I know this is an older thread, but I wanted to occurred add a related incident that occurred within the past month, and to thank you guys for the many times you've saved my hide over the years since SevenForums. You're the best!

My big problem has to do with Windows Updates, AMD, and who knows what else at this point. After another disaster early this year, I turned off Update's ability to install drivers. Just recently, however, in a fit of stupidity when I read something that made me think I should, I restored the function. A week later, I found four new drivers had been automatically installed in Windows Update. Two were AMD and two, Lenovo. No other specifics were mentioned. The notations stated only that "a new Lenovo/American Trend Micro driver installed successfully".

Since then, my computer is almost inoperable. Today I found that it functions somewhat efficiently in Safe Mode. So now I should be able to open the various logs long enough to read them before the screen goes black, or a page takes an hour to load, then instantly shuts down with some nonsensical error message. I hope.

Meanwhile, not long before the Updates disaster I'd noticed that Notepad was missing. In earlier versions, at least on my Lenovos, Notepad was always located under Windows Accessories. It might have recently been moved, but it was always in Start menu grouped with other small utilities. I use Wordpad and Notepad++, but I liked the simplicity of Notepad when I want to strip a link or bit of text before a copy and paste, for instance, or draft an email without the worry of accidentally clicking "Send".. Well, most likely locations, but no sign of it. Then this evening, I was back to investigating the AMD problem. In the AMD program folder that holds the Adrenalline files, for the first time I noticed a new file was present, atikmdag_dce. It was created May 2, the same day as the AMD drivers were added through Updates. I've looked at that folder at least a few times since last week, and it was nowhere to be found. (That's because it's a ghost. It had disappeared,, and now it's back) I perked up for a moment, as being a log file, I hoped it might hold some clues. So very hesitantly, I clicked it, but no go. An error message popped up.

The file can't be opened because it now resides in a backup folder of "Notepad", which, by the way, recently relocated to C:.../OneDrive/Documents/Notepad/ !! Now I have visions of evil little grinning gremlins sneaking in while I sleep and rearranging my computer, the same way they hide my glasses and my phone.

Anyway, I'll leave it that, as I don't want to drag this thread off topic. Just couldn't stop myself from sharing yet one more anomaly in the Wonder World of Windows. Hope it brings a chuckle to some. If not, the "what the...???" expression on my face surely would have.
Ciao!

Thanks again. I'll post a new thread when I have more information