[ubuntu] Problems with Launcher & Personalized Settings, Recognizing USB Drives

So yesterday I encountered an unusual error that caused Ubuntu to not load my settings upon startup. My launcher starts with the default app loadout (Firefox, Amazon, etc.), workspace and wallpaper settings aren't saved, and other programs like gedit don't retain my preferences like they used to. In addition to this, my Ubuntu will no longer recognize my Windows 10 files or any exteal media like flash drives. I don't know if it's related, but all these problem arose at once.

I've updated all packages, upgraded from 15.04 to 15.10, and even tried creating a new user and transferring all files and permissions to it... nothing has fixed this. Anyone encounter this before / know what the issue may be?