Hard drive icon located twice!


  1. Posts : 6
    Windows 7
       #1

    Hard drive icon located twice!


    Hi I'm new to the forums :)

    I have 2 hard drives and decided I wanted all my library folders to refer to the new drive. C:\Users\username is now empty. No problem so far I hope!

    In Start there is a shortcut above Documents (Picures, Music, Games etc). It is named as my name and contains the library item within this folder. This folder confuses me because: there is my new hard drive with icon there! ie. Local Disk D:\ ... I can't delete it!

    Obviously this is also located in Computer along with my other drive and CDRW as normal.

    So, how do I delete it?

    Apologies if it isn't clearly explain - ask me further details!
    Many thanks.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 3,427
    Windows 10 Pro x64
       #2

    hi audman... question for you, how did you change the Library pointers, did you change them from the libraries themselves, or did you change the "Location" tab of C:\Users\<username>\My Documents etc.?
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 6
    Windows 7
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Hmm, if I could only remember... I think pretty much cut and paste, making sure that they are physically on the other drive rather than a shortcut / library folder back to the C: drive.

    Regardless, everything appears fine with libraries, except the main folder called e.g. John that contains library folders. (It is within there that there's a duplicate Drive icon).
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 3,427
    Windows 10 Pro x64
       #4

    ok... im going to be honest, and say that i have no idea how to delete the duplicate icon, but i think i know whats causing it.

    basically what i think has happened, is you have confused windows, and it is putting that folder in there because it knows thats where your user profile is, I think if you undo what you did, that will sort it, if it does, then you can follow this tutorial: User Folders - Change Default Location to point it to folders on your new HDD without confusing Windows

    I have actually tried to duplicate your error to see if i can fix it myself then tell you how to do it, but because i have already changed my libraries successfully it didnt work, if your willing to wait until tomorrow, I will do a fresh install on another partition and work through it until i fix it and let you know how i get on

    if you can tell me EXACTLY what you did, in what order (if you can remember) that will be alot of help
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 6
    Windows 7
    Thread Starter
       #5

    Essentially I was copying folders across. Not just the whole library ones, but also folders onto the new hard drive and library locations. Some from the desktop which also changed location too. It's hard to give more precise details than that.

    I'm a bit weary about copy them back to the original location as I don't know the exact way I did that in the first place! (Plus there's a very large amount to move, although obviously I don't mind).
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 6
    Windows 7
    Thread Starter
       #6

    Here's a picture. I somehow managed to move My Videos to C:\users\John instead of: C:\users\John\My videos... !!!

    The stupid thing is that I'm really not at all bad with computers... Somehow I managed to have some "difficulties" with Windows 7 libraries and so on!

      My Computer


  7. Posts : 3,427
    Windows 10 Pro x64
       #7

    I've got it... I see what you've done, oh dear... this is going to be long and conveluted to fix... I apologise in advance, it seems that i did replicate your error by accident, when i was trying to replicate what i thought the error was, and almost completely borked my system in fixing it.

    2 possible fixes here:

    1. If you get lucky, then you can right click the wrong location for documents, and click properties>Location and change it to the right folder. with a little luck it will sort itself out (I hope)

    or there is option 2, which is how i fixed it, although i messed mine up a little more than you have yours
    1. First make sure you have clearly defined Folders for My Documents, My Pictures, My Music and My Videos on the partition/drive you want them on
    2. Create a new Administrator Account called "Fix" or something like that (just dont call it John!)
    3. Log into said Administrator Account and delete John, choosing to KEEP all your files (this will take a while, you have been warned)
    4. all your files will be dumped onto the new accounts desktop in a folder called John, you need to transfer the folders back to where they should be on the new drive (see i told you this was going to be conveluted) so for instance, Documents needs to go to D:\Documents Pictures needs to go to D:\Pictures, you get the idea (and make sure that they are the RIGHT folders too, ie that whats in the folder is supposed to be in there)
    5. Create ANOTHER account called John

    6. Log into the new account called John go through all the folders on the new drive, making sure you have permission to read and write to them, (this can be achieved under Properties>security>Edit>add>then type John in the objects name field, click check names and it should fill in the blanks for you, then give John Full Control for each folder
    7. navigate to C:\Users\John
    8. under each of the folders, right click and click Location and change the Location to the right folder (for instance d:\Documents) it will ask you if you want to merge them, say yes. (if you get access denied at this point make sure you have followed step 6 thoroughly)

    that SHOULD fix it, or at least it did for me
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 6
    Windows 7
    Thread Starter
       #8

    thanks, i'll give it a try asap...
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 6
    Windows 7
    Thread Starter
       #9

    Hang on - how do I fix the fact that from C:\Users it now says My Videos rather than my name? (See picture above). Surely wise to fix that first...

    For example, if I type C:\Users\John it opens My Videos...
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 3,427
    Windows 10 Pro x64
       #10

    your absolutely right.... sorry iv missed a couple of steps out,

    first try right clicking the "My videos" Icon in C:\Users and changing it to the right directory under properties>location if you dont have this option, or it doesnt work then move on to this:

    First make a new Folder on the drive that its SUPPOSED to be on, called Videos and make sure that all the files from my videos end up there, (it is very important that this folder is NOT the folder currently indicated by My Videos as i have a sneaky suspicion that when you delete John it might delete My videos too)

    Then after making the new "Fix" account and deleting "John" (step 3 in the guide i made above) see whether the C:\Users\My Videos folder has gone, if it hasn't then get the Take Ownership shortcut from here, take ownership of the folder and delete it manually, then proceed with creating the new user account.

    basically, we're fixing it by purging the old account and creating a new one with exactly the same name, so therefore you get a brand new User Profile to work with
      My Computer


 

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