Where have all my files gone?

[biocide]

Hi folks. I'm writing to you in dire need. Apple seems to have updated my mac to 10.11. I'm writing "Apple did it", because I can't recall having pressed "upgrade" or "update" anywhere. Then, when I restarted my MBP this morning, it suddenly started updating to 10.11. Ok, I might seem to you like an idiot now. It is of course possible that I'm wrong about this, and that I've mistakenly pressed a "update now" button somewhere without realizing it, even though I'm usually very careful not to update or upgrade before I know what I'm upgrading to, and when I feel secure that bugs have been worked out.

But in itself, an involuntary update is not a disaster. But here's the thing: This update has ERASED MY ENTIRE FILE SYSTEM! WTF?

I have no idea how it happened. After restart I was asked whether I wanted to to upgrade to iCloud Drive. I said no, exactly since I don't trust Apple to keep my files secure.

Backup, time machine etc: Nope. I keep all my really important and essential files in Dropbox. The things I don't put in dropbox is usually something I can live without. So this is not an existential crisis for me. But it's very annoying. I've lost four days of work on an article (I'm an academic). I thought I had saved it in dropbox like I usually do, but turns out I saved it locally this time. I've lost movies and music I had stored locally. I've also lost a lot of ebooks etc. Most of them are still available electronically somewhere (Amazon and other vendors), but still.

Have anybody else experienced this?
Is there a way to recover my files? (I hope so, but I guess not).

I am SO annoyed with Apple right now.

 

[biocide]

...and furthermore, all the settings etc. in all of my apps have gone. On chrome, all the saved passwords are gone. The accounts I've had on my computer (exchange etc) are gone, and need to be set up once again. These are all minor annoyances compared to having lost my entire file system, but it is nevertheless rather annoying.

 

[leman]

1. If it installed automatically than its because you have turned on Auto Update (or clicked to update)
2. Are you sure that your data is gone? Look again in the users folder
3. Backup, backup, backup.

 

[Crazy Badger]

Pretty sure a point OSX upgrade can't be initiated by Apple, and would require more than an accidental button press.

 

[leman]

Pretty sure a point OSX upgrade can't be initiated by Apple, and would require more than an accidental button press.

If Auto Update is on, it will attempt point upgrades, AFAIK. It will restart your computer overnight, if connected to power source to do that.

 

[Rodan52]

I really feel for you but I think leman is probably correct.

I got caught my self with these settings in El Capitan. Even if you only tick the "Automatically Check For Updates" box you will be "notified" but the only reply is to postpone the update, not refuse the update. If you have "Automatically download apps purchased on other Macs" ticked you may well get apps downloaded that you did not necessarily want on one device.
That said, I cannot imagine why your data would not be exactly where you left it. Only a clean install would cause what you describe and you need to initiate that manually.

 

[Crazy Badger]

If Auto Update is on, it will attempt point upgrades, AFAIK. It will restart your computer overnight, if connected to power source to do that.

Going from 10.11 to 10.11.1 I'd go along with the auto updates, but not 10.10.5 to 10.11.

The usually involves a visit to the App Store, downloading the installer, and then running the upgrade.

 

[biocide]

Thanks for the feedback, guys! Appreciate it.

Luckily, it turned out my files were there after all... The problem arose because there are several user accounts on the computer. My MBP technically belongs to the university I work for, so there is a kind of a "admin install user account" which for some reasons needs to run every time there are updates. This account logged itself on by default when the update started. And for some reason, I got logged onto the install account even after the update, even though I used my own credentials. And when logging on using this account, none of my files are there. But after an hour on the phone with IT support at the university, we solved the problem, so I could log back on with my own user account. And now... everything's back to normal. Big relief!

But where does one turn this auto-update thing off? Even though it turned out ok, I got really spooked now. And: Complete backup, here I come.

 

[Rodan52]

H

Thanks for the feedback, guys! Appreciate it.

Luckily, it turned out my files were there after all... The problem arose because there are several user accounts on the computer. My MBP technically belongs to the university I work for, so there is a kind of a "admin install user account" which for some reasons needs to run every time there are updates. This account logged itself on by default when the update started. And for some reason, I got logged onto the install account even after the update, even though I used my own credentials. And when logging on using this account, none of my files are there. But after an hour on the phone with IT support at the university, we solved the problem, so I could log back on with my own user account. And now... everything's back to normal. Big relief!

But where does one turn this auto-update thing off? Even though it turned out ok, I got really spooked now. And: Complete backup, here I come.

Have a look at my preference settings in my last post. I also put the App Store app back in my dock so I can see at a glance how many updates are available. When I choose to do so is up to me. No more annoying notifications. A lot of the native apps will tell you when a new version is available anyway.

 

[CoastalOR]

But where does one turn this auto-update thing off? Even though it turned out ok, I got really spooked now. And: Complete backup, here I come.

Upper left of screen; >System Preferences...>App Store

 

[leman]

Going from 10.11 to 10.11.1 I'd go along with the auto updates, but not 10.10.5 to 10.11.

The usually involves a visit to the App Store, downloading the installer, and then running the upgrade.

You are 100% correct. I have a reading disability as it turns out I though that OP was already on 10.11

Luckily, it turned out my files were there after all... The problem arose because there are several user accounts on the computer.

I had my suspicions that this would be the case

 

[NoBoMac]

But where does one turn this auto-update thing off? Even though it turned out ok, I got really spooked now. And: Complete backup, here I come.

Yes! Full back-up.

As for turning auto-update off, CoastalOR provided the information, but, from the 64,000ft view of the issue, might not be able to. You said that this is a university asset: maybe they have some sort of device management software/system in place, hence, they will push updates when they want.

 

[hallux]

Yes! Full back-up.

As for turning auto-update off, CoastalOR provided the information, but, from the 64,000ft view of the issue, might not be able to. You said that this is a university asset: maybe they have some sort of device management software/system in place, hence, they will push updates when they want.

I suspect this to be the case. Considering it would normally take interaction and conscious decisions to kick off the upgrade from Yosemite to El Cap, it sounds like the university pushed it.

 

[Riwam]

I still believe in the reliabitily of making, at least in intervals depending on the frequency of new important data added, of a bootable external clone of one's system.
Such a measure has taken me out of very nasty situations.

This does not eliminate the need of more frequent backups with for instance Time Machine, but it allows a quick, easy and complete restore and should be a must before any important change (including -of course- going from 10.10 to 10.11 )
Ed

 

[hallux]

I still believe in the reliabitily of making, at least in intervals depending on the frequency of new important data added, of a bootable external clone of one's system.
Such a measure has taken me out of very nasty situations.

This does not eliminate the need of more frequent backups with for instance Time Machine, but it allows a quick, easy and complete restore and should be a must before any important change (including -of course- going from 10.10 to 10.11 )
Ed

Except in the case of a system managed by a company or some other entity, that cloned backup will likely be promptly re-upgraded when it's put back in place if that other entity forced the OS update. Also, in some of those cases, they can put roadblocks in place to prevent restoration of those backups, or even booting to the external to USE the backup.

 

[Riwam]

Except in the case of a system managed by a company or some other entity, that cloned backup will likely be promptly re-upgraded when it's put back in place if that other entity forced the OS update. Also, in some of those cases, they can put roadblocks in place to prevent restoration of those backups, or even booting to the external to USE the backup.

*****
Certainly a possibility.
However in such a case the system managers must scratch their heads to solve any problem they caused by acting so.
The employee is therefore free of any sorrow, not being responsible.
I assume that still he might keep files important for him inside his external clone drive.
No "Big Brother" can delete such files but he will have to take care not to put them back in the company managed system.
Personally I would be glad that IT administrators and not I would have to take care that any upgrade does not cause any bug.
Unfortunately my computer is only my problem and bugs are exclusively my source of sorrow, reason why I felt greatly relieved that a downgrade to Yosemite restored entirely my system.
Ed