* Use of C and E drives on pc

[tatewise]

John, John, John ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
That is exactly what I said yesterday and is because you told Windows that E:\ is the Location for your Desktop.
The instructions I gave yesterday do set up a new Desktop. Please just do as I ask or I will leave you on your own.

CREATE AN EMPTY FOLDER E:\Desktop WHICH WILL BE YOUR NEW BLANK DESKTOP. (I SEE YOU ALREADY DID THAT.)

RIGHT-CLICK THE BLUE SQUARE ICON IN This PC AND CHOOSE Properties AND THE Location TAB.
SPECIFY E:\Desktop AS YOUR NEW EMPTY DESKTOP BUT DO NOT MOVE ANYTHING WHEN REQUESTED OR YOU WILL BE AT SQUARE 1.

[Johnr65]

Mike, don't pull your hair out! I've done that and the Desktop is now back to normal, plus I've got a Desktop icon on the Desktop-not that much is in it?

[tatewise]

Hooray If you had chosen E:\Desktop last Thursday we would be home and dry now.

But now you need to get your original Shortcuts back.
So display your E:\ root drive in File Explorer so that Desktop, Documents, Program Files, etc, are listed on right just like you posted this morning.
Click on the Type column heading to sort similar file types together.
Scroll down and you should find all your Shortcut items grouped together.
i.e. CCleaner, Logitech HUB, Micro Sys Ajour, OverDrive for Windows, Family Historian, etc.
Select them all so they are highlighted then right-click Cut.
Now open the E:\Desktop folder you can see in File Explorer and right-click Paste.
That should put your shortcut icons back on the Desktop screen display.
Don't forget to ensure View > Show desktop icons is ticked.
Are the standard items like This PC and Recycle Bin shown Ok.
Is your Desktop screen display now back as it was to start with?

[Johnr65]

Something odd has happened, This PC now shows 2 x 3D objects, 2 x Documents, My Music, My Pictures, and Videos.
I can't find my Downloads and am unable to save anything to the Download folder as it's not there? I can't even save a screenshot?!
My actual desktop shows the normal icons as before the crisis but also has 3D Objects, Desktop, and Videos shown on it? If I open 3D Objects nothing is in it, Desktop opened shows unwanted icons, clear clipboard and start-up inspector, the latter 2 as shortcuts, and the 1st as a folder. Videos show Captures but there are none?

[tatewise]

Please confirm that the only change you made was to move a few Shortcuts from E:\ to E:\Desktop.

Are you saying that the 2 x 3D Object items both have the same blue 3D cube icon?
The 2 x Document items both have the same page with letter A icon?

[Johnr65]

I didn't get that far; I did what you said about at 10.47 13/6. I've managed to get my Download Folder back by changing the location so I now send you a screenshot of My Pc as it is now. The 2 Documents Folders seem to have the same items in them but in reverse order from one to the other? The 2 Downloads Folders are the same as regards the contents of each, except the one with the arrow shows downloads in text whereas the other one shows them in folders -would that be the 3D idea as it has the blue block? Music and pictures seem to be OK.
I don't know where the Desktop icon has gone?

Capture.JPG (88.24 KiB) Viewed 9447 times

Actual Desktop.JPG (72.25 KiB) Viewed 9447 times

[tatewise]

It seems you have not understood the significance of what you are looking at.

The ICON shape & colour show what Windows identifies as the Desktop, Downloads, Pictures, etc, system folder.
The WORD underneath is the name of the disk folder you have set as its Location.

So it seems you have been putting the system folders into disk folders with a name that does not match, and sometimes assigning two to the same disk folder, which is not good.

The ICON with the blue rectangle is your DESKTOP icon, but its Location is the Documents folder.
I cannot explain why it is in the Documents folder when I instructed you to sets it Location to E:\Desktop.

The ICON with a blue 3D cube is your 3D OBJECTS icon, but its Location is the Downloads folder.
That is a hangover from much earlier.

The contents of the Downloads folder should be the same however you open it (unless you have two such folders).
Their style is simply remembered from when you last looked via whichever system ICON you chose.
So the View tab settings in File Explorer is different for the two ICONs.
Nothing to do with 3D Objects which are associated with the Paint 3D editor and other 3D tools.

Yes, the folders & files in the Documents disk folder will be same however you look at them.
Their order is simply remembered from when you last looked via whichever system ICON you chose.
Change that so that they are always in whichever order you prefer, i.e. click on the column heading preferred.

Whatever is listed in Documents should also be listed on your Desktop screen display.
I would have expected the folders Google Drive and OneDrive to be included, because that is where those folders existed when we set up those cloud storage services the other day, but they are not in your screenshot. Have they moved too?
A screenshot of the contents of the Documents folder might help me understand.

Please work through each of those first four system folder icons, right-click, Properties, Location tab and tell me what is the full drive letter and path to each one, but click Close to close the Properties dialogue. Do NOT change anything.

[Johnr65]

I've never understood the internal workings of Windows having never worked in the computer industry or as a programmer or analyst.
However, I'll answer your question:
1 The 1st Documents folder shows Location E:\Desktop

2 The 2nd Documents shows Location E:\Desktop

3 The 1st Downloads shows Location E:\Downloads

4 The 2nd Downloads shows Location E:\Downloads

As to the Documents Folders, the screenshots show This PC 2 folders and Docs in new Volume E actual folder in 2 parts if you see what I mean?

Capture. Docs 1.JPG (60.4 KiB) Viewed 9385 times

I'll add the 2nd lot of attachments in the next message as they won't go here.

[Johnr65]

2nd lot:

New Volume E Docs part 1.JPG (115.69 KiB) Viewed 9385 times

[tatewise]

Regarding your first two screenshots, if you click on the Type column heading of one you will see the list is identical to the other. In other words, it is simply the sort order that is different. As I am sure you know, clicking on any column heading sorts the list in that order. Click on it again and it reverses the sort order. That concept applies to every folder.

After some researching on your problem, I think I now know what has gone wrong and how to fix it.
When changing the Location of those system folders you have given some of them the same Location.
i.e. At one stage both the Desktop and Documents system folders were located at E:\

When you changed the second one to be the same as the first you should have got a dire warning such as:

Do you want to redirect system folder “Desktop” into another system folder “Documents” located at “E:\”?
If you proceed with redirection you will not be able to separate them or restore default location. Do you still want to proceed with redirection?

You chose Yes and so now those two system folders are permanently merged.
If you change the Location of one then it changes the Location of the other.

The same problem afflicts system folders Downloads and 3D Objects that are merged.

I was wrong about the Name under their Icon which is actually the name of the system folder.
Now the Desktop and Documents are merged into the Documents system folder.
And the Downloads and 3D Objects are merged into the Downloads system folder.
To confirm, right-click each icon, choose Properties and tell me the System Folder name at the top as underlined in red below.

SystemFolder.png (17.58 KiB) Viewed 9363 times

[Johnr65]

I didn't get any dire warnings!
Right-clicking on 1st Docs shows Documents, 2nd shows Documents too, 1st Downloads shows Downloads, 2nd Downloads shows Downloads too, Music shows Music, Pictures shows pictures, Videos shows Videos.

[tatewise]

You probably did get the warning, but it was a few days ago, and easily overlooked.

However, I've found a fix that requires resetting those four system folders back to their defaults on the C: drive.
Then we can carefully move them one by one onto the E: drive into matching folders keeping each one separate.

Before doing that you need to create a System Restore Point that we can return to just in case anything goes wrong.
So in the search magnify glass icon at left of Taskbar enter Create a Restore Point and click the Control Panel item.

CreateARestorePoint.png (14.62 KiB) Viewed 9339 times

In the resulting System Properties dialogue check your Local Disk (C:) (System) has Protection set On.
If not then select that entry, click Configure button, select Turn on system protection at top and click OK.
Finally, click the Create button at the bottom of original dialogue as shown below and let me know when completed so we can actually go ahead and reset the four merged system folders.

SystemRestoreCreate.png (26.27 KiB) Viewed 9339 times

[Johnr65]

My pc must be different to yours Mike? I don't have a magnifying glass on the left of my taskbar? However, I did it from the Start search and found it and have turned on protection for my K drive as the others C & E were already protected. Created restore point as you said.

[tatewise]

Excellent. Maybe you have used the Toolbar right-click option Search > Hidden to hide the magnifying glass.

I have attached a ZIP file that must be extracted to a REG file and run to adjust the Windows Registry to reset those merged system files to their default settings on the C: drive. Then they need to be re-located onto the E: drive in distinct folders.
If there is any problem with any of the following process, please stop and ask.

First of all, please ensure there are 4 suitable disk folders on the C: drive, and create them if necessary. Leave them empty.
e.g. where <yourusername> is the name associated with your PC account:
C:\Users\<yourusername>\Desktop
C:\Users\<yourusername>\Documents
C:\Users\<yourusername>\Downloads
C:\Users\<yourusername>\3D Objects

If not sure which is <yourusername> tell me what names are available in the C:\Users\ folder.

Now download the ZIP attachment to your Desktop then right-click that ZIP file and use Extract All.
Open the 64-bit_Restore_Some_System_Folders_in_This_PC folder where you will find the REG file with same name.
Double-click that REG file to reset the four merged system folders Desktop, Documents, Downloads, 3D Objects.
You may have to select Run, Yes, or OK a few times to approve the Windows Registry reset.

When finished, sign out and Restart your PC to apply the adjustments.
Check that the This PC seven system icons all have their original names back, but their folders will be empty.
Your Desktop will be empty except for Recycle Bin, This PC, etc.
Tell me when you get this far, and then we can complete the process.

[Johnr65]

I followed your instructions exactly. I had to create User files for Desktop and 3D Objects. However, nothing seems to have changed see attachments:

Actual Desktop.JPG (78.65 KiB) Viewed 9249 times

This pc.JPG (88.27 KiB) Viewed 9249 times

Users.JPG (102.4 KiB) Viewed 9249 times

[tatewise]

Just creating those folders is not the end of the instructions.

Exactly what happened when you double-clicked the 64-bit_Restore_Some_System_Folders_in_This_PC.reg file?

You should have got some popup messages saying you were updating the Registry to which you had to answer Yes.

Then you had to Restart the PC.

[Johnr65]

Yes I did all that you instructed and restarted the pc but nothing changed.
Maybe it's best to abandon it?

[tatewise]

That is odd. I assume your Windows 10 PC is up-to-date.
That .reg file worked for others that had downloaded it.
You should have got several popup messages like this one below that you had to answer Yes:

RegEdit1.png (9.51 KiB) Viewed 9204 times

I'm sorry that those settings have got upset.
You could continue as you are, but remember that any documents will default to being saved on your Desktop.

Perhaps, when lockdown is over you can ask for technical advice locally.

[ColeValleyGirl]

I do wonder if this conversation is getting to the point that a local hands-on PC expert is the quickest solution? Assuming (unlike me) you're not in "shut the door don't go out and arm the cats with machines guns to repel boarders" mode?

[tatewise]

Helen, that is effectively what I have already said in my last reply.

[ColeValleyGirl]

Sorry Mike, I found it a bit opaque -- I try not to repeat what other people have already said.

[Johnr65]

I did get such a warning message but went ahead as you told me to. So best for us both I guess to leave it as it is, Thank you very much for at least getting my One Drive and Google Drive working properly. Maybe my pc is just odd but it works OK as it is.