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Any help on a issue probably related to deleted system folders would be terrific:

  • My old computer did run XP.
  • On my old computer, I deleted "My documents/My images" -- never had any problem there.
  • I just bought a new computer running Windows 7.
  • Did copy all my files from old XP computer to new W7 computer, including "My documents/.".

Now issue on new W7 computer:

  • "Documents" folder has all normal W7 folders, all looks normal.
  • However, allway sync always stops as it can't access "C:\Users\chambre\Documents\My images".
  • Yet this "My images" document does not show (neither with cmd: dir /a, neither with showing hidden files, ...).
  • No trace of that "My images" in the registry either.
  • Tried a CHKDSK.
  • If I try to create a foldes named "My images", W7 tells me it exists already, proposes to merge which I tried, but still no "My Images" showing up at all. (so it is not an Allway Sync issue, but a Windows issue).

So now I have a phantom folder, which I can't delete, which does not show up everywhere, but which is quite annoying as if makes Allway Sync (at least) hang-up.

Nothing life threatening, yet quite annoying.

Any clue?

Thanks a lot.

PS: same issue with previously deleted "My music" and "My videos"

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Have you tried cd My pictures or rd "My pictures"? – Scott Aug 29 '12 at 20:37

1 Answer

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There is no My Images folder in Windows (XP or 7). There is a My Pictures folder, but not Images. That may have been added by a third-party program. This is particularly true since you specified that the My Images folder is in the Documents folder. By default, Windows does not put anything in the Documents folder, so everything in there was created by you or your programs.

Moreover, there is no actual My Pictures folder either (that is, there is no C:\Users\chambre\My Pictures). Instead there is a folder named Pictures in the user profile which contains a file named desktop.ini. Windows opens desktop.ini, reads the line LocalizedResourceName, and displays the corresponding value (the “friendly name”) in Windows Explorer in place of the actual folder name. In Explorer, you see C:\Users\chambre\My Pictures, but at the command-prompt, you see C:\Users\chambre\Pictures. It’s the same with Music / My Music and Videos / My Videos. Assuming the program that created the directory copied Windows’ behavior, search for \Images instead of \My Images.

If you get an already exists error when trying to create the directory, then you already copied the old ones, but they are probably just set to be hidden and your new Windows 7 installation has the show hidden option off (the default setting). You can toggle it as so:

  1. Alt+T, O to open the Folder Options (or Run control folders)
  2. Switch to the Views tab
  3. Select Show hidden files, folders, and drives
  4. [OK]
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my mistake for the name which I translated wrong, but the underlying issue remains. Just read "My pictures" instead of "My images". The point is that there is this folder now in W7 which is not displayed in C:\Users\chambre\Documents\, yet there is a trace of it somwhow since Allway Syncs hangs on it, and since I can't create a folder with that name. – user155298 Aug 29 '12 at 20:33
@user155298, it doesn’t matter what it’s called; Windows does not put anything in My Documents, so it was created by one of your programs (unless of course you meant C:\Users\chambre\My Pictures instead of C:\Users\chambre\Documents\My Pictures, in which case, it’s the second and/or third paragraphs of my answer). – Synetech Aug 29 '12 at 20:37
I did try the Show Hidden Files -- not there either. And as said neither visible with the CMD dir /a. – user155298 Aug 29 '12 at 20:37
Then it’s the second paragraph. – Synetech Aug 29 '12 at 20:38
neither. I understand that in W7 there is no Documents/My Pictures. I had "My Document/My Picture" under XP and this was a system folder I believe. In W7, I have the right picture folder in chambre/My Picture even though it displays in a different cosmetic name as you mentioned. The issue remains: if I am in "Document", I can't create nor delete a folder named "My Pictures". – user155298 Aug 29 '12 at 20:47
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