Software won't open after Microsoft update

I have my Microsoft updates to install automatically [I use 8.1]. I did not realize it was going to happen last night; usually I close my files. If I do forget to do it normally LibreOffice runs a little program and recovers the files. This time – no recovery program - I have the logo on the screen but clicking does nothing other than bring up the hourglass. Right clicking on the icon on the task bar reveals the files that were open but I cannot open through there either. Any help is appreciated!!