Solved Library/Directory

[Elljay]

Hello. I'm not sure where to post this question.
I'm feeling kind of silly to ask this question, but after weeks of trying myself, I am frustrated...
I am so confused about Libraries and my Directory.
(If that is what it's called)
My desktop is not where it used to be and my downloads too. For some reason, it is in documents and pictures etc...when I try and drag it out and put it where it used to be, it won't go there. It wants to link to favorites. To access Desktop now I have to go into my pictures and it's making me nuts for 2 weeks now. I don't know what I did.
How do I get it back to how it was originally -between Favorites and Libraries???
Can someone tell me how to fix this mess please.

 

[Kaktussoft]

Hello. I'm not sure where to post this question.
I'm feeling kind of silly to ask this question, but after weeks of trying myself, I am frustrated...
I am rather new to PC land and I am so confused about Libraries and my Directory.
(If that is what it's called)
My desktop is not where it used to be and my downloads too. For some reason, it is in documents and pictures etc...when I try and drag it out and put it where it used to be, it won't go there. It wants to link to favorites. To access Desktop now I have to go into my pictures and it's making me nuts for 2 weeks now. I don't know what I did.
How do I get it back to how it was originally -between Favorites and Libraries???
Can someone tell me how to fix this mess please.

Please post screenshot

 

[Mooly]

This is one of those things where you need to be sat in front of the PC I think and very hard to explain without doing it for real having seen what the problem is first... if that makes sense.

If you click libraries in the tray at the bottom of the screen and pick a library (say documents) it will say in small print at the top "includes xx locations". Have a look there for any locations you might have added in mistake and delete if required. Do that for all the library folders.

I never normally suggest this but it might be worth trying a system restore to a date when you knew it all worked as you wanted if you get stuck,
System Restore - Windows 7 features - Microsoft Windows

When you save a download or file you are presented with a dropdown option of where you want the file to go so always make sure you select the right the destination.

 

[Kaktussoft]

This is one of those things where you need to be sat in front of the PC I think and very hard to explain without doing it for real having seen what the problem is first... if that makes sense.

If you click libraries in the tray at the bottom of the screen and pick a library (say documents) it will say in small print at the top "includes xx locations". Have a look there for any locations you might have added in mistake and delete if required. Do that for all the library folders.

I never normally suggest this but it might be worth trying a system restore to a date when you knew it all worked as you wanted if you get stuck,
System Restore - Windows 7 features - Microsoft Windows

When you save a download or file you are presented with a dropdown option of where you want the file to go so always make sure you select the right the destination.

System restore won't fix it! That only restore ddl, exe etc files and of course the registry. Not data files!

 

[boohbah]

the folders you want are in your users folder ,this can be found by clicking the start menu button and clicking your username at the top right of the start menu.
you can drag those folders over to the favorites list on the left side of the open window.

a basic way to think of the libraries is that they are shortcuts to the root folders for your data, if for instance you had 3 external hardrives each with a music folder then you simply add these folders to the music folder in the library,by right clicking the library music folder then click add and then navigate to the location , then when you click the music folder in the library then you see all your music in one folder, the original root folders dont move the library just collates them as shortcuts, the same applies to documents pictures etc, you can also create a new category for your library.

there is a tutorial how to reset your user folders to the default locations,
here...
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/18583-user-folders-restore-default-location.html

 

[Elljay]

the folders you want are in your users folder ,this can be found by clicking the start menu button and clicking your username at the top right of the start menu.
you can drag those folders over to the favorites list on the left side of the open window.

a basic way to think of the libraries is that they are shortcuts to the root folders for your data, if for instance you had 3 external hardrives each with a music folder then you simply add these folders to the music folder in the library,by right clicking the library music folder then click add and then navigate to the location , then when you click the music folder in the library then you see all your music in one folder, the original root folders dont move the library just collates them as shortcuts, the same applies to documents pictures etc, you can also create a new category for your library.

there is a tutorial how to reset your user folders to the default locations,
here...
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/18583-user-folders-restore-default-location.html

Hello boohbah.
Thanks so much for helping me. My libraries are back to normal.
I encountered another problem though...I tried Mooly's advise and tried to do a system restore, first -now I have an error 0x80040154 to try and fix.
Thanks again for your help. Elljay

 

[Elljay]

This is one of those things where you need to be sat in front of the PC I think and very hard to explain without doing it for real having seen what the problem is first... if that makes sense.

If you click libraries in the tray at the bottom of the screen and pick a library (say documents) it will say in small print at the top "includes xx locations". Have a look there for any locations you might have added in mistake and delete if required. Do that for all the library folders.

I never normally suggest this but it might be worth trying a system restore to a date when you knew it all worked as you wanted if you get stuck,
System Restore - Windows 7 features - Microsoft Windows

When you save a download or file you are presented with a dropdown option of where you want the file to go so always make sure you select the right the destination.

Hello Mooly.
Thanks for trying to help.I did a system restore, but now I have an error 0x80040154 message to try and fix. Learning Geek...one day at a time.
Cheers Elljay

 

[AddRAM]

Did you google the error message ?

 

[Elljay]

Did you google the error message ?

Hello. Yes I did 'google' the error message-before I asked the question.
I'm a novice at using a computer and things seem overwhelming at times.
Especially all the terminology.How I ended it up with this error message -I tried
Mooly's suggestion to fix my libraries -try system restore to set my libraries back to their default locations. Now I am here.
Cheers elljay

 

[AddRAM]

And what did you find out about the error message ?

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&gs_nf=....,cf.osb&fp=3b30adf05c23e367&biw=1920&bih=936

 

[Elljay]

And what did you find out about the error message ?

Google

I found out it means my operating system files are now mis figured and that can be critical- also adding that I can download programs that will fix them in a few easy steps-if I would like to pay.
Which then took me to a site called 'Just Ask' - so I did. They wanted $39.00 for
answering my question. So I came back here and asked???

 

[AddRAM]

But it`s saying you have an outlook problem.

 

[Mooly]

First point is (and I'm sure you know this) is never to pay money to sites that offer to fix errors like this

I can't really see how system restore could cause this and like AddRAM mentions the error seems related to Microsoft "outlook" which is related to Microsoft office. Do you have Office and Outlook installed ?

System restore is reversible if you felt you wanted to try that. You just pick the most recent restore point.

Did you fix the libraries problem ?

 

[boohbah]

try a sfc scan , you may have to run it two or three times.
here is the tutorial link...

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1538-sfc-scannow-command-system-file-checker.html

 

[Elljay]

First point is (and I'm sure you know this) is never to pay money to sites that offer to fix errors like this

I can't really see how system restore could cause this and like AddRAM mentions the error seems related to Microsoft "outlook" which is related to Microsoft office. Do you have Office and Outlook installed ?

System restore is reversible if you felt you wanted to try that. You just pick the most recent restore point.

Did you fix the libraries problem ?

Hello again Mooly.
I don't have outlook-that I know of -I uninstalled microsoft office a long while ago because I never used it.I wanted go back and see if I could undo what I did, but some of the links in my control panel don't work now and one of them is recovery.

 

[Elljay]

But it`s saying you have an outlook problem.

Hello again AddRam. I have never used outlook-I find it confusing.

 

[Elljay]

First point is (and I'm sure you know this) is never to pay money to sites that offer to fix errors like this

I can't really see how system restore could cause this and like AddRAM mentions the error seems related to Microsoft "outlook" which is related to Microsoft office. Do you have Office and Outlook installed ?

System restore is reversible if you felt you wanted to try that. You just pick the most recent restore point.

Did you fix the libraries problem ?

Oh yes! My libraries problem is fixed. I followed boohbah's explanation.

 

[Mooly]

Pleased to hear the libraries issue is fixed

I don't really know what to suggest for the other error.

Does it come up with this error code if you just reboot the PC and use it normally ? Have you tried running system restore again but this time picking the most recent date ?

When you uninstall programs they don't always fully remove themselves (that's a common problem) and I wonder if doing a system restore has restored the registry and so on back to a time when you had Office installed and so there is some error in that it is looking for some files that don't now exist. I'm just guessing on that but doing another restore seems the next step to me.

 

[Elljay]

Pleased to hear the libraries issue is fixed

I don't really know what to suggest for the other error.

Does it come up with this error code if you just reboot the PC and use it normally ? Have you tried running system restore again but this time picking the most recent date ?

When you uninstall programs they don't always fully remove themselves (that's a common problem) and I wonder if doing a system restore has restored the registry and so on back to a time when you had Office installed and so there is some error in that it is looking for some files that don't now exist. I'm just guessing on that but doing another restore seems the next step to me.

Hello Mooly.
Yes, when I reboot my system the error message displays. Some of my desk top gadgets are gone - like my clock,calendar and windows media center. I went to my control panel to see if I could undo what I did, but now some of the links don't work-one of them is the recovery link. I can't get back in. boohbah is suggesting that I do a sfc scan. I did not have many restore points to choose from at the time I did the system restore. I am thinking maybe it is the restore point I chose-which said critical update because it was at a point when my libraries were normal.

 

[Mooly]

You seem to have a lot of unrelated issues going on here. There is no harm in using system restore to try different points in time and you can do this as often as you want.

The file checker boobah mentioned is worth running.

If the worst comes to the worst it might be worth doing a factory reset which brings all back to day one. How that is done is model specific. You lose everything but end up with an as new PC so save all your personal files first if you do this.

The best insurance against disasters is a program such as Acronis True Image which allows you to make disk images quickly and as often as you want. If you use something like that daily then you are never more than 24 hours from a working image.

You can then try stuff and mess things up as much as you want knowing you can go back.

As to fixing all your current issues. It really is something that you need to be sat behind to see exactly what is going on.

If you have a W7 install disc then you can do a W7 repair,
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/3413-repair-install.html