I screwed up my Windows Explorer/My Computer file structure and don’t know how to correct it. This will be long since I’ll provide as much detail as I can.
1. Older IDE only computer/motherboard
2. Purchase and installed 2nd, storage only SATA HDD via PCI controller card. New drive is H: due to other internal components.
3. Primary (0)boot drive is partitioned as C: Local Disk (OS), F: Local Disk (all programs and data files), H: Local Disk (blank, yet it seems to think a “My Documents” folder/files exist).
Issue creation: Located My Documents folder on F: as follows: F\Documents and Settings\My Name\My Documents. Clicked on My Documents folder and drug to the new/blank H: drive. My goal was to simply move all my data files in their existing sub directories to the new (larger) drive and then delete all data files from F: to free up limited drive capacity, using the new H: location from now on.
The result was:
1. The appearance of copying all the My Documents folders and files then nothing showed up on the H: drive.
2. My normal F: My Documents folder disappeared.
3. I found a new Control Panel root level icon at the bottom of Windows Explorer window with a “Shared Documents” subfolder, several blank folders within. New My Name Documents folder. Appeared blank (NOTE: I can’t delete either of these new folders, no delete option on right click).
I panicked with all my working files gone and opened my Norton 360, used as backup to an external USB drive and restored. Checked the option to restore to original location. Old files showed up in the new My Documents location. The old My Documents folder under my user name was not recreated.
Now more panicked, I opened my USB backup through Norton and was able to see my newer files so I deleted everything in the new Shared and My Documents folders and Restored again. This time setting my restore directory to a new F:\My Documents. This at least got my latest files back, yet in this new location. I tried recreating a My Documents directory unser my user name but receive error, “A file with the name you specified already exists.”
I’m not great with computers but I now feel like an idot. This seems like it should have been an easy 10 minute task that has now eaten up over a day.
Any advice regarding how to get things back to normal or how to correctly move all my files to the new H: drive would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Mike
