Many settings lost after Shut Down or Restart

BevanJD · 18 Feb 2020

Windows 10 settings (language, keyboard layout, etc.) are reset to US default, Thunderbird address book emptied and email accounts' details lost, and Edge browser favourites are cleared, after Restart, or after Shut Down then later power on. Each time these are lost I go into Win 10 Settings and choose the UK options I want for Win 10, and painfully input my email accounts' details (server names, etc). This loss and resetting has happened at least 4 times to date. I have not tried recovering my lost email address book or browser favourites. Everything then appears ok, so long as I do not power off!

This has been going on for about 5 days now, first with Win 10 v 1903 installed Aug 2019, then with v 1909 installed Feb 16th 2020. Today is Feb 18. Apart from Win 10 updates I have made few if any changes to hardware or software in the last few weeks. Each of the 4+ times I have however received strange messages about "servicepack1864-972.exe" installation and about signing in to my Microsoft account. I do not know the settings I am concerned about are saved.

Help please! I have tried searching for similar problems, but to no avail.

Caledon Ken · 23 Feb 2020

Hi BevanJD. Welcome to the TenForums @BevanJD

I would recommend a clean install of Windows. Yes a lot of work but something corrupt in your system. You could mess around with repairs but I would always be concerned about base.

Clean Install.

Clean Install Windows 10

Make sure all data is backed up off drive. I would then consider deleting all partitions to get a fresh start.

Ken

NMI · 23 Feb 2020

Also posted at:

Windows 10 UK settings are reset to US defaults after every Restart or Shut Down. Other settings are lost. How do I stop this? | Microsoft Windows Bulletin Board

and

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...e-14e1345bb125

bobkn · 23 Feb 2020

This won't address your main issue, but you can back-up accounts, contacts, and downloaded emails for Thunderbird. The stuff is kept in:

C:\Users\you\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles (replace "you" with your username).

When you install Thunderbird and launch it for the first time, it creates two folders in the Profiles directory. Copy the contents of the backed-up folders into the similar folders. Don't copy the folders themselves; Thunderbird won't recognize them.

I have nearly10GB of stuff there, so it's pleasant not to re-download it from the mail servers every time I do a Windows clean install. Retaining accounts and contacts is pleasant, too.