My Documents folder is gone!

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

tlotzerguard-usergroups@yahoo.com - 30 Jul 2007 15:51 GMT

I hid "My Documents" and the "Windows" folders on a Slave Partition
(G:) on my HP at home, then told the Tools: FolderOptions: View to "Do
not show Hidden files or folders".

The problem is when I told it to "Show hidden file/folders", they are
still invisible. Matter of fact all of folders I set to Hidden
attribute are hidden also.

I did a DIR in DOS and it could see the hidden folders, but I can't
find a DOS command to switch a folder attribute to UnHide. The DOS
command ATTRIB only works on files, though, I'm not positive on that
one.

I was going to make a new directory to copy the contents of the "My
Documents" folder and subfolders to, but I ran a program called
"FHIDE". It password protect and hides folders. I was going to come
back and work on it later.

When I booted up, I UnHide the folder but it reported that no such
folder exists. I DIR'd in DOS and it is gone. The hidden "Windows"
folder is in DOS as well as all the other hidden ones, but "My
Documents" is missing in DOS listing.

I know the files are still there because it is really large and the
drive properties shows the same usage pie chart as previous.

Any thoughts on how to retrieve the files?

I will try Norton tools, and www.WinUndelete.com makes a program that
might do it.

Can I use DOS command XCopy to copy the tree to another folder and set
the attributes to -H (not hidden)?

Can the files really be on the drive but the "catalog" is messed up?

Reply to this Message

Don Phillipson - 30 Jul 2007 16:19 GMT

> . . . when I told it to "Show hidden file/folders", they are
> still invisible. Matter of fact all of folders I set to Hidden
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> command ATTRIB only works on files, though, I'm not positive on that
> one.

C:>ATTRIB MY* -H

> I was going to make a new directory to copy the contents of the "My
> Documents" folder and subfolders to, but I ran a program called
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>
> Can the files really be on the drive but the "catalog" is messed up?

On the face of it, your FHIDE app is the source of the
problem: but you may be able to escape this Windows
trap by rebooting to DOS and using the ATTRIIB utility.

It is not clear why you wanted to make some folders hidden.
Win98 was not written to be high-security (and 3d-party
programmers are usually less skilled than Microsoft's.)

Signature

Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

Reply to this Message

PCR - 31 Jul 2007 01:01 GMT

| I hid "My Documents" and the "Windows" folders on a Slave Partition
| (G:) on my HP at home, then told the Tools: FolderOptions: View to "Do
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
| command ATTRIB only works on files, though, I'm not positive on that
| one.

It works on folders too, although its /? doesn't say so. At the DOS
Prompt, try...

(1) CD G:\
(2) G:
(3) ATTRIB Windows -H
(4) ATTRIB Mydocu~1 -H

You must use that SFN (Short File Name) in True DOS. In a Windows DOS
box, you may alternatively surround the LFN with quotes... "My
Documents".

I hope that gets them back, but I fear Phillipson is correct, & it is
something "FHIDE" did that is the real problem. Otherwise, you should
have seen them, after "Show hidden file/folders".

C:\>attrib /?
Displays or changes file attributes.
ATTRIB [+R | -R] [+A | -A] [+S | -S] [+H | -H] [[drive:][path]filename]
[/S]
+ Sets an attribute.
- Clears an attribute.
R Read-only file attribute.
A Archive file attribute.
S System file attribute.
H Hidden file attribute.
/S Processes files in all directories in the specified path.

UNZIPPED is a folder in C:...

C:\>attrib unzipped
UNZIPPED C:\UNZIPPED

C:\>attrib unzipped +h

C:\>attrib unzipped
H UNZIPPED C:\UNZIPPED

C:\>attrib unzipped -h

C:\>attrib unzipped
UNZIPPED C:\UNZIPPED

| I was going to make a new directory to copy the contents of the "My
| Documents" folder and subfolders to, but I ran a program called
| "FHIDE". It password protect and hides folders. I was going to come
| back and work on it later.

Can FHIDE still see them?

| When I booted up, I UnHide the folder but it reported that no such
| folder exists.

You mean FHIDE won't see them? Do you have a help window or FAQ for
FHIDE? Or, is there a .txt file to read in FHIDE's folder?

| I DIR'd in DOS and it is gone. The hidden "Windows"
| folder is in DOS as well as all the other hidden ones, but "My
| Documents" is missing in DOS listing.

Try... DIR G:\MyDocu~1 /a /s

C:\>dir G:\MyDocu~1 /s
Directory of G:\test
MYDOCU~1 <DIR> 07-30-07 7:45p my cocuments
0 file(s) 0 bytes

Note how that names the folder that contains it. It may have been
misplaced & is in a subfolder!

| I know the files are still there because it is really large and the
| drive properties shows the same usage pie chart as previous.
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
| Can I use DOS command XCopy to copy the tree to another folder and set
| the attributes to -H (not hidden)?

Don't know. Maybe. But don't you have accessible copies on C:?

| Can the files really be on the drive but the "catalog" is messed up?

It could be something FHIDE did in combination with making the folders
to be hidden. ALSO, C: may be too important a folder to hide, & My
Documents is a special folder that may not like it, either. I am fearful
to try it myself! I do well recall things went nutty that day I hid
"C:\Windows\Desktop".

Signature

Thanks or Good Luck,
There may be humor in this post, and,
Naturally, you will not sue,
Should things get worse after this,
PCR
pcrrcp@netzero.net

Reply to this Message