Moving hidden system folders from the Vista command prompt?

[Christian]

Hi everyone.

I had some problems with Vista Ultimate and re-installed the OS. It
was afterwards that I realized a tv card was the source of all
problems. I removed it, and now I want to reset my computer.
Basically, by renaming the relevant new Windows folders and replacing
them by those from the "C:\Windows.old" folder Vista setup had
created.

However, moving or renaming some of these folders doesn't work.
I've booted from Vista's DVD, entered the recovery menue and started
the command prompt (Repair your computer > System Recovery Options >
Command Prompt).

There, I've switched three folders, like this:

MOVE /-Y "Program Files" "Program Files.new"
MOVE /-Y "Windows.old\Program Files" "Program Files"
MOVE /-Y "Program Files (x86)" "Program Files (x86).new"
MOVE /-Y "Windows.old\Program Files (x86)" "Program Files (x86)"
MOVE /-Y "Windows" "Windows.new"
MOVE /-Y "Windows.old\Windows" "Windows"

This all worked fine.

Then, I changed into the Windows.old directory to check I got all
files:

cd Windows.old
dir /AH /X /P

I then realized there were another three hidden folders,
"$RecycleBin", "Documents and Settings [C:\Users]" and
"ProgramData".
However, changing back to the root

cd..

and then trying to move the corresponding files there failed:

MOVE /-Y "ProgramData" "ProgramData.new" as well as
RENAME "ProgramData" "ProgramData.new" and
MOVE /-Y "C:\Windows.old\ProgramData" "C:\ProgramData"

both returned
"The system cannot find the file specified."

However, listing all files and folders in the root clearly shows it is
there:

dir /AH /X /P

lists the files. I then tried to move them using their 8.3 name:

MOVE /-Y PROGRA~3 "ProgramData.new"

No luck, either.

Any idea how to move those hidden files from the Vista command prompt?

Thanks in advance.

Kind regards,

Christian

P.S.: Another problem I have is that the start menu lists all program
folders but no files/shortcuts in them. Any idea as to why?

 

[Andrew McLaren]

I had some problems with Vista Ultimate and re-installed the OS. It
was afterwards that I realized a tv card was the source of all
problems. I removed it, and now I want to reset my computer.
Basically, by renaming the relevant new Windows folders and replacing
them by those from the "C:\Windows.old" folder Vista setup had
created.
P.S.: Another problem I have is that the start menu lists all program
folders but no files/shortcuts in them. Any idea as to why?

Hi Christian,

Unfortunately, this is an extremely unreliable way to get back to your old
Vista installation. For a start, in Vista many of the system "directories"
are in fact junction points - like soft links, in Unix. You can't just copy
them back and forth, without carefully noting where they point to.

By far the most reliable way to get a stable Vista configuration again, will
be to back up your user data to a safe location, then do a clean install of
Vista from scratch.

The idea of the "Windows.old" directory is to make sure that no valuable
files are deleted during the upgrade process; but it doesn't really give you
a copy of the old installation which can be easily restored back into a
working installation again.

The reason you don't see any icons in the Start menu is probably that
"C:\Users\All Users\Start menu" is a actually junction to
"C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu". Until you get C:\ProgramData
back in action, the Start menu won't work. This is just the first of many
issues you may encounter, with the procedure you are currently trying.

If you want to keep hacking at restoring the old installation out of
curiosity, or sheer stubbornness, than by all means - go for it! You'll
probably discover many things about the inner-working of Windows. But if you
just want to get a reliable Vista system up and running, then a clean
re-install will be the quickest and most reliable solution.

Good luck,

 

[Christian]

Hi Andrew ,

Thanks for your reply. I did what you suggested and made a clean
install. It's now working fine again.

Kind regards,

Christian

 

[Andrew McLaren]

Thanks for your reply. I did what you suggested and made a clean
install. It's now working fine again.

Hi Christian

Thanks for letting me know ... it's always good, to hear how things work
out. I'm glad you're back in operation!

Best regards,