Computer Help Needed... Badly !!!

[Cruiser Too]

Greetings TUG'ers

Something weird happened this AM.

Windows updated my system yesterday but I only saw this issue this morning.
I'll try to explain as clearly as I'm able so pls bear with me.

There's a 'bar' at the bottom of my desktop.
It's filled with 'pixels' of various aps (Word, Excel, Chrome-browser, etc. etc.) I use regularly.

Left-clicking one will open that particular 'ap'.
RIGHT-Clicking... used-to pop-up a listing of the file-names.

This morning instead of seeing 'file-names'
I see the standard 'pixels' that corresponds with that 'ap'
(the pixels for WORD being "a page with the letter 'W' in a box".

But now... instead of seeing the file-names of WORD docs...
I see a list of WORD 'pixels'

Am I making sense ?
Can anyone help me to restore file-names instead of 'pictures' ?

Thank You !

 

[taterhed]

Sounds like your recent file history might have been cleared.

Try opening Word.....open a Word file or 2 and save them. Close Word

After this, do the last two files (opened) now appear on the recent history list when you right-click the word icon?

This is what he's referring to...

 

[pittle]

Hmmmm....Mine looks like what you described - I use Office 2016. Do you use Office 365? I know that it updates regularly. Have you tried unpinning it from the task bar and then adding it back?

Before doing that, Restart your computer. That is the first thing I do when something unusual happens as that fixes a lot of things!

 

[DRIless]

I had BIG problems with the latest Windows update. Even when I told it to shut down it would stay going in some sort of sleep mode and not do a FRESH start after the update. It's a laptop, I solved it by unplugging the power cord and removing the battery, thus depriving the laptop of all power. When I put everything back and powered up, it took awhile but everything was back to 'normal.'

 

[Cruiser Too]

Thanks to all who responded.

Taterhead...
I did as you suggested and no... opening, saving and closing a WORD doc
did NOT make it reappear with its file-name.

I followed Pittle's suggestion of shutting-down and restarting and VOILA... it resolved my pixels issue.
WINDOWS still does some weird things sometimes... but it's improving.

A HUGE Thank You to everyone !!!

 

[pedro47]

For the very first time. I had no major problems or issues with a Windows 10 update.
What is going to happen after November 2019, when Microsoft is not going to support Windows 10?

 

[RX8]

What is going to happen after November 2019, when Microsoft is not going to support Windows 10?

My understand is that it is a specific older version of Windows 10 that will no longer be supported. Just upgrade with the latest version to continue support. Windows 10 itself will continue to be supported until 2025.

 

[Makai Guy]

BTW ... pixels are the individual tiny dots that make up images. I think the word you were looking for is "icons".

 

[pedro47]

RX8, Thanks, for the clarification about Window 10 support to 2025.

 

[Cruiser Too]

BTW ... pixels are the individual tiny dots that make up images. I think the word you were looking for is "icons".

Or stretching it a bit.. Emojis ;0