Can't Delete Folder Because It Does Not Exist

I have been asked to help a relative, but I am a bit bamboozled.
He is a music lover and converts many CD labels to MP3 and will then copy the MP3 tracks into a Folder and burn to CD or DVD. He creates a Folders on the Desktop called example CD Burn others with Artists names and added the folders to the send to menu.
Over the last few weeks or so all the folders vanished from the desktop but are still visible in the Send To menu and he has been sending dozens of MP3 tracks to these folders that can not be found anymore.
A right click on the folder in the send to menu, windows will browse but can not find them and a manual search can not find them either, yet he still can send files to the folders and no "folder does not exist" message will come up.

He also has a second problem that I don’t know how to fix. His Son recently installed many photos on his PC XP Home by the way and they are located on the desktop left hand side hidden but will pop up when the Mouse curser is moved over to the left of the screen. Can they be moved in one action or will they have to be moved one by one into a folder.
Hawk22

 

Hi Hawk22,

With your first problem have you looked in the send to folder (start->run->sendto), the shortcut to the target is still there even though the target folder probably been deleted.

The second issue can also be resolved by navagating to the desktop folder with explorer and cutting and pasting from there.

 

hi wildfire, thanks and yes that is what I had suspected that the actual folders have somehow been deleted and only the shortcuts are left. But the thing that intrigued me is why can he send files to a icon only, would windows not tell him folder does not exist.
But you are right, from run>sendto I will be able to remove them from there. Never thought of that, thanks
On the second issue it would be to copy and paste all the files one by one.

Hi Steve, yes that was the first thing I did.

 

You will probably have to change the view to list to see all the files on the desktop (use explorer) but once done cutting and pasting should be simple. See Steve's post.

 

More information...

RE: Sendto problem.

I just tested this on both XP Home and Pro SP3.

If the target is deleted you should have received a missing shortcut error

 

I did on the weekend as you suggested Run>SendTo and deleted all the folders that Windows could not find.
Copied all the pictures and all is sweet again.
Thanks guys.

 

No problem,

Happy you've resolved things and thanks for letting us know.