Changed 'my documents' folder to D: drive, cant find after reinstall

Lagrange

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Hi,

I have the OS on an ssd drive and placed the 'my documents' folder on another drive.

I recently made a clean install of windows on the ssd, and now i cant find the pictures from the previous installation (stupid not to think of this in advance, i know :rolleyes:) on the D: drive.

Is there any way to recover the link to the old ' my documents'?
 

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64-bit Windows 11 Pro for WorkstationsIntel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600...ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
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64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
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Thanks Brink, been lurking for a while when in need of answers but i didnt find an answer to my question this time.

I think i was unclear:

I cant see the files any more, they are not shown in the D: drive. I figured that the path to them is gone since the old installation was removed.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 7 ultimate x64
Computer type
PC/Desktop
OS
Windows 7 ultimate x64

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

64-bit Windows 11 Pro for WorkstationsIntel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600...ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Self built custom
OS
64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
CPU
Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
Motherboard
ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
Memory
64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz
Graphics Card(s)
ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
Sound Card
Integrated
Monitor(s) Displays
2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
Screen Resolution
2560x1440
Hard Drives
1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus NAS
PSU
Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
Case
Thermaltake Core P3
Cooling
Corsair Hydro H115i
Keyboard
Logitech wireless K800
Mouse
Logitech MX Master 4
Internet Speed
2 Gb/s Download and 100 Mb/s Upload
Antivirus
Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
Browser
Google Chrome
Other Info
Logitech Z625 speaker system,
Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Thanks for the advice, i tried recuva and another recovery program but they did not find the files.

I also unhid all folders but still cant see the pictures and documents.

I dont understand the way that Users work in windows so well:
I made this folder as a 'my documents' folder in my previous installation. I formatted the OS installation drive, but not the drive with this folder. Am i supposed to be able to see the folder in this case (after unhiding and whatnot)? Or is it the case that there is no path to these files any more so i cant access them?
 

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Windows 7 ultimate x64
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Was your D drive connected at the time of your clean reinstall of C drive. If so it is possible that in the reformatting process during install of Windows on C drive that D drive was reformatted as well. Hopefully this is not the case.
It is always best to disconnect any other drives before doing a full reinstall.
 

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Yep, it was connected. Think i will call it a loss and a lesson in thinking before messing with the operating system. Thnks for the tips though!
 

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I keep my user folders Documents, Pictures, Videos etc on a separate drive or partition. I use the location tab to point windows to them so everything gets saved in them and not the original folders under my user folder. I haven't lost anything as a result of a reinstall, not yet anyway. Keep in mind that unlike Windows XP and earlier where everything was in the My Documents folder, Windows 7 has separate folders for Pictures etc that are not in the My Documents folder. Just moving your documents folder is not enough unless you actually store everything in that one folder.
 

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Windows 10 Education 64 bit
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I'm sorry to hear that Lagrange. :(

You might consider this below to be able to access the files from your libraries with the files actually located where you like instead. This way you wouldn't have to worry about breaking any links for your user profile folders, or losing them.

 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

64-bit Windows 11 Pro for WorkstationsIntel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600...ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Self built custom
OS
64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
CPU
Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
Motherboard
ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
Memory
64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz
Graphics Card(s)
ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
Sound Card
Integrated
Monitor(s) Displays
2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
Screen Resolution
2560x1440
Hard Drives
1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus NAS
PSU
Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
Case
Thermaltake Core P3
Cooling
Corsair Hydro H115i
Keyboard
Logitech wireless K800
Mouse
Logitech MX Master 4
Internet Speed
2 Gb/s Download and 100 Mb/s Upload
Antivirus
Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
Browser
Google Chrome
Other Info
Logitech Z625 speaker system,
Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
Galaxy S23 Plus phone
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