Update deletes data?

My HP laptop got an update. I have saved important documents on this laptop & 'now all of them have disappeared because of the update. Can you recommend a data recovery company that will restore all data & 'free of charge?

Thanks in advance.

Hey, I shut down my laptop all the way & turned it on. Everything as before. Bizarre

What kind of update was that? Windows Update?

Maybe that's a lesson about regular backups, backing up data on an external drive…

One option would be to try recuva:

https://www.heise.de/...cuva-43395

Was the data in the standard area, as Windows dictates, or somewhere else?

Yes. I now have Windows 10 Home

The problem is basically, the longer the computer runs, the greater the probability that the deleted files will be overwritten by current ones…

Was it an update from Windows 7 or Windows 8 to Windows 10? If so, who performed this update? Windows itself or an external service provider?

Now…

Answer: https://www.runtime.org/data-recovery-software.htm

It's not free if my glasses don't deceive me.

It is very unlikely that document files stored on the laptop will be deleted by a Windows update.
Have you restarted your laptop in the meantime (select "Restart" in the switch-off menu)?

Where did you save it?
If you know the file names, you can call up the files by entering the file name> Enter.

And? Everyone has to know for themselves how much their own data is worth…
Recuva has already been suggested - only GetDataBack is more thorough in my tests. 🤷♂️

You write "Yes. I now have Windows 10 Home". What did you have before Windows 7?
Then your update would not be a normal small update, but a version change from Windows 7 to Windows 10.

~ should ~ you really have upgraded from Windows 7 to Windows 10, in the setup, I mean, there's also the question of whether everything should be kept. If you have selected there that nothing is kept, that is legitimate.
- As I said, this is only one potential possibility that came to mind.

As others have recommended, I would try Recuva.

The Windows specifications read: Edition: Windows 10 Home, Version: 20H2, Installed on: 01/04/2021.

Unfortunately, I know very little about technology.

I think I made a mistake because I'm not very familiar with technology. Because it says there: Edition: Windows 10 Home, Version: 20H2, Installed on: 04.01.2021. The "update" ran automatically & I was not asked if I want to keep my data.

Yes I have. The data is still not there. Folders are empty. But there was a message that this was the case for many. I only know that my laptop was "changed" overnight. Unfortunately, I can't give you more information about this because I'm not very familiar with technology.
Edition: Windows 10 Home, Version: 20H2, Installed on: 01/04/2021

Yes, backups are never bad. However, never knew how to do this on the laptop. Have rarely had any experience with it. I'm trying out Recuva right now. Let's see.