wow - that explains a few anomalies I've noticed over time. There is
C:\Documents and Settings\Stephen\Start Menu etc when I navigate there.
It's been a long day (11:00pm LA) so I'll try it in the morning.
There are 18 lines but I'm being dumb, so want to check with you -
1st line is: Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
There are 2 blank lines after "Stephen"="C:\\Documents and
Settings\\Stephen\\My Documents"
:
OK. I see where the problem is. You're registry paths differs from a standard install in that there is no Start Menu folder in your userprofile directory. i.e.
Under HKCU\...\Shell Folders:
"Start Menu REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Stephen"
"Programs REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Stephen\Programs"
"Startup REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Stephen\Programs\Startup"
should be:
"C:\Documents and Settings\Stephen\Start Menu"
"C:\Documents and Settings\Stephen\Start Menu\Programs"
"C:\Documents and Settings\Stephen\Start Menu\Programs\Startup"
and the corresponding entries under HKCU\...\User Shell Folders should be:
"%USERPROFILE%\Start Menu"
"%USERPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs"
"%USERPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs\Startup"
The fact that your entire userprofile directory ("C:\Documents and Settings\Stephen") is designated as your Start Menu folder makes Windows think that your My Documents folder is a subfolder of your Start Menu, and therefore a system folder that the My Documents SHORTCUT should not be pointing to.
You should:
1) Create the Start Menu folder in your userprofile if it doesn't already exist.
2) Merge the reg file I'm going to give you.
3) Reboot.
4) Move the "Programs" folder from your userprofile into the "Start Menu" folder.
Cut and paste everything between the dotted lines into notepad. Watch out for line wrapping. With 'Word Wrap' turned off and the status bar displayed, the file should be 18 lines long, including the blanks at the end.
Save the file as pathfix.reg. Then right-click the saved file and select 'merge'. Then continue with the above instructions. Assuming the account is still named "Stephen", this file will fix the My Computer shortcut as well.
----------------------------------------------------------
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders]
"Programs"=hex(2):25,00,55,00,53,00,45,00,52,00,50,00,52,00,4f,00,46,00,49,00,\
4c,00,45,00,25,00,5c,00,53,00,74,00,61,00,72,00,74,00,20,00,4d,00,65,00,6e,\
00,75,00,5c,00,50,00,72,00,6f,00,67,00,72,00,61,00,6d,00,73,00,00,00
"Start Menu"=hex(2):25,00,55,00,53,00,45,00,52,00,50,00,52,00,4f,00,46,00,49,\
00,4c,00,45,00,25,00,5c,00,53,00,74,00,61,00,72,00,74,00,20,00,4d,00,65,00,\
6e,00,75,00,00,00
"Startup"=hex(2):25,00,55,00,53,00,45,00,52,00,50,00,52,00,4f,00,46,00,49,00,\
4c,00,45,00,25,00,5c,00,53,00,74,00,61,00,72,00,74,00,20,00,4d,00,65,00,6e,\
00,75,00,5c,00,50,00,72,00,6f,00,67,00,72,00,61,00,6d,00,73,00,5c,00,53,00,\
74,00,61,00,72,00,74,00,75,00,70,00,00,00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\DocFolderPaths]
"Stephen"="C:\\Documents and Settings\\Stephen\\My Documents"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Good Luck,
Keith
Thanks for all this - I'm guessing this is quite an intellectual challenge.
If you are getting fed up I'll understand.
In the meantime I used a tweaker program Tweak Manager to get My Documents
folder back working as before The "phantom" My Documents folder is still
displayed in My Computer but it shortcuts to a blank folder (the wrong one of
course)
Here is the result you asked for.
ALLUSERSPROFILE=C:\Documents and Settings\All Users
APPDATA=C:\Documents and Settings\Stephen\Application Data
ArmServerInfo=0003050A
CLIENTNAME=Console
CommonProgramFiles=C:\Program Files\Common Files
COMPUTERNAME=YOUR-OO
ComSpec=C:\WINDOWS\system32\cmd.exe
FP_NO_HOST_CHECK=NO
HOMEDRIVE=C:
HOMEPATH=\Documents and Settings\Stephen
LOGONSERVER=\\YOUR-OO
NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS=2
OS=Windows_NT
Path=C:\WINDOWS\system32;C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\system32\WBEM;c:\Python22;C:\Program Files\PC-Doctor for
Windows\services;C:\PROGRA~1\COMMON~1\Odbc\FILEMA~1;C:\PROGRA~1\PAPERM~1;C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\80\Tools\Binn\;;"C:\Program Files\Zone
Labs\ZoneAlarm\MailFrontier";"C:\Program Files\Zone
Labs\ZoneAlarm\MailFrontier"
PATHEXT=.COM;.EXE;.BAT;.CMD;.VBS;.VBE;.JS;.JSE;.WSF;.WSH
PCToolsDir=C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start
Menu\Programs\Hewlett-Packard\HP Pavilion PC Tools
PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE=x86
PROCESSOR_IDENTIFIER=x86 Family 15 Model 2 Stepping 9, GenuineIntel
PROCESSOR_LEVEL=15
PROCESSOR_REVISION=0209
ProgramFiles=C:\Program Files
PROMPT=$P$G
SESSIONNAME=Console
SystemDrive=C:
SystemRoot=C:\WINDOWS
TEMP=C:\DOCUME~1\Stephen\LOCALS~1\Temp
TMP=C:\DOCUME~1\Stephen\LOCALS~1\Temp
tvdumpflags=8
USERDOMAIN=YOUR-OO
USERNAME=Stephen
USERPROFILE=C:\Documents and Settings\Stephen
windir=C:\WINDOWS
! REG.EXE VERSION 3.0
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\explorer\user
shell folders
AppData REG_EXPAND_SZ %USERPROFILE%\Application Data
Desktop REG_EXPAND_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Stephen\Desktop
Favorites REG_EXPAND_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Stephen\Favorites
NetHood REG_EXPAND_SZ %USERPROFILE%\NetHood
Personal REG_EXPAND_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Stephen\My Documents
PrintHood REG_EXPAND_SZ %USERPROFILE%\PrintHood
Programs REG_EXPAND_SZ %USERPROFILE%\Programs
SendTo REG_EXPAND_SZ %USERPROFILE%\SendTo
Start Menu REG_EXPAND_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Stephen
Startup REG_EXPAND_SZ %USERPROFILE%\Programs\Startup
Templates REG_EXPAND_SZ %USERPROFILE%\Templates
Local Settings REG_EXPAND_SZ %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings
Local AppData REG_EXPAND_SZ %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data
<NO NAME> REG_SZ
Cache REG_EXPAND_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Stephen\Local
Settings\Temporary Internet Files
Cookies REG_EXPAND_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Stephen\Cookies
History REG_EXPAND_SZ %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\History
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\explorer\user
shell folders\New
! REG.EXE VERSION 3.0
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\explorer\shell
folders
AppData REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Stephen\Application Data
Cookies REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Stephen\Cookies
Desktop REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Stephen\Desktop
Favorites REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Stephen\Favorites
NetHood REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Stephen\NetHood
Personal REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Stephen\My Documents
PrintHood REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Stephen\PrintHood
Recent REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Stephen\Recent
SendTo REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Stephen\SendTo
Start Menu REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Stephen
Templates REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Stephen\Templates
Programs REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Stephen\Programs
Startup REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Stephen\Programs\Startup
Local Settings REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Stephen\Local Settings
Local AppData REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Stephen\Local
Settings\Application Data
Cache REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Stephen\Local Settings\Temporary
Internet Files
History REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Stephen\Local Settings\History
My Pictures REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Stephen\My Documents\My
Pictures
Fonts REG_SZ C:\WINDOWS\Fonts
My Music REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Stephen\My Documents\My Music
Administrative Tools REG_SZ
CD Burning REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Stephen\Local
Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\CD Burning
My Video REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Stephen\My Documents\My Videos
:
OK. I've managed to replicate this behavior. It will happen if one of the other shell folder is also pointing to this folder. It's the reason the 'OK' button is grayed out when you select your desktop or start menu folder.
We need to take a look at what the folders are set to, so please open a command prompt and type the following:
1) cd\<enter>
2) set>paths.txt<enter>
3) reg query "hkcu\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\explorer\user shell folders">>paths.txt
4) reg query "hkcu\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\explorer\shell folders">>paths.txt
There should now be a file named "paths.txt" in the root directory of your C: drive. Please copy & paste the text of that file into a reply to this message.
Keith
I should mention I'm using XP Professional
Tried restore plus entering the path manually - same message. When I try to
navigate to the Doc & Settings\My Documents folder it greys out the OK button.
On the original step you asked me to follow, I chose to create a new folder
(which is now the default My Documents folder and empty, as I chose not to
move the files. Can't even delete it as it is now a system folder.
:
Does the "Restore Default" button do the trick?
Keith
I'm getting this message
"the target you specified cannot be used as a documents folder".
Yet it points to C:\Documents & Settings\User Name\My Documents
:
That's why the last line of instruction was:
Repeat the above process, pointing the folder back to its original location.
So use the move function again, this time selecting Docs and Settings\My Documents.
Keith
Almost works. It created the folder on My Computer but My Documents on
Desktop and the side bar in Windows Explorer shows no files. They are there
in Docs and Settings/My Documents. Obviously haven't got the link back.
:
If you don't want to edit the registry, the following will usually do the trick.
Log is as User 2
Right-click the My Documents icon on the desktop & select 'Properties'
On the 'Target' tab, select 'Move'
Point it to any folder, doesn't matter what.
Select 'No' when prompted to move the files within the folder.
Repeat the above process, pointing the folder back to its original location.
Keith
I'm sure it will work but I'm too chicken to fiddle with the registry. Can't
understand how it disappeared. Was hoping for an easier tweak.
thanks anyway.
:
Shared Documents Folders Are Missing From My Computer
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;319825
Read all of it, there is a WORKAROUND.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Explorer\DocFolderPaths
Value Name: Your Name
Data Type: REG_SZ
Value Data: C:\Documents and Settings\Your Name Here\My Documents
--
Hope this helps. Let us know.
Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User
In Stephen S <
[email protected]> hunted and pecked:
I have 2 users.
My Computer - Files Stored on This Computer show:-
a. for User 1
Shared Documents and User 1 Documents
b. for User 2
Shared Documents and User 1 Documents (no User 2)
I used to be able to see all user document folders.
This problem developed in XP Home. Upgraded to Pro today hoping to fix it
among other things but I guess it carried over the settings
