Invisible Files


  1. Poke
    Posts : 7
    Windows 7 Professional 64bit
       New #1

    Invisible Files


    Hey, I've recently signed up because of what I assume are some file permission errors.

    Today I was making a map for popular game "Age of Empires II - Conquerors Expansion".
    Once I finished, I saved it. I then went to copy it onto my USB, but it wasn't there. I searched the whole computer for it (with the search function) but it didn't appear anywhere. The strange thing is, it still appears to Age of Empires II and is fully functional. I can also see it in the Open menu of a program, AOK Trigger Studio which is designed to edit these files. However, the Open menus of other programs such as notepad do not show it when set to All Files.

    I'm running Windows 7 64-bit and Age of Empires II is installed correctly.

    Can anyone help?
    Am I doing something wrong?

    Another note, all files imported to the correct folder do appear, and when editing a file that does show up, the changes are saved (and appear in Age of Empires II) but the file (still appearing in Windows Explorer) is left unchanged. (I found this out by copying it to another computer.)
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  3. richc46
    Posts : 17,796
    Windows 10, Home Clean Install
       New #2

    Welcome
    Maybe its a hidden file
    Hidden Files and Folders - Show or Hide
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  4. Poke
    Posts : 7
    Windows 7 Professional 64bit
    Thread Starter
       New #3

    I have hidden files shown, so that can't be it.

    In the Open dialogues that do show it, the file appears with a little lock on it. Is this some "other" tier of hidden files?


    Ok, it appeared in the Open dialogue on Paint, so here's what I did that didn't work.
    I right clicked on it and went into properties. It all looked fine there, so I found my way into the permissions. To my surprise, it said "Unable to display current owner". I tried to set the owner to me, and it said "Unable to set new owner on Poke's Tower Defence.scx. The system cannot find the file specified."
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  6. Dzomlija
    Posts : 1,261
    Windows 7 Professional 32-bit SP1
       New #4

    Try looking in "C:\Users\[YOU_USER_NAME]\AppData\Local\VirtualStore" for your map files.

    Software gets re-directed to the VirtualStore folder when a program tried to save files to the "Program files" or "Program Files (x86)" folders, or any other protected system folders.

    One way of preventing software (most notably games) from being re-directed to the VirtualStore folder, is to install them to a user-created folder. For example, when I install games, I always do a custom installation, and make sure the game gets installed to "C:\Games". This has the advantage of also solving many compatibility problems, although this trick doesn't always work...
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  7. Poke
    Posts : 7
    Windows 7 Professional 64bit
    Thread Starter
       New #5

    Dzomlija said:
    Try looking in "C:\Users\[YOU_USER_NAME]\AppData\Local\VirtualStore" for your map files.

    Software gets re-directed to the VirtualStore folder when a program tried to save files to the "Program files" or "Program Files (x86)" folders, or any other protected system folders.

    One way of preventing software (most notably games) from being re-directed to the VirtualStore folder, is to install them to a user-created folder. For example, when I install games, I always do a custom installation, and make sure the game gets installed to "C:\Games". This has the advantage of also solving many compatibility problems, although this trick doesn't always work...
    Thanks Dzomlija, this was the case.

    Is there a registry hack to stop this? While I do understand it is a security precaution, I really don't like it when Windows does things like this without telling.
    Also, some games and game updaters don't like programs to be in the wrong spot. This doesn't include AOE, but others that I have do this, and it'd be nice to have a universal fix.

    Thanks again


    EDIT:
    Another recurring thing I'm reminded of, I can't tell a program to save in these places with the Save As function, it makes me save on the desktop instead. Then, however, it has no troubles in letting me move the same file into the location I wanted manually. Same for pasting shortcuts.
    Last edited by Poke; 22 Nov 2010 at 02:36.
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  8. Dzomlija
    Posts : 1,261
    Windows 7 Professional 32-bit SP1
       New #6

    Poke said:
    Dzomlija said:
    Try looking in "C:\Users\[YOU_USER_NAME]\AppData\Local\VirtualStore" for your map files.

    Software gets re-directed to the VirtualStore folder when a program tried to save files to the "Program files" or "Program Files (x86)" folders, or any other protected system folders.

    One way of preventing software (most notably games) from being re-directed to the VirtualStore folder, is to install them to a user-created folder. For example, when I install games, I always do a custom installation, and make sure the game gets installed to "C:\Games". This has the advantage of also solving many compatibility problems, although this trick doesn't always work...
    Thanks Dzomlija, this was the case.

    Is there a registry hack to stop this? While I do understand it is a security precaution, I really don't like it when Windows does things like this without telling.
    Also, some games and game updaters don't like programs to be in the wrong spot. This doesn't include AOE, but others that I have do this, and it'd be nice to have a universal fix.

    Thanks again


    EDIT:
    Another recurring thing I'm reminded of, I can't tell a program to save in these places with the Save As function, it makes me save on the desktop instead. Then, however, it has no troubles in letting me move the same file into the location I wanted manually. Same for pasting shortcuts.
    Sorry Poke, the only (and best) workaround I know of is to install the game into a user-created folder, as I've already mentioned. If the game does not like this, then it can't be a very good game if it is hard-coded to be run only from "Program Files"...

    You could also try running the game as an Administrator, but I don't use this method, because I keep my UAC settings at maximum level. Having a game run as administrator also has the disadvantage of standard users not being able to play them, because a password is required to launch.
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  10. Poke
    Posts : 7
    Windows 7 Professional 64bit
    Thread Starter
       New #7

    Ok, well thanks anyway.

    The Administrator work-around did work, but like you said the UAC prompt comes up, and I'm trying not to develop the yes reflex.

    I resorted to placing a shortcut to the virtual store in the normal location.

    Actually no, different solution. Task Scheduler work around.
    Now I have it as I like
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