Over the past few weeks programs have been mysteriously disappearing from my pc. I don't mean just the shortcut I am talking about the actual program files. I some cases the shortcut is gone also. But the folders are still in "program files" but they are empty. So far I have lost msn & yahoo messenger my newsreader and a video chat program. There could be more but this is what I have noticed.

So how could this happen? My first thought was a virus but my AVG says no and I always keep it up to date.

any other ideas?

Do others also use this computer?

Yeah someone else may have uninstalled those programs.

WinSimple Software

no I live here alone. maybe a ghost? ;o)

Besides Virus',
Do you check for, and remove, Spyware ??
Spyware includes ----
Adware, Dialers, Browser Hijackers, Trojans, Cookies,
Key Loggers, Trackware, and other Malware while browsing the internet.

Most Virus and Spyware scans are likely to work better in Windows Safe-Mode.

Yeah probably a ghost. Well I don't know, but try a chkdsk on the drive. Just go to Start>Run, type (without quotes) "cmd" and press enter. In the black console box that comes up, type in (again without quotes) "chkdsk /f" and press enter. This a very long shot in the dark, but I suppose it's possible that your hard drive may have bad sectors.

Are the programs that disappeared also gone from Add/Remove Programs?

WinSimple Software

Yes, I agree that running chkdsk is a good idea, even though it's a long shot. I would suggest 'chkdsk /r'. It takes a LOOOONG time, but will scan every sector on the drive for reliability.

But I'm more inclined to think it's a user error of some kind.