Disappearing Files

[Guest]

All files and folders that were in the 'My Pictures' folder have disappeared.
I've already looked into the discussion groups and made sure the files are
not hidden and I've set the folder options to show all files.

What's weird is that if I open any picture viewing program (e.g.: MS Paint)
and from the 'file' tab I see a list of recent pictures I had previously
opened (before this problem happened). I go and click on it and it opens as
usual. I 'save as' and it shows me the folder that it is in and that it is in
the 'My Pictures' folder - which is where it was originally (again, before
this problem arouse) and I save. I close the program and go back to the 'My
Pictures' folder and the folder is empty. I was actually hoping I had
inadvertently created an second 'My Pictures' folder and I was just looking
at the wrong folder but this is not the case.

Even in Explorer, I've dragged a file into the 'My Pictures' folder and then
I'd go into the folder and still it's not there. I've tried to copy a file
and paste it into this folder. I go into the folder and there's nothing
there. I tried to do it again and it then asks me if I want to replace the
existing file even though 2 seconds prior it told me the folder was empty. It
seems as though this is the only folder that I'm having problems with.

I've tried a search for the files I was looking for (from the Start menu)
and I come up with nothing. Any file that was in 'My Pictures' is gone but I
can still access a few via the example I showed above (MS Paint) which are in
'My Pictures' according to the program but not according to Windows.

5th straight late night looking for an answer or suggestions.

Help anyone?!?!

WinXP SP2 Latest updates (Except for one - problem installing - that's
another discussion).
McCafee Ent Latest DAT and Engine.

 

[Guest]

Try copying word (.txt and .doc) documents and PDF and program files into to
the folder to see if the same thing happens.

Eric,
PC Buyer Beware!
http://www.pcbuyerbeware.co.uk/

 

[Keith Miller MVP]

Do the files appear in a 'dir' listing from a command prompt window?

 

[Guest]

In Command Promt, I get up to ...'My Documents' then I type 'CD\My Pictures'
and I get to ...'My documents\my pictures'. Then I type in dir and I get
'File Not Found'.

I hadn't tried looking at it that way before but the result was the same.
It's like there's a black hole on that directory. I'm leaning to the thought
that my HDD may be corrupted somehow. Whenever I click on that directory (in
Windows) I can tell the computer stalls for a second or two before showing me
an empty folder. Any other ideas?

Do the files appear in a 'dir' listing from a command prompt window?


--
Good Luck,

Keith
Microsoft MVP [Windows XP Shell/User]

All files and folders that were in the 'My Pictures' folder have disappeared.
I've already looked into the discussion groups and made sure the files are
not hidden and I've set the folder options to show all files.

What's weird is that if I open any picture viewing program (e.g.: MS Paint)
and from the 'file' tab I see a list of recent pictures I had previously
opened (before this problem happened). I go and click on it and it opens as
usual. I 'save as' and it shows me the folder that it is in and that it is in
the 'My Pictures' folder - which is where it was originally (again, before
this problem arouse) and I save. I close the program and go back to the 'My
Pictures' folder and the folder is empty. I was actually hoping I had
inadvertently created an second 'My Pictures' folder and I was just looking
at the wrong folder but this is not the case.

Even in Explorer, I've dragged a file into the 'My Pictures' folder and then
I'd go into the folder and still it's not there. I've tried to copy a file
and paste it into this folder. I go into the folder and there's nothing
there. I tried to do it again and it then asks me if I want to replace the
existing file even though 2 seconds prior it told me the folder was empty. It
seems as though this is the only folder that I'm having problems with.

I've tried a search for the files I was looking for (from the Start menu)
and I come up with nothing. Any file that was in 'My Pictures' is gone but I
can still access a few via the example I showed above (MS Paint) which are in
'My Pictures' according to the program but not according to Windows.

5th straight late night looking for an answer or suggestions.

Help anyone?!?!

WinXP SP2 Latest updates (Except for one - problem installing - that's
another discussion).
McCafee Ent Latest DAT and Engine.

 

[Guest]

Yup. I tried that. I can put things in but I can't get anything out after
that. One-way only sort of thing.

 

[Keith Miller MVP]

The results of 'dir' for an empty folder should look like this:

C:\kam\new>dir
Volume in drive C is Rory
Volume Serial Number is 2833-C122

Directory of C:\kam\new

03/09/2006 23:05 <DIR> .
03/09/2006 23:05 <DIR> ..
0 File(s) 0 bytes
2 Dir(s) 21,585,096,704 bytes free

Not 'File not found'

Do shortcuts to any the pictures you can open in paint show in your Recent Documents menu? if so,
check the properties of the shortcut for the target path to the file.

If not, with one of the known filenames, use the following command from the root of the drive:

dir <filename> /a /s

and see what the reported path is.


--
Good Luck,

Keith
Microsoft MVP [Windows XP Shell/User]

In Command Promt, I get up to ...'My Documents' then I type 'CD\My Pictures'
and I get to ...'My documents\my pictures'. Then I type in dir and I get
'File Not Found'.

I hadn't tried looking at it that way before but the result was the same.
It's like there's a black hole on that directory. I'm leaning to the thought
that my HDD may be corrupted somehow. Whenever I click on that directory (in
Windows) I can tell the computer stalls for a second or two before showing me
an empty folder. Any other ideas?

Do the files appear in a 'dir' listing from a command prompt window?


--
Good Luck,

Keith
Microsoft MVP [Windows XP Shell/User]

All files and folders that were in the 'My Pictures' folder have disappeared.
I've already looked into the discussion groups and made sure the files are
not hidden and I've set the folder options to show all files.

What's weird is that if I open any picture viewing program (e.g.: MS Paint)
and from the 'file' tab I see a list of recent pictures I had previously
opened (before this problem happened). I go and click on it and it opens as
usual. I 'save as' and it shows me the folder that it is in and that it is in
the 'My Pictures' folder - which is where it was originally (again, before
this problem arouse) and I save. I close the program and go back to the 'My
Pictures' folder and the folder is empty. I was actually hoping I had
inadvertently created an second 'My Pictures' folder and I was just looking
at the wrong folder but this is not the case.

Even in Explorer, I've dragged a file into the 'My Pictures' folder and then
I'd go into the folder and still it's not there. I've tried to copy a file
and paste it into this folder. I go into the folder and there's nothing
there. I tried to do it again and it then asks me if I want to replace the
existing file even though 2 seconds prior it told me the folder was empty. It
seems as though this is the only folder that I'm having problems with.

I've tried a search for the files I was looking for (from the Start menu)
and I come up with nothing. Any file that was in 'My Pictures' is gone but I
can still access a few via the example I showed above (MS Paint) which are in
'My Pictures' according to the program but not according to Windows.

5th straight late night looking for an answer or suggestions.

Help anyone?!?!

WinXP SP2 Latest updates (Except for one - problem installing - that's
another discussion).
McCafee Ent Latest DAT and Engine.