How did I delete the entire settings-daemon folder in GUI deconf?

I was trying to follow the directions here to fix my media keys.

I thought that all I did was change the values of some fields with innocent names like "brightness-up-static" to '', and hit the "Apply" button. Yet it seems like every folder I looked in is now gone, up through the level of /org/gnome/settings-daemon/.

I'm guessing that reinstalling the OS is the only recourse, but would someone please clue me in on what I could have done wrong? So I don't accidentally do it again?

-Aidan