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This is a new computer which used ?_link software. Had issues after the transfer which I straightened out most of them but not the following.
I've tried most everything I can find on the internet with no success. As admin running cmd I've tried rd /s /q "D:\folder path" which temporarily deletes the folder but comes back. I've tried rmdir (which I think is the same as rd. I've done the Properties/security tab routine with no success. I did a regedit and immediately changed my mind because I had no idea what I was doing. I did the chkdsk /f on the drive with no success. I formatted the disk but they came back. I am not using Google drive or OneDrive and Dropbox has been removed from the system. Under the cmd prompt when I use "dir d:" it shows:
02/14/2026 07:37 AM <DIR> Users
0 File(s) 0 bytes
1 Dir(s) 2,000,160,059,392 bytes free
Two additional folders have an incorrect path that the transfer must have created. For instance D:*use*\ ...\Downloads and D:*use*\ ...\Music instead of Users.
Any help much appreciated. I've pretty much run out of gas.
1
On your previous PC, were some of the user folders moved to the D drive?
2
Click your Start Button, type regedit and hit Enter to open the Registry Editor.
Click View and make sure 'Address Bar' is turned on.
Paste this into the Address Bar at the top and hit Enter.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders
Please provide a screenshot of that Registry Editor page.
Sorry, I was offline.
Open the Registry Editor again.
Double click each entry indicated below, then carefully set the path to the folder to the correct location on your C drive for each of the Music, Videos and Downloads folders.
Then, restart (not shut down) your PC to apply the changes, then delete those folders on the D drive and they should not be re-generated.
Perfect with one exception. I still show a Users directory on D: which is not in the registry list. I ran chkdsk /f for 8 hours yesterday with results of 0 errors. Running cmd as admin this morning this is D: I ran cmd as superuser and ran D:del \Users to no avail because it only shows up in Windows File Explorer. Volume Serial Number is 3879-CA4D
Directory of D:\
02/14/2026 07:37 AM <DIR> Users
0 File(s) 0 bytes
1 Dir(s) 2,000,160,579,584 bytes free
Also here is a copy of regedit after those changes which seem to be SUCCESSFUL (Thank You) to show that they were made and that D: does not show up there: Do you have one more trick up your sleeve for the magic files on D: ??
Open the Registry Editor again, then go to this new location, please provide a screenshot of that registry editor window.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders
Thank you for the screenshot.
In that location the 3 entries indicated below also need to be changed to the correct locations, then restart your PC again to apply the changes.
Had to step out for a bit.
Got rid of the D: drive paths that were in regedit but D: drive still shows non-existent folders.
AI answer
It sounds like you're experiencing issues with ghost files or folders that reappear after deletion on your new computer. Here are a few potential causes and solutions based on common issues related to NTFS file systems:
chkdsk /f is a good step, but ensure you run it with administrative privileges and on the correct drive. If it doesn't resolve the issue, consider running it with the /r option to locate bad sectors and recover readable information.