Recovering vanished directories

[cameo]

After my Win7 laptop stopped working for me a few days ago, I've gone
back to my old XP PC till my new Win8 laptop arrives. But I noticed that
one of the most used top directories disappeared from the non-system
drive. It was called E:\misc and it also had a subdirectory called
"TechStuff" in it. First I just noticed that the subdir was gone,
thought most, if not all its files were now in the parent directory
E:\misc. However, when I ran the Windows Explorer next time, the E:\misc
directory was empty. I suspect though that most of the files that used
to be in both the parent and its subdir are still out there, but the
directory structure got corrupted for some reason. (And I thought the
NTFS file system was self-repairing!)

Anybody her experienced this kind of situation and was able to fix it
somehow? I don't mind if it was some commercial software tool, as long
as it's downloadable. I sure could appreciate some help here.

 

[cameo]

After my Win7 laptop stopped working for me a few days ago, I've gone
back to my old XP PC till my new Win8 laptop arrives. But I noticed
that one of the most used top directories disappeared from the
non-system drive. It was called E:\misc and it also had a subdirectory
called "TechStuff" in it. First I just noticed that the subdir was
gone, thought most, if not all its files were now in the parent
directory E:\misc. However, when I ran the Windows Explorer next time,
the E:\misc directory was empty. I suspect though that most of the
files that used to be in both the parent and its subdir are still out
there, but the directory structure got corrupted for some reason. (And
I thought the NTFS file system was self-repairing!)

Anybody her experienced this kind of situation and was able to fix it
somehow? I don't mind if it was some commercial software tool, as long
as it's downloadable. I sure could appreciate some help here.

OK, I found the missing directories with their files by searching for a
file I knew it was in one of those directories. It turned out that
misc\TechStuff directory somehow migrated under another directory on the
same drive, but none of the files seem to be lost. So I just moved the
misc\TechStuff directories back to the top of the drive. I guess the
directory structure got corrupted somehow.

 

[...winston]

"cameo" wrote in message news:[email protected], I found the missing directories with their files by searching for a
file I knew it was in one of those directories. It turned out that
misc\TechStuff directory somehow migrated under another directory on the
same drive, but none of the files seem to be lost. So I just moved the
misc\TechStuff directories back to the top of the drive. I guess the
directory structure got corrupted somehow.
Many users of Win7 Explorer have found directories that were thought to be or originally in one location subsequently found in
another location.
It's rare for Windows to become corrupt and move an entire directory to a different location.

The usual reason (which many of us have done) is that we (the user) have inadvertently dragged the folder to a different location
without realizing having done so. If noticed prior to performing another Windows Explorer operation the 'undo' icon on the
Explorer toolbar can be a savior. If not noticed, a later search and manual mode is necessary to return the file/folder to the
desired location.

 

[philo]

"cameo" wrote in message news:[email protected]...
OK, I found the missing directories with their files by searching for a
file I knew it was in one of those directories. It turned out that
misc\TechStuff directory somehow migrated under another directory on the
same drive, but none of the files seem to be lost. So I just moved the
misc\TechStuff directories back to the top of the drive. I guess the
directory structure got corrupted somehow.

Many users of Win7 Explorer have found directories that were thought to
be or originally in one location subsequently found in another location.
It's rare for Windows to become corrupt and move an entire directory to
a different location.

The usual reason (which many of us have done) is that we (the user) have
inadvertently dragged the folder to a different location without
realizing having done so. If noticed prior to performing another
Windows Explorer operation the 'undo' icon on the Explorer toolbar can
be a savior. If not noticed, a later search and manual mode is necessary
to return the file/folder to the desired location.

Correct. Files do not just "somehow" move by themselves.

 

[R. C. White]

Hi, Winston.

The usual reason (which many of us have done) is that we (the user) have
inadvertently dragged the folder to a different location without realizing
having done so.

So true! ;^>{ I've often done that.

So I usually use the right-click-drag method. Hold down the right-hand
button on the mouse while dragging the file or folder to the new location.
Explorer pops up a tool-tip that says WHICH location is the destination I've
chosen. When I'm sure the right location is shown, release the mouse
button. Then Explorer gives me one more chance: I can choose to either
MOVE or COPY to this location. And there is actually one more option: I
can just <Esc> and start over without moving the file at all.

Actually, of course, Explorer's pop-up appears when we left-click-drag, too,
but then merely lifting our finger completes the operation and, if we've
chosen Move when we meant Copy (or vice versa), it's too late to change.
And if we failed to note the destination folder, we're in big trouble.

When Moving or Copying to a folder that has sub-folders, if we hover over
the name of the collapsed parent folder, Explorer will expand the folder
tree so that we can select the correct sub-folder.

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP (2002-2010)
Windows Live Mail 2012 (Build 16.4.3505.0912) in Win8 Pro


"...winston" wrote in message
"cameo" wrote in message news:[email protected], I found the missing directories with their files by searching for a
file I knew it was in one of those directories. It turned out that
misc\TechStuff directory somehow migrated under another directory on the
same drive, but none of the files seem to be lost. So I just moved the
misc\TechStuff directories back to the top of the drive. I guess the
directory structure got corrupted somehow.
Many users of Win7 Explorer have found directories that were thought to be
or originally in one location subsequently found in
another location.
It's rare for Windows to become corrupt and move an entire directory to a
different location.

The usual reason (which many of us have done) is that we (the user) have
inadvertently dragged the folder to a different location
without realizing having done so. If noticed prior to performing another
Windows Explorer operation the 'undo' icon on the
Explorer toolbar can be a savior. If not noticed, a later search and manual
mode is necessary to return the file/folder to the
desired location.

 

[Mike Barnes]

Actually, of course, Explorer's pop-up appears when we left-click-drag,
too, but then merely lifting our finger completes the operation and, if
we've chosen Move when we meant Copy (or vice versa), it's too late to
change. And if we failed to note the destination folder, we're in big
trouble.

"Undo" is your friend.

 

[Ken Blake]

Hi, Winston.


So true! ;^>{ I've often done that.

So I usually use the right-click-drag method. Hold down the right-hand
button on the mouse while dragging the file or folder to the new location.
Explorer pops up a tool-tip that says WHICH location is the destination I've
chosen. When I'm sure the right location is shown, release the mouse
button. Then Explorer gives me one more chance: I can choose to either
MOVE or COPY to this location. And there is actually one more option: I
can just <Esc> and start over without moving the file at all.

Ditto. I do it for your reason, and for one other reason: it's hard
for me to remember which left-drags are moves and which are copies.

 

[Dave]

On 04/03/2013 01:42 AM, ...winston wrote:

Correct. Files do not just "somehow" move by themselves.

No, but the left pane of explorer has a tendency to slide down when
dragging stuff over to a directory structure making the process difficult.

 

[cameo]

Ditto. I do it for your reason, and for one other reason: it's hard
for me to remember which left-drags are moves and which are copies.

I drag files and directories the same way, but I accept the consensus
here that I must have done some unintended dragging to end up with those
directories in a new location. However the new location was pretty far
from the original one and I don't recall another incident like this
before. So that's why I could not think of it right away. But thanks,
guys, for the reassurance.

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

No, but the left pane of explorer has a tendency to slide down when
dragging stuff over to a directory structure making the process difficult.

And thereby making error easy to create

Probably I should have said :-(

I've made that error. Search programs have saved my butt. OK, a bit
overdramatic there, but I did what cameo did and was happier
afterwards...

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

"Undo" is your friend.

If you have noticed soon enough.

But anyway, I definitely agree with you.

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

Ditto. I do it for your reason, and for one other reason: it's hard
for me to remember which left-drags are moves and which are copies.

But when you are ready to release the button, the little pop-up tells
you whether it's planning to copy or move.

If you remember to look - and for that matter, if *I* remember to look

 

[Mike Barnes]

Ditto. I do it for your reason, and for one other reason: it's hard
for me to remember which left-drags are moves and which are copies.

The OS after which this group is named is a lot better in this regard
than previous Windowses. Because it actually says in English (or
whatever) whether it's going to Move or Copy, with a little icon to
reinforce the message. And if it's not what you were expecting, you
either press or release Ctrl to change it. Things weren't always that
good.

 

[Steve Hayes]

OK, I found the missing directories with their files by searching for a
file I knew it was in one of those directories. It turned out that
misc\TechStuff directory somehow migrated under another directory on the
same drive, but none of the files seem to be lost. So I just moved the
misc\TechStuff directories back to the top of the drive. I guess the
directory structure got corrupted somehow.

Sometimes drag 'n drop does that.

You click on something and then you sneeze or a fly buzzes round your head or
something else causes you to make a sudden movement and files and directories
disappear, you know not where.

 

[nukid]

Sometimes drag 'n drop does that.

You click on something and then you sneeze or a fly buzzes round your
head or something else causes you to make a sudden movement and files
and directories disappear, you know not where.

Worse: if the Windoze application you're working with stutters and
briefly pauses (stops responding for a second or two at a time now and
again), you can let go of the mouse button at spot A and then move the
mouse to spot B, and it can act as if you moved it to spot B first,
*then* released the button, thus dropping something in the wrong place.

And, of course, Windoze applications being sluggish or stuttery in
responding is more the rule than the exception.

 

[Nil]

And, of course, Windoze applications being sluggish or stuttery in
responding is more the rule than the exception.

Is it? That's not my experience. It happens sometimes, of course - as
it does with all other OSs I've worked with.

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

Is it? That's not my experience. It happens sometimes, of course - as
it does with all other OSs I've worked with.

My thought too.

 

[Paul]

Is it? That's not my experience. It happens sometimes, of course - as
it does with all other OSs I've worked with.

Any OS can do that.

Any stutter problem, can be reduces with enough effort. The OS and hardware
have sufficient timer resources, to make the computer buttery smooth. But
it takes so much effort to make everything that way, it's just not going
to happen in our lifetime.

As an example, you could get buttery smooth graphics on a computer, at least
fifteen years ago. And yet, how many "clock" applications on computers, the
hands update at irregular intervals ? It is possible to make them update
precisely - it isn't that hard at all. It just takes programming effort.
And who in their right mind, would spend an extra ten minutes working
on their clock app ?

As another example of this, it took someone not working at NVidia and ATI,
to notice render time variation. And because of that effort, it looks like
the two video card companies will work to improve the variation in render
times in the frames of 3D games. Yet another example of stutter or jitter
that could have been fixed "at source" (NVidia and ATI). And it took a
third-party, to catch them.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6857/amd-stuttering-issues-driver-roadmap-fraps

Paul

 

[cameo]

But when you are ready to release the button, the little pop-up tells
you whether it's planning to copy or move.

If you remember to look - and for that matter, if *I* remember to look

Despite my best effort, I committed the same mistake as I was setting up
my new Lenovo Z400 Win8 notebook with a touch display. I lost some
application directories with their content and I had to do a full
restore from the recovery partition to start with a fresh slate again. I
wish that Windows Explorer wasn't that eager to anticipate every move
and wait for a deliberate action from the user. Something like what a
double click fixes from inadvertent errors from a single click.

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

Despite my best effort, I committed the same mistake as I was setting up
my new Lenovo Z400 Win8 notebook with a touch display. I lost some
application directories with their content and I had to do a full
restore from the recovery partition to start with a fresh slate again. I
wish that Windows Explorer wasn't that eager to anticipate every move
and wait for a deliberate action from the user. Something like what a
double click fixes from inadvertent errors from a single click.

1. Sometimes Ctrl-z works, but it seems not always.

2. Get into the habit of using a right click drag. Then when you release
you can choose your poison from a pop-up menu.

3. But *don't* get int the habit of choosing without looking (a real
danger, not a joke).