Windows 8 Things in wrong places

[PattiChati]

This happened to me once before on my old computer and i don't know what I did to cause it then and still don't today. I have a new laptop and once again, things are in wrong places. ex: in the picture files are my downloaded files. In my download file there are only 5 items. If I try to put my downloads from my picture files into my download file, that file disappears off my desktop.
i guess it doesn't make a lot of difference except when I have to find something it is going to prove quite difficult. My document file is also in my picture file and if I try to move that, I lose all my documents.
I didn't have this on the new computer until a week or so ago. I have run all my malware and virus software, and have no issues.
Just don't understand how and why that happens. I am the type of person that likes everything organized and this drives me nuts. I am afraid to do anything to fix it for fear i will lose stuff. I have yet to empty my recycle bin because I have had to go in there to retrieve some of this stuff.
Thought I would add a picture as to what my files look like and if that is why documents and downloads are in the wrong places.
Frustrating!!!

 

[davidhk129]

Would you please explain what are those Pictures (C : ), and Folders 2 (C : )?
Did you create them?
Did you name them that way?

Suggestion only :
" I didn't have this on the new computer until a week or so ago."............
Do a system restore. Pick a date PRIOR to " a week or so ago" as your restore point. Make sure you pick a date when you did not have this problem as your restore point.
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/using-windows-vista-system-restore/

 

[Saltgrass]

Do you have the option to right click and "Remove From Libraries"? Doing that should not delete anything, just the link to the folders.

Are you doing anything yourself to change around the Favorites or Libraries folders, or have any software that might? Are you importing files from another install?

 

[PattiChati]

Would you please explain what are those Pictures (C : ), and Folders 2 (C : )?
Did you create them?
Did you name them that way?

Suggestion only :
" I didn't have this on the new computer until a week or so ago."............
Do a system restore. Pick a date PRIOR to " a week or so ago" as your restore point. Make sure you pick a date when you did not have this problem as your restore point.
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/using-windows-vista-system-restore/

Picture C and Folder 2 are empty.
i don't want to do a system restore because it is on a backup hard drive and I don't know how to do it and it isn't worth it for this problem. Windows 8 doesn't have its on backup and restore like windows 7 did, I wish they did, then I could just use that.

 

[PattiChati]

Do you have the option to right click and "Remove From Libraries"? Doing that should not delete anything, just the link to the folders.

Are you doing anything yourself to change around the Favorites or Libraries folders, or have any software that might? Are you importing files from another install?

Yes, I can right click and remove. I am not doing anything to create those files. Many months ago I didn't have a desktop folder, so one of the techs helped me create one. I don't know how the first one got lost. Also, my download folder only has 6 things in it, which I know isn't right. I wonder where all those downloads are>

 

[PattiChati]

Do you have the option to right click and "Remove From Libraries"? Doing that should not delete anything, just the link to the folders.

Are you doing anything yourself to change around the Favorites or Libraries folders, or have any software that might? Are you importing files from another install?

I hate that this is happening to my computer. I spent so much money getting it set up right. I wonder if this is that important to start messing around with?????

 

[Jimbo22]

This might help....

 

[PattiChati]

Thanks, but that is for Windows 7.

 

[Saltgrass]

The Windows 7 Backup and Restore utility is still in Windows 8. I use it to create my backup images. It is going away in 8.1 in a couple of weeks.

Most things that work in Windows 7 will work in Windows 8. It is basically the same OS.

Do a search on your system for a Downloads folder and see if you can find more than one. If you had previously lost your Desktop folder, something is messing with your system.

 

[PattiChati]

I have two download folders and they both contain the same thing. You know when you download something at the bottom right it will say download complete - if I click on there there is a bunch of downoads.
But I don't know how to find that list. I just assumed it would be in the download folder.

 

[PattiChati]

The Windows 7 Backup and Restore utility is still in Windows 8. I use it to create my backup images. It is going away in 8.1 in a couple of weeks.

Most things that work in Windows 7 will work in Windows 8. It is basically the same OS.

Do a search on your system for a Downloads folder and see if you can find more than one. If you had previously lost your Desktop folder, something is messing with your system.

I don't have a backup and restore on my windows 8, I looked for it before.
Give me something safe to download and i will try to find the downloads where the downloads are located that way

 

[Jimbo22]

Thanks, but that is for Windows 7.

It should be the same or very similar in 8.

 

[Jimbo22]

It should be the same or very similar in 8.

Yep it's exactly the same, just checked my windows 8 machine, although it has a few more features added to that menu...but the procedure is still the same.

 

[Saltgrass]

On my system, I show Four references to "Downloads" in my User folder.

C: \Users\MyUser
C: \Users\MyUser\Recent
C: \Users\MyUser\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent
I added a space so I would not get a smiley.

The other one is a shortcut to the downloads folder in the C: \Users\MyUser\Links that seems to have links to the normal favorites folders. I am not sure if the referenced video went through this, but if you right click on Favorites, you will get an option to restore the Favorites links.

I have seen another situation concerning out of place folders, but it was worse than yours. If I remember, it was related to your user profile or user folder having some incorrect links and were actually creating mirror images of some folders.

Some time in the future, if you can't get it worked out, you might use a procedure to repair your user profile.


Just in case, a picture...

 

[PattiChati]

Yep it's exactly the same, just checked my windows 8 machine, although it has a few more features added to that menu...but the procedure is still the same.

Where is it and what is it called? I do plan on getting the 8.1 upgrade, so I don't know if that is a mute point anyway.

 

[PattiChati]

On my system, I show Four references to "Downloads" in my User folder.

C: \Users\MyUser
C: \Users\MyUser\Recent
C: \Users\MyUser\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent
I added a space so I would not get a smiley.

The other one is a shortcut to the downloads folder in the C: \Users\MyUser\Links that seems to have links to the normal favorites folders. I am not sure if the referenced video went through this, but if you right click on Favorites, you will get an option to restore the Favorites links.

I have seen another situation concerning out of place folders, but it was worse than yours. If I remember, it was related to your user profile or user folder having some incorrect links and were actually creating mirror images of some folders.

Some time in the future, if you can't get it worked out, you might use a procedure to repair your user profile.


Just in case, a picture...

On all your above references it said file could not be found. Was i supposed to insert my name for user?

On my system, I show Four references to "Downloads" in my User folder.

On all your above references it said file could not be found. Should I have inserted my name in there somewhere/

C: \Users\MyUser
C: \Users\MyUser\Recent
C: \Users\MyUser\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent
I added a space so I would not get a smiley.

The other one is a shortcut to the downloads folder in the C: \Users\MyUser\Links that seems to have links to the normal favorites folders. I am not sure if the referenced video went through this, but if you right click on Favorites, you will get an option to restore the Favorites links.

I have seen another situation concerning out of place folders, but it was worse than yours. If I remember, it was related to your user profile or user folder having some incorrect links and were actually creating mirror images of some folders.

Some time in the future, if you can't get it worked out, you might use a procedure to repair your user profile.


Just in case, a picture...

 

[Saltgrass]

Yes, use your user and remove the space after the colon if you are copying and pasting.

In Explorer, there is also a right click option to "Open Folder Location". So if you select the Download folder in your pictures folder in libraries, you should be able to open that location and see the path.

 

[PattiChati]

Yes, use your user and remove the space after the colon if you are copying and pasting.

OK, I got the folders, but they have no more downloads in them then I show now. Is this something I really even need? I am curious though, where my recent downloads are going??

 

[PattiChati]

Here are all my downloads. I downloaded firefox and just saved it so this list would pop up. But this is the only place i can find it.

 

[Jimbo22]

Check your FF downloads settings. Click the FF orange tab top left, go to options, go to general tabs, and look to where your download are being saved. Here's a look at mine.