My Computer [folders contain deleted files]

Sometimes when I search for a file I find that it is located in "My Computer" When I click to open the folder I find many files in it, many of which are deadlinks - files or folders that I have deleted. Where does this folder come from? I do not see it in Explorer and have no idea how to open it except by doing a search and finding something in it.
Confused

 

Empty your recycle bin with a Right Click on the Recycle Bin icon, Empty the Recycle Bin.

 

Hi ackerberg,

Those folders in My Computer are folders that can be shared with other user's. I wonder how deleted files got in there.

I've modified your thread title.

For more on these folders, Type Shared Documents into Help & Support's search box.



Hi Bill,

Does your answer imply that the Recycle Bin ran out of room and that the auto emptying not working?

Regards - Charles

 

Auto emptying is not a standard option in the Recycle Bin.
There is a FIFO at work that kicks in as the assigned drive space assignment is reached.

But actually my point is slightly different.

The default for search is to also search hidden files and folders. This can pull up entries from the Recyle Bin as a result.

A search on "My Computer" is a search on every folder on every drive, including network shares.

 

Hi Bill,

I undestand that the OS empties using the Fifo method - should have been clearer

Ok, you're saying he's not looking at the Shared Folders but at the Recycle Bin.

Regards - Charles

 

I already looked in the recycle bin and there are files and folders in there, but many more in My Computer. I have no idea how to pull up this folder except by stumbling onto it when I do a search for a file that happens to be in there. Do you have any idea how to open this folder and what determines what files and folders end up in there?
BTW, my recycle bin is usually always near empty because I am always cleaning out the C-drive. As they say, a compulsive cleaner!

 

To change the Windows XP My Computer view to a folder view:

Copy/paste the below into notepad, and then do a File, Save as, mycomputerview.cmd

Code:

@echo off
setlocal
if not exist c:\RestoreMyComputerView.reg goto begin
@echo A c:\RestoreMyComputerView.reg file already exists.
pause
exit
:begin
regedit /a  "%TEMP%\RestoreMyComputerView.reg"  "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\shell "
set /a cnt=0
for /f  "Tokens=*" %%r in ('type  "%TEMP%\RestoreMyComputerView.reg "') do set line=%%r&call :parse
@echo REGEDIT4> "%TEMP%\MyComputerFolderView.reg "
@echo [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\shell]>> "%TEMP%\MyComputerFolderView.reg "
@echo @= "explore ">> "%TEMP%\MyComputerFolderView.reg "
@echo [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\shell\explore]>> "%TEMP%\MyComputerFolderView.reg "
@echo  "BrowserFlags "=dword:00000022>> "%TEMP%\MyComputerFolderView.reg "
@echo  "ExplorerFlags "=dword:00000021>> "%TEMP%\MyComputerFolderView.reg "
@echo [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\shell\explore\command]>> "%TEMP%\MyComputerFolderView.reg "
@echo  @=hex(2):25,53,79,73,74,65,6d,52,6f,6f,74,25,5c,45,78,70,6c,6f,72,65,72,2e,65,\>> "%TEMP%\MyComputerFolderView.reg "
@echo    78,65,20,2f,65,2c,2f,69,64,6c,69,73,74,2c,25,49,2c,25,4c,00>> "%TEMP%\MyComputerFolderView.reg "
@echo [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\shell\explore\ddeexec]>> "%TEMP%\MyComputerFolderView.reg "
@echo @= "[ExploreFolder(\ "%%l\ ", %%I, %%S)] ">> "%TEMP%\MyComputerFolderView.reg "
@echo  "NoActivateHandler "=" ">> "%TEMP%\MyComputerFolderView.reg "
@echo [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\shell\explore\ddeexec\application]>> "%TEMP%\MyComputerFolderView.reg "
@echo @= "Folders ">> "%TEMP%\MyComputerFolderView.reg "
@echo [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\shell\explore\ddeexec\ifexec]>> "%TEMP%\MyComputerFolderView.reg "
@echo @= "[] ">> "%TEMP%\MyComputerFolderView.reg "
@echo [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\shell\explore\ddeexec\topic]>> "%TEMP%\MyComputerFolderView.reg "
@echo @= "AppProperties ">> "%TEMP%\MyComputerFolderView.reg "
@echo.>> "%TEMP%\MyComputerFolderView.reg "
regedit /s  "%TEMP%\MyComputerFolderView.reg "
endlocal
goto :EOF
:parse
set /a cnt=%cnt% + 1
if not %cnt% EQU 1 goto parse1
@echo REGEDIT4>c:\RestoreMyComputerView.reg
@echo [-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\shell]>>c:\RestoreMyComputerView.reg
goto :EOF
:parse1
@echo %line%>>c:\RestoreMyComputerView.reg

• Important: Create a manual System Restore Point as the first step.
• Start, Run, mycomputerview.cmd to make the change to the My Computer folder
• Start, Run, regedit /s c:\RestoreMyComputerView.reg to revert or undo the changes made above if you wish in the future
• Reboot and test.

 

If you haven't already done so, turn on Viewing Hidden Files.

Go to My Computer > Tools > Folder Options > View tab and make sure that Show hidden files and folders is enabled.

Also make sure that the System Files and Folders are showing / visible. Uncheck the Hide protected operating system files option.

Regards - Charles

 

Bill,
I don't know how long it took you to write that program, but it seems like a prodigious effort. Thanks for your help.
Charles,
I already have all of my hidden files exposed and do not see the Mycomputer files. Do you see them in Explorer on your computer?

 

Hi ackerberg,

I wanted to make sure that you had the Hidden files/System files view turned on.

Can't tell you what folder you're looking at.

I assumed from the title you gave that you meant the folders that show at the top of the page when you click on My Computer.

One is a shared folder that is the :\Documents and Settings\All users folder.

The other folder there should be the Docs & Settings folder of the logged on user.

I'm still not clear on what the name of this elusive folder is other than MyComputer and I don't see any folder like that.

One other thought, are you running Symantec/NAV? They have a "protected recycle bin feature ". I don't, so don't know if this would be because of that.

Regards - Charles

 

Just a thought...Could this be the History folder? I did a file and folder search, using "computer" as keyword filter. It came up with my history folders in a "My Computer" folder. Confirmed by using the "Up and "back" icons on the toolbar and noting the paths taken. This would also explain why files that have been deleted would be listed and referenced while browsing or clicking on the files.

I hope the above makes sense...:confused Just throwing this idea out there.

 

Ann,
I think you might be correct. I also did the search on computer and brought up the folder MyComputer which I opened and it does look like history. When I first found it a few days ago, most of the entries were dead links, which I had deleted in trying to rid my computer of a scanner installation.

 

The default for search is to also search hidden files and folders. This can pull up entries from the Recyle Bin as a result.

A search on "My Computer" is a search on every folder on every drive, including network shares.

 

True, and the search will also identify a file as being there, so puzzled as to why ackerberg is not seeing that.

Just went thru the search execise that Ann did, and I don't see any history.

Yes, I do see a My Computer folder.

Its been a long time since I've used XP's search - forgot how clumsy it is

Regards - Charles

 

Hi Charlesvar,
The My computer icons that you have in your attached search results are listed by days. If you hit one of those icons you'll see your list of files in the history for that day. If you then do a search for one of those files in that list, it does come up as being listed in "My computer" as the whole path rather than a path such as c:\yada\yada\yada and so on.

How did I come about realizing these were History folders? by using the meanbar Up and back icons to follow the folder to a root folder that I recognized ie; C:\Documents and Settings\*\Local Settings\history.

 

Hi Ann,

Yes you're right and that may well be what this is. I was looking for a history of deleted stuff, the sort of stuff deleted by the user that ackerberg refers to. His results may be different because he handles the system differently.

This is one time when I would really like to be standing over someone's shoulder to actually see what this is

Regards - Charles

 

Q: Can this be the history folder?

A: Yes. You got as far as opening the containing folder, right? Click up. You'll see My Computer, a special virtual folder. The folder where you're located shows how many days ago you accessed the file in question. Click up again and you're in C:\Documents and Settings\[default|whatever]\Local Settings\History. These files are just virtual "browser" links--note they're not normal windows .lnk files, but another animal entirely. You'll see they don't have the normal 1 KB size of windows links. And with this type of link, it's smart enough to update links to files that move, even to the recycle bin. Yep. (So, IOW it's all files, not just deleted files.)

In short, it's a feature, not a bug. You can hide them, but they're still there, so why? And they're potentially useful, if perhaps, yeah, noisy in your search results.

Read this explanation of that and other "special folders." Cache used so your juicy bits are highlighted: http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache...ttings"+"windows+xp"&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1

If that cache is expired, or the link's too long for this board, here's the original.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Folders

(FYI, I likely won't monitor replies or messages. I just happened to see this as the top hit in a search, and I know how frustrating [non|mis]information can be for others who are searching, too, and felt compelled to register and answer this one thing.)

 

Bravo One Timer. I think you found it! A virtual folder, I like the sound of it.

 

Hello onetimer,

LOL, thanks for the info even though you won't read it.

Regards - Charles