User Folder Missing "Location" Tab - Reg Edit No Help - What To Do?

KBoy420 · 27 Dec 2011

Hi All,

I was messing around with trying to move the default location for my User Folders. I was following Brink's guide: User Folders - Change Default Location. I had a secondary drive error (where the folders were to be relocated to), requiring a format. Prior to doing so, I changed all the folders back.

Now, my "Contacts" folder no longer has a "Location" tab in its properties, so I am unable to move it back. I went into regedit to the following location:

Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders

and was able to find the "Contacts" folder. It was incorrectly named (some jumbled mess of what appeared to be random numbers and letters). I renamed it to "Contacts" and changed the Data to "%USERPROFILE%\Contacts".

After doing all this, the "Contacts" folder is displayed in My Computer and correctly pointing to C:Users\Me - but there is no location tab in its properties so I cannot move it again to a secondary drive.

Can anyone tell me what I need to do to restore the "Location" tab?

Thanks!

derekimo · 27 Dec 2011

KBoy420 said:

Hi All,

I was messing around with trying to move the default location for my User Folders. I was following Brink's guide: User Folders - Change Default Location. I had a secondary drive error (where the folders were to be relocated to), requiring a format. Prior to doing so, I changed all the folders back.

Now, my "Contacts" folder no longer has a "Location" tab in its properties, so I am unable to move it back. I went into regedit to the following location:

Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders

and was able to find the "Contacts" folder. It was incorrectly named (some jumbled mess of what appeared to be random numbers and letters). I renamed it to "Contacts" and changed the Data to "%USERPROFILE%\Contacts".

After doing all this, the "Contacts" folder is displayed in My Computer and correctly pointing to C:Users\Me - but there is no location tab in its properties so I cannot move it again to a secondary drive.

Can anyone tell me what I need to do to restore the "Location" tab?

Thanks!

Welcome to the forum,

Have a look at option two of this tutorial,

User Folders - Restore Default Location

Notice the red warning box that gives instructions when a location tab is not available.

KBoy420 · 27 Dec 2011

Thank you for this guide. I will go ahead and follow the steps to see if I can fix it. Thanks!

KBoy420 · 27 Dec 2011

I'm running into the following problem:

On step #23 of User Folders - Restore Default Location

In the Command Prompt, after copying the string for "Contacts" in step #23 - "Parameter format not correct - "

Brink · 27 Dec 2011

Hello KBoy,

Are you copying and pasting the command below exactly as is with the exact same spacing in a elevated command prompt (right click -> Run as administrator)?

attrib +r -s -h %USERPROFILE%\Contacts /S /D

attrib(space)+r(space)-s(space)-h(space)%USERPROFILE%\Contacts(space)/S(space)/D

KBoy420 · 27 Dec 2011

Brink,

Yes, I've tried copy/paste and also typing it directly, exactly as you have indicated. Same error either way.

Brink · 27 Dec 2011

Double check and start over with the steps in METHOD TWO again below to see if you may have missed one or made a mistake while restoring the default C:\Users\(user-name)\Contacts folder back to it's default location.

User Folders - Restore Default Location

KBoy420 · 27 Dec 2011

No luck trying again. Still getting "Parameter format not correct -" in the elevated Command Prompt when I try and copy "attrib +r -s -h %USERPROFILE%\Contacts /S /D"

What about trying to delete the registry entry altogether and than folling the steps to reinstall it?

Brink · 27 Dec 2011

No, you wouldn't want to delete the registry entry.

You could also try doing a system restore using a restore point dated before you tried to move the Contacts folder and before this issue to hopefully undo and fix it.

KBoy420 · 27 Dec 2011

Yes, I tried the restore and also rolling "Contacts" back to a previous version with no success. I guess at this point I'm going to have to move on and just forget about the Contacts User Folder. I probably won't use it anyway. Thanks for trying to help me out, Brink.