Library gone AWOL

[Heroguna]

Hi,

I recently created a new library on my Win 8 laptop so that I could separate private files from my business ones. They were accessible at first but when I went looking for my private files tonight the library is inaccessible and the folder says it is completely empty. Trying to open documents through Word gives me an error that they do not exist and a general *.docx file search doesn't list them at all. I'm greatly concerned that I've lost them for good. Does anyone know how I might be able to locate them or get them back?

And please keep in mind I'm not an IT/terribly tech-savvy person so I will need rather detailed instructions to go beyond general surface OS technical mumbo-jumbo.

Thanks.

 

[DelJo63]

They are all really located in \Users\yourloginName\My Documents

The Library system are only shortcuts to the real location.

Your issue is the shortcuts are broken.

 

[DelJo63]

try this link

 

[Heroguna]

Hi jobeard, thanks for getting back to me. Unfortunately the libraryfix file on that page didn't help. The problem seems to be that the folder I linked into the new library has gone missing completely - as if it no longer exists on my HD. You could be right that it's a shortcut error but if that was the case wouldn't I be able to access the files somewhere on my computer by going to them directly? I can't find the folder anywhere, or any of the files it contained, not even going through every drive-based folder I have. In highlighting the library folder where everything should be it says that the 'folder is unavailable' and the data usage is listed at 0. The error does say that the folder may have been moved. I'm wondering if there's some sort of fail-safe or some way of checking if the files/folders still exist *somewhere*.

Do you know at all whether it's common for files that you move into a new, created library to go missing if the library itself wasn't correctly created? I'm wondering if perhaps I did something wrong. Was my first time trying to partition new libraries, I haven't bothered in the past.

Cheers.

 

[DelJo63]

Again, for the Library\My Documents, the real content is in
\Users\yourlogin\My Documents

Likewise, there is an association for Pictures, Music Presentations and Videos.

Go to My Documents and see what is present. (ie ignore the use of Library for now).

Look also in \Users\yourlogin\AppData (which may be hidden)
The subfolders to investigate are

• \Local
• \Roaming

which depend upon the software you have installed and use.