moving Desktop to new HD

[Richard Lowen]

I've been at this for a few days with no success.
I'm trying to move the Desktop from an old HD
to my new HD. I want to move the files and folders
on the Desktop (and their icon arrangement) to
the new HD without all the other files and settings
that are handled with the Transfer Wizard.
Everything has been transferred except the
Desktop. I can't do a cloning since the old HD
is partially corrupted and/or has a virus.

I have tried just copying/pasting the Desktop
folder from one HD to the other, and the files do
show up in the new Desktop folder. But they are
not displayed on the screen. It's like the screen
display comes from somewhere else besides the
Desktop folder. Copying over a few desktop.ini
files hasn't helped, either. Before I start trying
black-box utilities from the Internet, I'd like to do
just simple copy/paste. Does anyone have a
clue how Desktop works?


Rick Lowen

 

[Guest]

There are two 'desktops'

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Desktop

AND

C:\Documents and Settings\Username\Desktop

Any Username, when they logon to XP get by default:
1. All the 'icons' [shortcuts] shown in the All Users folder
AND
2. All the 'icons' [shortcuts] shown in the Username folder

Make sure that you copy both of the from your old to your new folders

 

[Richard Lowen]

It turns out that the All Users\Desktop folder is empty,
and the Administrator\Desktop folder is empty. And
the files on the displayed Desktop have the pathname
C:\Documents and Settings\[MyUserName]\DesktopSAV-05.4.14,
in other words, the screen still displays the Desktop
that I saved a couple days ago. How can I get the screen
to display the new Desktop folder's contents and in the
same arrangement that they had on the old HD (which is
still in the system and from which files can still be copied)?


Rick Lowen

There are two 'desktops'

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Desktop

AND

C:\Documents and Settings\Username\Desktop

Any Username, when they logon to XP get by default:
1. All the 'icons' [shortcuts] shown in the All Users folder
AND
2. All the 'icons' [shortcuts] shown in the Username folder

Make sure that you copy both of the from your old to your new folders

I've been at this for a few days with no success.
I'm trying to move the Desktop from an old HD
to my new HD. I want to move the files and folders
on the Desktop (and their icon arrangement) to
the new HD without all the other files and settings
that are handled with the Transfer Wizard.
Everything has been transferred except the
Desktop. I can't do a cloning since the old HD
is partially corrupted and/or has a virus.

I have tried just copying/pasting the Desktop
folder from one HD to the other, and the files do
show up in the new Desktop folder. But they are
not displayed on the screen. It's like the screen
display comes from somewhere else besides the
Desktop folder. Copying over a few desktop.ini
files hasn't helped, either. Before I start trying
black-box utilities from the Internet, I'd like to do
just simple copy/paste. Does anyone have a
clue how Desktop works?


Rick Lowen

 

[Richard Lowen]

OK, I got the files all transferred to the screen Desktop.
I had renamed the new HD's [username]\Desktop folder
to [username]\DesktopSAV-05.4.14 to save the contents
and then created a new [username]\Desktop folder with
the files and folders taken from the [username]\Desktop
on the old HD. But the screen contents remained linked
to [username]\DesktopSAV-05.4.14 folder, not the new
[username]\Desktop folder. It was like
[username]\DesktopSAV-05.4.14 was hardlinked to the
screen regardless of what it was named.

All I did was to save the [username]\DesktopSAV-05.4.14
contents in another folder and to copy the old HD's
[username]\Desktop contents to the new HD's
[username]\DesktopSAV-05.4.14 and then to change its
name back to [username]\Desktop. Now all changes in
[username]\Desktop are reflected on the screen and vice
versa.

By the way, the folder above My Computer is Desktop, and
it seems to represent what is on the screen. I never did
find out where the icon's 2D arrangement on the screen
was recorded, but I'm guessing now that it's in the Registry.


Rick Lowen

It turns out that the All Users\Desktop folder is empty,
and the Administrator\Desktop folder is empty. And
the files on the displayed Desktop have the pathname
C:\Documents and Settings\[MyUserName]\DesktopSAV-05.4.14,
in other words, the screen still displays the Desktop
that I saved a couple days ago. How can I get the screen
to display the new Desktop folder's contents and in the
same arrangement that they had on the old HD (which is
still in the system and from which files can still be copied)?


Rick Lowen

There are two 'desktops'

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Desktop

AND

C:\Documents and Settings\Username\Desktop

Any Username, when they logon to XP get by default:
1. All the 'icons' [shortcuts] shown in the All Users folder
AND
2. All the 'icons' [shortcuts] shown in the Username folder

Make sure that you copy both of the from your old to your new folders

I've been at this for a few days with no success.
I'm trying to move the Desktop from an old HD
to my new HD. I want to move the files and folders
on the Desktop (and their icon arrangement) to
the new HD without all the other files and settings
that are handled with the Transfer Wizard.
Everything has been transferred except the
Desktop. I can't do a cloning since the old HD
is partially corrupted and/or has a virus.

I have tried just copying/pasting the Desktop
folder from one HD to the other, and the files do
show up in the new Desktop folder. But they are
not displayed on the screen. It's like the screen
display comes from somewhere else besides the
Desktop folder. Copying over a few desktop.ini
files hasn't helped, either. Before I start trying
black-box utilities from the Internet, I'd like to do
just simple copy/paste. Does anyone have a
clue how Desktop works?


Rick Lowen

 

[Guest]

So is it all working the way it should?

When one opens the 'My Computer' Icon in XP, by default one gets ones 'user'
views. All the icons are simply shortcuts to the individual users settings.

So that the 'My Documents' is actually:
C:\Documents and Settings\Username\My Documents

The 'Desktop' refers to:
C:\Documents and Settings\Username\Desktop

OK, I got the files all transferred to the screen Desktop.
I had renamed the new HD's [username]\Desktop folder
to [username]\DesktopSAV-05.4.14 to save the contents
and then created a new [username]\Desktop folder with
the files and folders taken from the [username]\Desktop
on the old HD. But the screen contents remained linked
to [username]\DesktopSAV-05.4.14 folder, not the new
[username]\Desktop folder. It was like
[username]\DesktopSAV-05.4.14 was hardlinked to the
screen regardless of what it was named.

All I did was to save the [username]\DesktopSAV-05.4.14
contents in another folder and to copy the old HD's
[username]\Desktop contents to the new HD's
[username]\DesktopSAV-05.4.14 and then to change its
name back to [username]\Desktop. Now all changes in
[username]\Desktop are reflected on the screen and vice
versa.

By the way, the folder above My Computer is Desktop, and
it seems to represent what is on the screen. I never did
find out where the icon's 2D arrangement on the screen
was recorded, but I'm guessing now that it's in the Registry.


Rick Lowen

It turns out that the All Users\Desktop folder is empty,
and the Administrator\Desktop folder is empty. And
the files on the displayed Desktop have the pathname
C:\Documents and Settings\[MyUserName]\DesktopSAV-05.4.14,
in other words, the screen still displays the Desktop
that I saved a couple days ago. How can I get the screen
to display the new Desktop folder's contents and in the
same arrangement that they had on the old HD (which is
still in the system and from which files can still be copied)?


Rick Lowen

There are two 'desktops'

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Desktop

AND

C:\Documents and Settings\Username\Desktop

Any Username, when they logon to XP get by default:
1. All the 'icons' [shortcuts] shown in the All Users folder
AND
2. All the 'icons' [shortcuts] shown in the Username folder

Make sure that you copy both of the from your old to your new folders


:

I've been at this for a few days with no success.
I'm trying to move the Desktop from an old HD
to my new HD. I want to move the files and folders
on the Desktop (and their icon arrangement) to
the new HD without all the other files and settings
that are handled with the Transfer Wizard.
Everything has been transferred except the
Desktop. I can't do a cloning since the old HD
is partially corrupted and/or has a virus.

I have tried just copying/pasting the Desktop
folder from one HD to the other, and the files do
show up in the new Desktop folder. But they are
not displayed on the screen. It's like the screen
display comes from somewhere else besides the
Desktop folder. Copying over a few desktop.ini
files hasn't helped, either. Before I start trying
black-box utilities from the Internet, I'd like to do
just simple copy/paste. Does anyone have a
clue how Desktop works?


Rick Lowen

 

[Richard Lowen]

So is it all working the way it should?

Let's say it's working like it did on the old HD and
as I wanted it to work. Who knows how it *should*
work?

When one opens the 'My Computer' Icon in XP,
by default one gets ones 'user' views. All the icons
are simply shortcuts to the individual users settings.

So that the 'My Documents' is actually:
C:\Documents and Settings\Username\My Documents

The 'Desktop' refers to:
C:\Documents and Settings\Username\Desktop

That seems to be the case... until one renames
the Username\Desktop folder. Then the Desktop
continues to point to the same folder, regardless
of what the folder's new name is.

Rick Lowen

OK, I got the files all transferred to the screen Desktop.
I had renamed the new HD's [username]\Desktop folder
to [username]\DesktopSAV-05.4.14 to save the contents
and then created a new [username]\Desktop folder with
the files and folders taken from the [username]\Desktop
on the old HD. But the screen contents remained linked
to [username]\DesktopSAV-05.4.14 folder, not the new
[username]\Desktop folder. It was like
[username]\DesktopSAV-05.4.14 was hardlinked to the
screen regardless of what it was named.

All I did was to save the [username]\DesktopSAV-05.4.14
contents in another folder and to copy the old HD's
[username]\Desktop contents to the new HD's
[username]\DesktopSAV-05.4.14 and then to change its
name back to [username]\Desktop. Now all changes in
[username]\Desktop are reflected on the screen and vice
versa.

By the way, the folder above My Computer is Desktop, and
it seems to represent what is on the screen. I never did
find out where the icon's 2D arrangement on the screen
was recorded, but I'm guessing now that it's in the Registry.


Rick Lowen

It turns out that the All Users\Desktop folder is empty,
and the Administrator\Desktop folder is empty. And
the files on the displayed Desktop have the pathname
C:\Documents and Settings\[MyUserName]\DesktopSAV-05.4.14,
in other words, the screen still displays the Desktop
that I saved a couple days ago. How can I get the screen
to display the new Desktop folder's contents and in the
same arrangement that they had on the old HD (which is
still in the system and from which files can still be copied)?


Rick Lowen

:
There are two 'desktops'

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Desktop

AND

C:\Documents and Settings\Username\Desktop

Any Username, when they logon to XP get by default:
1. All the 'icons' [shortcuts] shown in the All Users folder
AND
2. All the 'icons' [shortcuts] shown in the Username folder

Make sure that you copy both of the from your old to your new folders


:

I've been at this for a few days with no success.
I'm trying to move the Desktop from an old HD
to my new HD. I want to move the files and folders
on the Desktop (and their icon arrangement) to
the new HD without all the other files and settings
that are handled with the Transfer Wizard.
Everything has been transferred except the
Desktop. I can't do a cloning since the old HD
is partially corrupted and/or has a virus.

I have tried just copying/pasting the Desktop
folder from one HD to the other, and the files do
show up in the new Desktop folder. But they are
not displayed on the screen. It's like the screen
display comes from somewhere else besides the
Desktop folder. Copying over a few desktop.ini
files hasn't helped, either. Before I start trying
black-box utilities from the Internet, I'd like to do
just simple copy/paste. Does anyone have a
clue how Desktop works?


Rick Lowen