Symptoms
After upgrading to Windows 10, none of the apps you had prior to upgrading are available or listed in Start.
Cause
This can happen if, prior to upgrading:
-
The "Program Files" directory is not located on the system drive.
-
The "Program Files (x86)" directory is not located on the system drive.
-
The "ProgramData" directory was relocated from the default location on the "%systemdrive%" drive (the drive that contains the Windows directory).
Resolution
You will need to go back to your previous version, backup your data, and then reset or re-install Windows and your Apps, so that the “ProgramData” and “Program Files / x86" folders are located on the System drive.
Relocation of the "ProgramData," “Program Files” or "Program Files / x86" directory is not supported in Windows. In order to upgrade to Windows 10 these folder must be on the system drive.
Backup information:
Reset and Restore information:
More Information
Redirecting ProgramData or Program Files causes different issues in Windows 8 or 8.1, and redirecting “Users” folders causes other issues in both Windows 10 and 8/8.1 . For more information about that, see Knowledge Base article 2876597.
For more information about the Microsoft policy on relocating the "Users" and "ProgramData" directories, see Knowledge Base article 949977.
