Folders don't show up on two external drives

[bill2reg]

Something weird happened today. On my two external drives, most of the folders, and possibly some individual files, don't show up. But if I access these drives with my network devices (smartphone, tablet, TV and Playstation 3) all the folders and their contents are there and function normally. But the PC (Windows 7 64 bit home premium) suddenly doesn't show the folders. I have changed the display from everything from Extra large Icons to details, list, etc. but it doesn't matter. BUT.....if I search a drive (I even used "*" as the search item) then they show up! In fact using "*" shows all of the folders! But I shouldn't have to do that. It has always been that just opening the drive displayed ALL the folders and files. Maybe there is some setting that somehow got switched???

 

[bill2reg]

I have tried creating a new folder and then dragging the folders that the "*" search found into the new folder. So when I open the drive in explorer, the new folder and all the previously "lost" ones are there. It's as if the index of the file system for the drive got messed up, but by moving the folders, the new locations are OK. It will take some work but this may take care of most of the problem. But it still doesn't answer the question why it happened. Oh, and on the smaller external drive, a whole bunch of files from the C: drive as well as the other external drive got copied there. For instance, all my system font files are copied to the external drive K: and I NEVER put those there!