Windows 7 File locating

Pistolification · May 4, 2012

Please help.

I come home today to go on my computer, my sister was already logged into her profile so i go to log into mine. When i do i see Prepareing Desktop, it logs in and my desktop is fully reset, ealier on my mother was on i believe she mustve done this because she doesnt know much about computers. Anyway i go into My computer>Users>Me>Desktop and i see all my stuff, i proceed to go onto my profile and cut and paste that to a folder on the desktop. After that i restart my computer and everything is back to normal but the folder that i put isnt there, the one with my desktop in it. Is this folder gone forever or could it be located somewhere? I had alot of important things in it My computer>Users>Me>Desktop its empty.

MikeHawthorne · May 4, 2012

Mike

I really can't say for sure, since I don't really know what happened.
When you say that the Desktop was reset that sounds like a new User ID was created.
If you created the folder in that ID and then booted back into your old ID the folder wouldn't show.

I used to make a new User ID set to start clean with nothing loaded but the basics, when reinstalling Windows XP because it gave me a clean install without overwriting or picking up anything from my old User ID. My old stuff was still available but didn't show in my new install unless I went to my old ID.

The only thing I can think of is that the User ID was mixed up some how so that the folder doesn't show when you log in.

Since a search for one of the files in it should...

patcooke · May 4, 2012

Easy way would be to run a search on "my Computer" for the name of one of the files which you know was there.

Saltgrass · May 4, 2012

Not sure exactly what you are attempting to do, but the following link might help. Make note of the following instruction:

Log on as a user other than the new user you just created or the user that you want to copy files from.

Fix a corrupted user profile

I have not tried what you have done, but was just wondering if somehow you have created a nested user profile and you are actually in the folder you copied.

Other than that, all you can do is search for the folder after having enabled show hidden files and folders and unhide the protected system files, as shown in the link.. Make sure the search starts on the C: partition.

patcooke · May 4, 2012

It's also a useful prompt to maybe start thinking about making backup copies of important files

MikeHawthorne · May 4, 2012

Hi

If you want to do the file search thing as patcook suggested use Agent Ransack.
It's a much better search utility.

Agent Ransack - Download.com

The desktop is tied to the user as you know, any chance the user ID you created the desktop file on is different then the one you are booting into now?

Losing files is the worst thing that can happen on a computer.

That's why I never cut and paste anything.
I always copy and paste, and then at a later time, once I'm sure my data is available in the new location delete the old one.
It hasn't happened in a long time but in the past, I have copied and pasted had the process fail and my files vanish.

And never have anything important in only one place on your computer that's why I have two hard drives.
Better yet backup everything important to an external hard drive as well.

You don't have to use fancy backup software, just copy the things you can't afford to lose to a secure location.

I learned the hard way too, now I'm a backup fanatic.

Mike

Pistolification · May 4, 2012

patcooke said:
Easy way would be to run a search on "my Computer" for the name of one of the files which you know was there.

I searched it seems, nothing has come up. Would the files be gone forever? or would i be able to get them back?

MikeHawthorne · May 4, 2012

Mike

I really can't say for sure, since I don't really know what happened.
When you say that the Desktop was reset that sounds like a new User ID was created.
If you created the folder in that ID and then booted back into your old ID the folder wouldn't show.

I used to make a new User ID set to start clean with nothing loaded but the basics, when reinstalling Windows XP because it gave me a clean install without overwriting or picking up anything from my old User ID. My old stuff was still available but didn't show in my new install unless I went to my old ID.

The only thing I can think of is that the User ID was mixed up some how so that the folder doesn't show when you log in.

Since a search for one of the files in it should show where it is if it's on your computer I can only guess that somehow it's either hidden or gone for good.

The only thing I can suggest it go to the users folder, (C:\users), and look in any profile folders that appear there for the desktop folders for those accounts.

I'm the only user on my computer but there are still 4 different users shown there, Administrator, Default, Mike, and Public.
If you have other users there will be more.

Maybe you will get lucky and find your folder in one of those.

The Administrator folder, doesn't like to let me look in it but when I insisted it let me in.

It has one folder in it that I don't even remember creating but I must have created it when I was logged in as Administrator at some time and then forgotten about it.

Good luck.

Mike

Windows 7 File locating

Pistolification

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MikeHawthorne

patcooke

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Saltgrass

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patcooke

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MikeHawthorne

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Pistolification

New Member

MikeHawthorne

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