allowed to (the security update could not be uninstalled)
  • Attempted to revert to a system restore point (all of them are gone except one that was apparently created once the update was installed. I reverted to that one after trying to uninstall the updates).
  • I copied all my files from C:\Users\NH.000 to an external hard drive to back them up. Then I tried to move them to C:\Users\NH, which required administrative permissions. Most of the files were moved successfully. Some could not be moved. File explorer stopped and said they couldn't be moved because they were open or in use by "system," I think. I opted to "skip" those files and therefore didn't see what all of them were but a few were python executables, like python3.exe or python.exe.


Several other users who had this folder renaming issue mentioned something about Zune, which is installed on my computer and looks somehow connected to those files remaining in C:\Users\NH, but I didn't find anything that seemed to apply to my case in those questions.


I have found similar questions asked for both previous Windows updates and the 1909 update, but was unable to solve my issues with them. Usually the accepted answer is by Greg Carmack with a list of steps but it seems like the problem he's providing a solution to is different from what I have. I never received an error that said "We can't sign into your account" and Windows gives no indication that anything is corrupted. My files aren't missing, but some of them cannot be moved back to C:\Users\NH. I appear to have administrator permissions, so I don't think I need to create a new account. Restoring my system to a previous restore point does not work because my system does not have any restore points prior to installing the update. So many of the steps don't seem to apply, but I tried several of them anyway. I'm asking this question because I'm afraid if I continue doing things like creating new administrator accounts or temporary accounts or accessing the hidden administrator account, I will make things worse and not be able to get my computer back to how it was before.


Thanks!

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