How to re-create the special object in User Profile of Windows 7???

Hello laidbacktokyo,

Actual your Recent folder should be named Recent Items instead.

For this Recent Items folder, you might see if the blue Note box at the top of the tutorial below may be able to help with this.

Recent Items - Turn On or Off

Hope this helps, :)
Shawn

Brink said:

Hello laidbacktokyo,

Actual your Recent folder should be named Recent Items instead.

For this Recent Items folder, you might see if the blue Note box at the top of the tutorial below may be able to help with this.

Hope this helps, :)
Shawn

howdy Shawn,

appreciate ur kind post. at least it's something...

well, but u got me in a bit wrong way... z mentioned by u "Recent Items" is a link/shortcut in win7 main start menu... it's also alive & ok in my case... and this link/shortcut from z win7 start menu is directly connected 2 the main win7 "Recent" folder with z default location here:
C:\Users\...user name...\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent as mentined by me earlier.
it's also ok & works well...

however there is a tiny but important difference between z above pair of "Recent Items" link in win7 main menu + main "Recent" folder and this extra object "Recent" with default location here: C:\Users\.... user name....\ = folder with a link function, which is also linked to the main win7 "Recent" folder... pls click an icon of ur User Profile to see z difference... there is a number of "normal" folders... along with a number of these special objects... and if u delete any of these objects for any reason, there must be a way to create it back... isn't it?


anyhow i don't have any problem with an above pair but wanna know z official MS name for such special object along with any simple way to re-create these MS special objects of User Profile beyond a way of z creation of new user profile.


unfortunately i didn't have any win7 restore point 2 return 2 at z moment of getting into this issue.

thanx!

p.s. i understand that i'm asking for help regarding z very special issue of z small practical importance... but i assume any help here as twice appreciated.


UPDATE!!! well... thanx again... z kindly advised by u tutorial here User Folder - Create Your Own Special Folders is interesting....

and DOS command like:

C:\Users\username>mklink /d Recent C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent
symbolic link created for Recent <<===>> C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent
C:\Users\username>

creates z nice working folder (with shortcut mark on its icon! good!) linked to full contents of z main "Recent" folder of win7.

however thare are two main differences of this creation comparing 2 my lost object(!):

1) it's z full size Windows folder(!) even when there is a shortcut mark on its icon;
2) it shows z full contents of z main win7 "Recent" folder including z mentioned by me earlier service folders like 'AutomaticDestinations' & 'CustomDestinations' but z lost object was populating only my personal recently opened files & folders.


EVEN LATER UPDATE!!!!


OK! z another option of same DOS command gave me almost same 'Recent' object as it was.

Sample:

C:\Users\username>mklink /j Recent C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent
Junction created for Recent <<===>> C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent
C:\Users\username>

1) When I open z Properties of this newly created folder object, there are yet too many standard Windows folder sub-menus as General, Security, Sharing etc, while z genuine 'Recent' object has only General menu in its Properties.

2) it's same problem as in my 1st update item 2).
absolutely!


any precious advice?

No problem.

Your C:\Users\(user name)\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent folder is supposed to be named this below instead.

C:\Users\(user name)\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent Items

Doing what I posted above will fix this folder. It's a junction point tied to all recent items including the one on the Start Menu.

Deleting the "Recent" folder will not hurt anything since there's only file references in it and not any actual files.

Brink said:

No problem.

Your C:\Users\(user name)\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent folder is supposed to be named this below instead.

C:\Users\(user name)\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent Items

Doing what I posted above will fix this folder. It's a junction point tied to all recent items including the one on the Start Menu.

Deleting the "Recent" folder will not hurt anything since there's only file references in it and not any actual files.

oops... but what's z idea finally?

to rename C:\Users\(user name)\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent to Recent Items


or 2 delete Recent folder and then create Recent Items folder instead?

thanx

p.s. well... i guess that in my current configuration of this matter even if i'll rename z main Recent folder of Win7 to Recent Items one, when i open my newly created object Recent it will again show up all contents of this time Recent Items folder including z said system service folders, and therefore z problem 2) of updates 1 & 2 remains same. right?

You would only want to do what's in the Note box at the top of the tutorial I posted above. :)

Unfortunately, this will clear current recent items, but they will repopulate as you open files.

Ooops, I thought I posted the link, but I didn't. Sorry about that.

Here's the tutorial link with the details in the blue Note box at the top.

Recent Items - Turn On or Off

Brink said:

Ooops, I thought I posted the link, but I didn't. Sorry about that.

Here's the tutorial link with the details in the blue Note box at the top.

Recent Items - Turn On or Off

Morning Shawn,


hahahahaha... it's a fun... well, here i'm talking about both my question and issue itself but not about that manual of yours... z manual is nice but maybe not exactly useful in my funny case... ok, one by one:


1. actually it's not z first time when i'm experiencing z issue of my initial question. unfortunately. and now i bet that i've carefully read this manual a couple of years ago... and as far as i remember that time i failed to find any good solution for same issue with win7 (w/o sp1u that time) and just rebuilt my user profile.

2. well what do i have now after ur kind reply 2 my initial question and following general guidance over my attempts 2 find z wanted solution:

a) my main win7 Recent folder located (as it exactly should be) in C:\Users\(UserName)\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent looks alive & well working. and it was alive, ok and undamadged all z time. it's just named Recent instead of expecting by u name Recent Items. of course it has a proper icon (not just yellow color). btw, i surely remember that this folder was named exactly Recent in same my case a couple of years ago as well.

b) my win7 main menu item named Recent Items is (and was) also ok and properly configued as tied directly 2 z above Recent folder, and populating a list of my personal recently used files only!

c) both involved registry entries mentioned in ur manual thread (plus a link from blue Note box) seem to be ok as well:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders
z needed string named Recent seems ok with a value below:
C:\Users\(UserName)\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders
z needed string named Recent seems ok with a value below:
%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent


NOTE #1: so z above pair looks OK and well working as i've duly reported 2 u. so do u think there is any sense 2 follow ur Note box advice and delete z undamaged Recent folder? of course it will be rebuilt upon win7 restart... but what effect do u expect?


3) however there was another instance of z same win7 recent items function with z default location C:\Users\(UserName) also named Recent, which i was initially asking about and naming this folder/shortcut as a special (Windows shell) object. well, fortunately while searching this forum for ur manual i was lucky 2 found that thread by a Dutch guy with a sample of using mklink DOS command and even later found that /j option of this command suites my needs better than /d one.

NOTE #2: so now i've already created almost same object as needed. i'm again saying ALMOST SAME because there is difference in its Properties outlook comparing 2 z genuine shell object as i've reported 2 u in my earlier post. pls refer 2 pics attached:

A. newly created by me substitute of Recent object (all standard sub-menus!)



B. default Recent object (sorry it's taken from another pc with win7 + Russian LP. but meaning is same as i've reported - here is General sub-menu only!)




4) well, as u might easily guess i don't care much of z properties of this object but z 2nd mentioned by me earlier problem of this substitute object is quite annoying.

i don't need 2 c in z populated list of my recent items here any of win7 service folders, etc from my main win7 Recent folder. i need here just z recet files & folders used by me personally, i.e. as it was before this issue.


any ideas?


thanx

If able, the quickest way to undo this would be to do a system restore using a restore point dated before it happened.