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Windows 10 keeps dropping shortcuts from the Quick access list

I have a Surface Book running Windows 10 that keeps dropping all shortcuts from the Quick access list.

I have tried the following:

1) Deleted all files in
C:\Users\ss\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\AutomaticDestinations and C:\Users\ss\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\CustomDestinations.
Added links to Quick access and rebooted. Links were gone after rebooting.

2) Ran sfc /scannow. No errors. Added links to Quick access and rebooted links were still there, but they disappeared about an hour later on their own.

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks,
cja

William Fulks

Are you running Macafee Security Center? I found a msg board posting saying to disable to the "jump list" option in QuickClean and it will stop that from happening - https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/11d2e970-f700-4252-adf9-1e3855871b2f/windows-10-quick-access-pinned-folders-vanishing?forum=win10itprogeneral

McKnife

Yes, probably some cleanup process of some overly cautious security gadget that just wants to "help" by deleting traces that you leave. As quick access gets populated automatically by folders you often use, it's quite logical, some programs offer to clean those "traces".

Please look into that.

cja-tech-guy

ASKER

None of those steps worked. I checked for third party programs that do not belong. May just be a glitch in Windows 10 on this Surface Book.

McKnife

So what 3rd party programs are running? Something like CCleaner, maybe?

cja-tech-guy

ASKER

No third party programs.

When I ran del %appdata%\microsoft\windows\recent\automaticdestinations* from cmd prompt, added a shortcut to Quick Access list and rebooted, the shortcut was there.

It then disappeared about an hour later, all on it's own.

Did not reboot or power off, it just went away.

McKnife

Does that happen for several users? Create a new test user.

cja-tech-guy

ASKER

It is only happening on this one Surface Book. Only one user account on it.

I will try another account.

If it is the user account, when I create a new one for the account with the issue won't it use the same profile in the registry?

thanks

McKnife

Not if you delete the profile before. You would need to save data from the profile, before you delete it.

cja-tech-guy

ASKER

I will try it when I get access to it.

Thanks

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

cja-tech-guy

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McKnife

So it was happening for the other test user, too, or was that left untried?

cja-tech-guy

ASKER

I did not try creating different/new user. I had limited access to this machine and wanted to fix it as quick as possible.

Thanks

McKnife

> wanted to fix it as quick as possible.
Then you should have tried a different user. Would have saved the time to rebuild.

Well... :-)

cja-tech-guy

ASKER

Trying a different user would have been a quick set up but I would not have had the time to test it. The links on Quick Access would take time to disappear. Sometimes they would stay for a few hours then drop off. Sometimes they would disappear after a power cycle of the Surface Book. That is why I went with the OS reinstall.

Thanks

McKnife

Understood :-)