My documents got lost!

So I apologize in advance, I only have basic computer working knowledge so my explanation might be confusing. Basically, a program on my computer (windows vista) (it was either symantic or macafee, but I think it was symantic) told me to reboot via a little yellow post it thing. When I did, my computer was back to default setting with my background, docs pix and music gone, along with internet faves gone, etc. So I did a quick search on the computer drive and managed to find my files. I dragged them from their location (which looked like my normal user drive called Katy) to the empty new ones. I could open them and everything. I closed my computer and when I opened it a few hours later, my computer was back to normal with my favorites google gadgets and post-its and background. Basically it was like the reboot never happened, only now my documents are gone. Doing a search says that they are in the users->katy->appdata->roaming->microsoft->windows files, but they are only shortcuts. No actual documents. Plus my doc, pic, and music folders are empty. I did a system restore, run as admin, safe mode, driver search. Nothing lets me find them. Are they gone?

I believe yes, they are gone, you've done something wrong that caused OS malfunction

You should look back wherever you originally found the files. Drag & drop may have just dropped shortcuts not the actual files.

If it were me, I'd be booting up a linux live CD and try to find the files outside of windows, and if they are there I'd immediately copy them off to some backup media before doing more troubleshooting steps.

You could always try something like TestDisk. It may pick up the files if they haven't been written over.

Yes, Testdisk is the right choice.

u can visit this page and you will recover your lost data whatever it maybe just install and then try to recover.
Search on google as easy deleted recover files.

google 'pci file recovery', it's worked well for me in the past

@Injunction, Do you work for Microsoft? Sometimes the OS makes a complete balls of things, even when it doesn't it's not time to automatically blame the user. The whole point of an OS is to make life easy for the end user, not to scare the bejaysus out of them when something goes wrong

the files are most probably gone...the location of the shortcuts prove that the os or the antivirus was trying to do something with those files...

I guess your only choice is to use file recoverry apps

I've had viruses hide the folders for users folders before and they look like they are gone.

If you are trying to access them from something like the My Documents folder on the Start Menu, they can look empty. But if you use Windows Explorer to browse to it, they are actually there.

I had a Vist user with this problem a few weeks ago. I simple took that User's folder under C:\users and right clicked, and the folder was set to hidden. I unchecked the box and after 30 minutes or so of processing the change, everything was back "visible".

/edit - Just wrote a reply but deleted the lot when I looked at the thread date!