In Start Menu, my Pictures and Music folders are gone!!!

[Guest]

Hi, this is the story

Since I don't have enough storage in the C drive, I designated my Documents
folder (the sub-folders which were Pictures, Music, Videos and so forth) into
the D drive

So in the D drive, you can see all my Documents folder and the sub-folders
with the correct icon.

However, the time has passed by, and I guess something went wrong.

Because when I try to open my Pictures and Music folders into the desktop, I
cannot open. And if I try to right-click it I only see Copy, Change Name, and
Properties. So if I click properties everything is empty, therefore I cannot
bring my D drive's Pictures or anything at all.

The problem arises when I try to install Itunes or Adobe Acrobat reader.
Because I guess they have to do it with some sort of original Documents
folder, which makes the installation unsuccessful, saying that "Documents is
not a valid folder or route" (my Windows is Korean so I don't know what the
English will say)

So basically my question is, how can I recover the regular route and make
the Documents folder and the sub-folders into the original C route? This is
really frustrating and I don't want to re-install Vista again because I'm
really settled now with the programs installed and everything.

Please help me!!!

 

[dean-dean]

Look in these keys in the Registry Editor:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell
Folders

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User
Shell Folders

What is the Data for the Names "My Music" and "My Pictures" (no quotation
marks).

The defaults for the first key should be "C:\Users\(You)\Music" and
"C:\Users\(You)\Pictures" (no quotation marks).

The defaults for the second key should be "%USERPROFILE%\Music" and
"%USERPROFILE%\Pictures" (no quotation marks).

 

[Guest]

thanks a lot! you helped me perfectly!

Look in these keys in the Registry Editor:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell
Folders

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User
Shell Folders

What is the Data for the Names "My Music" and "My Pictures" (no quotation
marks).

The defaults for the first key should be "C:\Users\(You)\Music" and
"C:\Users\(You)\Pictures" (no quotation marks).

The defaults for the second key should be "%USERPROFILE%\Music" and
"%USERPROFILE%\Pictures" (no quotation marks).

 

[dean-dean]

Hi Shawn,

Well, yes, it's mysterious indeed. I'm not sure why different shell folders
are listed in those keys in the registry, and why others are not. All the
shell folders are listed here, as sub-keys:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\FolderDescriptions

I'm thinking that unless certain folders (such as Contacts, Links, Saved
Games, and Searches) are moved by the user, then they won't be listed in

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User
Shell Folders

and that the default locations are used. Why this is true for some shell
folders and not others, I don't know.

Too, the Downloads folder is, by default, listed as
{374DE290-123F-4565-9164-39C4925E467B} in the following key, and
doesn't necessarily have to be moved. If the Contacts folder is moved,
however, its name is listed as {56784854-C6CB-462B-8169-88E350ACB882}, but
otherwise, if not moved, it's not listed in

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User
Shell Folders.

I think that Links would show {BFB9D5E0-C6A9-404C-B2B2-AE6DB6AF4968},
Searches would show {7D1D3A04-DEBB-4115-95CF-2F29DA2920DA}, and Saved Games
would be {4C5C32FF-BB9D-43b0-B5B4-2D72E54EAAA4}, under the Name value of
that key, with the user-defined new path under value Data, should a user
change the folder's location from the default. For Contacts, Links, Saved
Games, and Searches, therefore, I think that deleting those Name values in

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User
Shell Folders

would restore the folders' default locations, should their paths no longer
be valid for one reason or another. Or, one could just change the path to a
valid location. I've only tested this by moving the Contacts folder,
though, and not tried the others (further fiddling|testing is required)...
)


In other words, say, a user moved Contacts to Drive G, a removable drive.
Drive G is dropped on the floor, and destroyed. One could buy another
removable drive, name it G, and run the command shell:contacts, to create a
new Contacts folder on the new Drive G. Or, one could skip buying a new
Drive, delete the Name value {56784854-C6CB-462B-8169-88E350ACB882} in

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User
Shell Folders,

then run the command shell:contacts, and thereby create a new, restored
Contacts folder in the default location, that is, C:\Users\(User
Name)\Contacts. But, since it's now in the default location, it won't be
listed in the above key. Such is the mysteriousness of the Contacts folder,
at least...