My Documents- Can see the folders but cannot see the files

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msgtech

I cannot view the files stored in My Documents. Help !

Background - I am currently in the process of rebuilding my Dell 8300.
Just reformatted the drive, and reinstalled Win XP Home Edition Sp2.
All went perfect, I have a backup drive with all my data, I copied that
over as well- no problems. Last night I randomly checked an Access MDB
file, my outlook pst files, some favourites etc. All was perfect. Later
last night I ran some automated windows updates..

This morning, all my files under My Documents are not visible to me. I
can see every folder, but no files (with one or two exceptions - those
exceptions are PRECISELY the one or two files I worked on last night!!
..

For example, if I right click on Documents and Settings I see it has
9.9 GB in 11,800 files in 4295 directories..which looks like the right
numbers. . If I drill down further I have a Guest account and my main
Dad account. Under Guest, I see all the files. Under Dad, it tells me I
have 5280 files in 2600 folders, and I can see those folders, but no
files - well, actually the only files I see are the ones I happen to
work on last night!!.. the one Access file, the one PST file, and my
Favourites !!! Very strange. Its as if all other files suddenly became
hidden to me.

Dad is Administrator so he should see everything. Dads account is
private, so I changed it not private. No diff.

I created a System Restore point ( several) during my session last
night, so I restored the system back to prior the Windows Updates...no
difference. Still cannot see my files.

As if that is not weird enough. when I go to my backup drive, under My
Documents, I see the same behaviour, under Dad. No files. This I
don't undertand at all. But even there it tells me I have thousands
of files - it just wont let me see them.

I jumped to a DOS prompt...same thing.

I checked Tools/Folder Options and it looks correct.

I created a new user account with admin rights...I still cannot see my
files.

So, I KNOW my backup worked as I saw all the files being coiped and
used some of them last night ; I KNOW there are 11,800 files in 4295
directories as it tells me this on both the main and backup drives....
I can see the directories but not the files. HELP!!

Worst case I have a month-old DVD backup on thre DVDs ( at least I
think I do!!!), but I am hopeful some setting will allow me to view the
files.

Would very much appreaciate any and all tips on this one !!

SG
 
You stated that you reformatted and reinstalled Windows XP.
I assumed then, you re-created the Dad account on the new Windows XP.

That Dad Account and the old Dad account are not the same. You just cannot
assume, by copying some files from the old Dad Account from the backup to
the new Dad account under Documents and Settings, that you will be able to
see them.

You have to take ownership of the files under the new Dad Account.

You need to search Google for Take ownership of files under Windows XP Home.
Under Windows XP Pro, it would be simple. I'm not knowledgeable on Home
Edition.

Maybe someone else can point you in the right direction.
 
....ahhhh...but I DID copy them to the new Dad folder and I DID have
control over them. I used them last night, I used my email, updated a
database etc.

It was only the next morning ( after WIndows updating), that suddenly I
could not see any files (jsut folders)...and more curious that the only
one I could see were the ones I touched the night before....and still
more curious, that the same behaviour now existed in the backup drive.

You are likely correct in that it must be somehow ownership related.
 
Have you tried:


cd /
dir /a /s <KnownFileName>

from a Command Prompt window?

try it from the root of every drive.
 
I cannot view the files stored in My Documents. Help !

Background - I am currently in the process of rebuilding my Dell 8300.
Just reformatted the drive, and reinstalled Win XP Home Edition Sp2.
All went perfect, I have a backup drive with all my data, I copied that
over as well- no problems. Last night I randomly checked an Access MDB
file, my outlook pst files, some favourites etc. All was perfect. Later
last night I ran some automated windows updates..

This morning, all my files under My Documents are not visible to me. I
can see every folder, but no files (with one or two exceptions - those
exceptions are PRECISELY the one or two files I worked on last night!!
.

For example, if I right click on Documents and Settings I see it has
9.9 GB in 11,800 files in 4295 directories..which looks like the right
numbers. . If I drill down further I have a Guest account and my main
Dad account. Under Guest, I see all the files. Under Dad, it tells me I
have 5280 files in 2600 folders, and I can see those folders, but no
files - well, actually the only files I see are the ones I happen to
work on last night!!.. the one Access file, the one PST file, and my
Favourites !!! Very strange. Its as if all other files suddenly became
hidden to me.

Dad is Administrator so he should see everything. Dads account is
private, so I changed it not private. No diff.

I created a System Restore point ( several) during my session last
night, so I restored the system back to prior the Windows Updates...no
difference. Still cannot see my files.

As if that is not weird enough. when I go to my backup drive, under My
Documents, I see the same behaviour, under Dad. No files. This I
don't undertand at all. But even there it tells me I have thousands
of files - it just wont let me see them.

I jumped to a DOS prompt...same thing.

I checked Tools/Folder Options and it looks correct.

I created a new user account with admin rights...I still cannot see my
files.

So, I KNOW my backup worked as I saw all the files being coiped and
used some of them last night ; I KNOW there are 11,800 files in 4295
directories as it tells me this on both the main and backup drives....
I can see the directories but not the files. HELP!!

Worst case I have a month-old DVD backup on thre DVDs ( at least I
think I do!!!), but I am hopeful some setting will allow me to view the
files.

Would very much appreaciate any and all tips on this one !!

SG
Click to expand...

I recommend you to use a Free Registry cleaner which remove corrupt
entries in your Registry data. Start with RegClean v4.1a - if it not
fixes the problem, try using EasyCleaner.

Registry errors are a common cause to problems when you are using
Windows Explorer or Internet Explorer.

If you have used RegClean and EasyCleaner and none of these fix the
problem, please scan your computer for possible malware infections. Try
Ad-Aware SE, Microsoft AntiSpyware or Webroot SpySweeper.
 
I cannot view the files stored in My Documents. Help !

Background - I am currently in the process of rebuilding my Dell 8300.
Just reformatted the drive, and reinstalled Win XP Home Edition Sp2.
All went perfect, I have a backup drive with all my data, I copied that
over as well- no problems. Last night I randomly checked an Access MDB
file, my outlook pst files, some favourites etc. All was perfect. Later
last night I ran some automated windows updates..

This morning, all my files under My Documents are not visible to me. I
can see every folder, but no files (with one or two exceptions - those
exceptions are PRECISELY the one or two files I worked on last night!!
.

For example, if I right click on Documents and Settings I see it has
9.9 GB in 11,800 files in 4295 directories..which looks like the right
numbers. . If I drill down further I have a Guest account and my main
Dad account. Under Guest, I see all the files. Under Dad, it tells me I
have 5280 files in 2600 folders, and I can see those folders, but no
files - well, actually the only files I see are the ones I happen to
work on last night!!.. the one Access file, the one PST file, and my
Favourites !!! Very strange. Its as if all other files suddenly became
hidden to me.

Dad is Administrator so he should see everything. Dads account is
private, so I changed it not private. No diff.

I created a System Restore point ( several) during my session last
night, so I restored the system back to prior the Windows Updates...no
difference. Still cannot see my files.

As if that is not weird enough. when I go to my backup drive, under My
Documents, I see the same behaviour, under Dad. No files. This I
don't undertand at all. But even there it tells me I have thousands
of files - it just wont let me see them.

I jumped to a DOS prompt...same thing.

I checked Tools/Folder Options and it looks correct.

I created a new user account with admin rights...I still cannot see my
files.

So, I KNOW my backup worked as I saw all the files being coiped and
used some of them last night ; I KNOW there are 11,800 files in 4295
directories as it tells me this on both the main and backup drives....
I can see the directories but not the files. HELP!!

Worst case I have a month-old DVD backup on thre DVDs ( at least I
think I do!!!), but I am hopeful some setting will allow me to view the
files.

Would very much appreaciate any and all tips on this one !!

SG
Click to expand...

I recommend you to use a Free Registry cleaner which remove corrupt
entries in your Registry data. Start with RegClean v4.1a - if it not
fixes the problem, try using EasyCleaner.

Registry errors are a common cause to problems when you are using
Windows Explorer or Internet Explorer.

If you have used RegClean and EasyCleaner and none of these fix the
problem, please scan your computer for possible malware infections. Try
Ad-Aware SE, Microsoft AntiSpyware or Webroot SpySweeper.
 
pakp said:
I recommend you to use a Free Registry cleaner which remove corrupt
entries in your Registry data. Start with RegClean v4.1a - if it not
fixes the problem, try using EasyCleaner.

Registry errors are a common cause to problems when you are using
Windows Explorer or Internet Explorer.

If you have used RegClean and EasyCleaner and none of these fix the
problem, please scan your computer for possible malware infections. Try
Ad-Aware SE, Microsoft AntiSpyware or Webroot SpySweeper.
Click to expand...


Registry cleaners cause more problems then they solve. They may have some
usefulness for someone who knows what they are doing and are not run in auto
repair mode but as an indicator of possible problems which the knowledgeable
op then assesses and takes appropriate action. But otherwise they should be
avoided.
 
I cannot view the files stored in My Documents. Help !

So, I KNOW my backup worked as I saw all the files being coiped and
used some of them last night ; I KNOW there are 11,800 files in 4295
directories as it tells me this on both the main and backup drives....
I can see the directories but not the files. HELP!!
Click to expand...

If I've read correctly in the past, there has always been problems with
overloading special folders, like the My Documents folder. Because of
this, I wonder if storing the files and subfolders in other folders
would help.. not all of them, but surely many are archives that aren't
accessed enough that they need to be stored in the My Documents folder.

Just a thought..
 
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