Solved Moving My Pictures library location deleted its entire contents (Win7)

[SevenDiogenes]

I wanted to free up some space on my C drive by moving the Library "My Pictures" to my E drive. From the Explorer sidebar I was able to navigate to a section that had an option to do just that - migrate all of my files.


I initiated the process but was interrupted by an overwrite dialogue box, asking me if I wanted to replace, rename, or skip each individual item with the checkbox to apply to all other conflicts. Deciding I wanted to avoid this and do it manually, I hit "Cancel." I was then presented with a completely empty My Pictures in E. I went to check the My Pictures in C but Windows deleted it along with all its contents.



Recuva doesn't yield anything - as if it wasn't deleted. What do I do?

 

[townsbg]

Does it look like any less space it taken up? Browse to c:\users\<username>\Pictures and see if they are there.

 

[RolandJS]

If those pictures are important, do not write to the drive any more than necessary. Follow townsbg's advice and give an update.

 

[SevenDiogenes]

No such directory

Does it look like any less space it taken up? Browse to c:\users\<username>\Pictures and see if they are there.

Hard to say honestly - it's my SSD I only use for my OS, files that default there and I haven't symlinked out like AppData, and the rare program that I want/need to be SSD fast.



C:\Users\<username>\Pictures sadly doesn't exist beside its sibling \Videos, unfortunately, though I'm 90% sure that's the file the Library 'My Pictures' used to point to.

If those pictures are important, do not write to the drive any more than necessary. Follow townsbg's advice and give an update.

I've been trying to see what writes to C in the background (via Recuva and EaseUS Free) as I certainly never intend to myself. So far Google Chrome is the only frequent culprit, as it apparently stores temporary images there.


On the plus side Recuva and EaseUS both find plenty of old stuff on my C drive (so I have plenty of space to go before I begin overwriting?). On the minus, neither of them have any idea what I'm talking about when I look for C:\Users\<username>\Pictures/My Pictures/etc.

 

[SevenDiogenes]

Revisiting

Does it look like any less space it taken up? Browse to c:\users\<username>\Pictures and see if they are there.

Interestingly, plugging exactly that into a file explorer window (instead of navigating there via clicks) takes me to E:\Pictures, where I intended to move My Pictures.

 

[RolandJS]

Are the pictures there? If yes, it is full images onto external media backup time.

 

[SevenDiogenes]

Sadly, no

Sadly, no.

 

[townsbg]

You shouldn't just "move" folders from the library because those are system folders and have to be reassigned correctly. Also I would have copied the folder rather than move it until you verified that the files where ok, but you don't need hindsight now. For the drive the pics was on is there any less space used now?

 

[SevenDiogenes]

You shouldn't just "move" folders from the library because those are system folders and have to be reassigned correctly. Also I would have copied the folder rather than move it until you verified that the files where ok, but you don't need hindsight now. For the drive the pics was on is there any less space used now?

Hard to say honestly - it's my SSD I only use for my OS, files that default there and I haven't symlinked out like AppData, and the rare program that I want/need to be SSD fast.


Suffice it to say that because of the above factors, I did not memorize the amount of free space. All I can say is there's 286GB free of 465GB now. The good news and the bad news is that if I had to guess the folder in its entirety contained ~2-5GB, so on the upside it's less likely to be overwritten, but on the downside it's not a large enough space for me to notice if it's not there - even if I was paying it closer attention; again, I just don't eyeball my C drive much.


In the meantime while I/we figure this out, would it be a:

• Good Idea

or

• Bad Idea

to free up space on the C drive?


My thinking was that it'd give Windows more options when it comes to the unavoidable necessity of writing new stuff on its OS drive.

 

[RolandJS]

I'm still thinking that if the pics are very valuable, a local data recovery person should be given all the details from attempted relocation to the present, just maybe that person can get some if not most if not all your pics back.

 

[SevenDiogenes]

I'm still thinking that if the pics are very valuable, a local data recovery person should be given all the details from attempted relocation to the present, just maybe that person can get some if not most if not all your pics back.

I don't understand what you mean.


Either way, what can they do more than Recuva and EaseUS? I'm not really in a financial position to spend money on this kind of thing if I don't even know what's gone.

 

[townsbg]

Either way, what can they do more than Recuva and EaseUS? I'm not really in a financial position to spend money on this kind of thing if I don't even know what's gone.

That's the million dollar question (literally). Outside of Rescuva most other recovery software cost money and some of it is expensive. Usually they have trials that allow you to see what you can recover. You can also hire a firm to recover your data and that would definitely be expensive. Either way it's a crap shoot. I'm not really good on data recovery but if it isn't showing up under rescuva either it's somehow already been overwritten or it hasn't actually been deleted but is hiding somewhere. I couldn't tell you where because I'm not at your computer and I wasn't watching when that happened. But you might try looking to see if it's there somewhere. Perhaps check the files from the recycle bin volume, unhide system files and see if it's there, or check the destination to see if the files really are there. You might also check the drive for hardware failure. If it really is gone perhaps there is an issue with your drive. That might explain the error and why it's missing. It would also complicate recovery. How much time/resources you spend on it depends upon how valuable the pics are and your resources. But if nothing else google recovery software and see if any have trials that will allow you to see what they can recover.


Having had to do a recovery with Rescuva I can tell you I didn't like it's functionality. It didn't restore the files as was upon deletion but in a single folder. Thankfully most of it was backed up to an external drive so I just had to get a few things out of the recovery but I'm still trying to go through the rest. There's another important lesson: backup, backup, backup. Some people learn that the hard way.

 

[townsbg]

On the minus, neither of them have any idea what I'm talking about when I look for C:\Users\<username>\Pictures/My Pictures/etc.

I'm just seeing this but there isn't actually a <username>. That is your username. I don't know what your real name is or what you log into your computer with. Hence the reason why I put that. That is essentially your home directory not the actual path name. However that really doesn't matter if your pics where stored on another drive.

 

[RolandJS]

townsbg brings up important points, to which I can add information: many if not most data recovery folks, or companies, (some even invent HDW & SW) invest in hidiously-expensive-to-us hardware, software, clean room supplies, parts and parts for numerous HDD PCBs & such, etc., etc., etc., that most customers can only dream about and drool over. Such folks and compainies can do recovery at reasonable prices if DIY attempts were not done before, and at skyhigh prices if DIY attempts were done. HDDguru, HDDoracle, DataMedics, RecoveryForce are just four of the many forums that can give you insights as to the world of Data Recovery.

 

[SevenDiogenes]

I'm just seeing this but there isn't actually a <username>. That is your username. I don't know what your real name is or what you log into your computer with. Hence the reason why I put that. That is essentially your home directory not the actual path name. However that really doesn't matter if your pics where stored on another drive.

I know - I put that there because I thought we were on the same page in using it and I didn't see a need to name myself.

 

[SevenDiogenes]

That's the million dollar question (literally). Outside of Rescuva most other recovery software cost money and some of it is expensive. Usually they have trials that allow you to see what you can recover. You can also hire a firm to recover your data and that would definitely be expensive. Either way it's a crap shoot.

Yeah I know - I'm not paying someone six figures to break out a scanning electron microscope to recover all possible 0's and 1's. I strongly suspect it was some priceless memories, but my checking account balance is currently in the triple digits.

I'm not really good on data recovery but if it isn't showing up under rescuva either it's somehow already been overwritten or it hasn't actually been deleted but is hiding somewhere. I couldn't tell you where because I'm not at your computer and I wasn't watching when that happened.

If it helps, I'll OBS the process as I suspect I'll be able to duplicate it exactly, with a text.txt as each folder's only contents so I don't lose anything else. I'll get that done shortly.

But you might try looking to see if it's there somewhere. Perhaps check the files from the recycle bin volume,

That was my first step. Never graced the Recycle Bin with its presence.

unhide system files and see if it's there,

Already unhidden since time immemorial on this PC.

or check the destination to see if the files really are there.

Sadly: checked, double checked, and triple checked.



My best guess on Windows' thought process anthropomorphized because I don't know enough about the technicals:

1. Oh you want to move the library? Okay, we'll get started on that for you -grabs folder- (RAM? Temp file?)
2. Oh... looks like you've got some duplicates here, what do you want to do with them?
3. Oh, you don't want to move it there any more? Guess I'll put the folder in my hands in the shredder.

You might also check the drive for hardware failure. If it really is gone perhaps there is an issue with your drive. That might explain the error and why it's missing. It would also complicate recovery.

It's a fairly new Samsung EVO SSD; though that certainly doesn't completely rule out hardware failure I'm hoping and assuming (for cost reasons mostly) it's the least likely of the possibilities you presented.

There's another important lesson: backup, backup, backup. Some people learn that the hard way.

I've had Carbonite for quite a few years, but by default Carbonite doesn't back up every file, and it apparently didn't back up this one. Definitely lesson learned there.

 

[SevenDiogenes]

Somehow I lucked out and upon my fourth or fifth time poking around in Carbonite, I found a second way to search my backups. Lo and behold my folder was in there. In the backup under "C:\Windows\User\Pictures" so it showed up in searches for Pictures but not My Pictures, the name Windows' Libraries gave it.


Thank you both for your help.