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It seems that all of my files disappeared off my SSD- WIndows has started giving me a "Location is not available" error when I try to go to my Pictures, Videos, or Downloads folders from the Quick Access bar. For some reason, the Documents and Music folders don't give me the error, though both are completely empty (where they didn't use to be). I'm not able to identify what caused this issue, or even exactly when it started, but I first noticed it on 5 Oct and am finally getting around to troubleshooting in depth. Are these files gone forever, or are they just hidden/moved or can they be recovered somehow?
Of note: I have my OS installed on a separate SSD (C: drive), and all my documents etc. are (/were) installed on a larger SSD (D: drive).
Based on responses I've seen to similar questions here, I took a screenshot of my registry editor:
Hi! From what I see, your user folders aren't on Drive C, but on Drive D. Do you have two drives on your computer?
Did you redirect the user folders to Drive D, or was your computer configured that way?
Hi, yes I configured my drives that way, my OS (and nothing else) is on my C drive, where I use my D drive as the main drive. This is what I see when manually navigating through D:\Users, though again each folder is empty. All of the folders under Quick Access give me the same error.
I don't see the Downloads and Pictures folders on Local Drive D. Check if they are hidden:
Also, check if there are any files in the OneDrive folder. They may have been moved. Go to C:\Users\Cronos Station\OneDrive, or click OneDrive-Personal in Quick Access, and send me a screenshot.
Downloads and Pictures folders don't appear in the list following those commands either. Unsure what the two unnamed lines are though:
I did have the "hidden items" box checked in the screenshot in the previous comment.
Nothing in my OneDrive folder either, there are Documents/Music/Pictures folders but all are empty.
This is very strange. Your folders are missing. First, check other locations to see if you can find the missing folders.
Also, try restoring the default location of your User folders. Right-click Downloads > Properties > Location > Click Restore Defaults > Apply > OK.
I tried this with my Downloads folder and it tried to put it back on my C drive, albeit under a different user name which I believe I had on this computer briefly. I manually went to that folder and there are a few files there, but nothing like what I'm trying to find.
I also tried it with my Documents folder and even the "default" location doesn't exist.
Try going to D:\Users\Crono Station and creating the missing folders, and set the user folder location to D:\Users\Crono Station. Do this if you want to keep the previous configuration.
If you want to keep the folders in C:\Users\metgz, simply create the missing folders.
But it's strange that the folders are missing. Check the Desktop, Documents, Music, and Videos folders in D:\Users\Crono Station to see if the Download and Pictures folders are inside any of them. The folders may have been moved accidentally or are in the recycle bin.
I was avoiding doing that just in case it would overwrite the previous folders, but it seems those folders are missing entirely so I don't seem to have much choice. Unfortunately no sign of the missing files anywhere that I can find, including Recycle Bin.
Strangely, I did notice that my Downloads folder got re-created today without me knowingly doing anything, though it's still empty.
I was avoiding doing that just in case it would overwrite the previous folders, but it seems those folders are missing entirely so I don't seem to have much choice. Unfortunately no sign of the missing files anywhere that I can find, including Recycle Bin.
Strangely, I did notice that my Downloads folder got re-created today without me knowingly doing anything, though it's still empty.
From what I've researched, this "found" folder is created when Windows repairs the system using CHKDSK. Perhaps your user data was corrupted, and Windows repaired the system and recovered the data.
You can copy your data to standard user folders. I recommend backing up your files afterward.
I may actually have found the missing files? I ran a search in "This PC" for a file name that I knew had existed ("Tattoo"), and it gave me a shortcut a few shortcuts located in C:\Users\metzg\Recent. Opening the properties for that shortcut showed me a strange file path for D:\found.008\20000000_dir.chk\Documents, which manually plugging in that path took me to what appears to be all my missing files. Is it as simple as moving all these files back into my normal Documents folder? Any indications of what could have caused this?
