Problems with Windows Pictures Library

[dlwmacgregor]

Hello.
I am having a strange problem with my Windows 7 Picture Library.
The locations of the Library are very similar but not the same - see attachment. Which one is correct?
Both locations sorted by Folder show the same files and folders - nothing is missing.

The first location when sorted by Month says it's empty.
The second one shows the folders by month but there are some months missing (I used Windows Photo Gallery to double-check) and some picture files missing as well.
See the related attachments.
I have re-indexed the entire volume and also run SFC /SCANNOW with no errors.
Any idea what's going on here?
Thanks

 

[mrjimphelps]

My thought is that your computer was upgraded from XP to Windows 7. And it was a simple upgrade, not a "wipe the drive" clean install. For this reason you have the two locations for your pictures, because Windows left the old folder alone and simply created a new folder for the pictures.

There is no harm in keeping both entries in the Pictures Library. In fact, these entries are merely shortcuts to the actual folders. If you delete one of the entries, the corresponding folder will still be there; but you will no longer have the shortcut to it.

I don't recall for sure, but I believe that the "C:\Users\...\pictures" shortcut is the Windows 7 way of storing the pictures, while the "C:\Documents and Settings\...\Pictures" shortcut is the XP way of storing the pictures. Open File Explorer and look for both. You will probably be able to figure out which is which, just by looking at the dates on the contents of each pictures folder.

If you want, you can keep both folders. Or, you can move everything from the old pictures folder to the new, then delete the shortcut to the old pictures folder. But I wouldn't delete the old folder itself unless you are certain you have moved everything in that folder to another location.

 

[dlwmacgregor]

Thanks for the reply.
It was a clean install of Windows 7 in 2014.

 

[mrjimphelps]

When you did the clean install, did you tell it to wipe the drive, or did you tell it to put the new Windows in a different folder than the old one?

The only way you can have both "C:\Users\...\pictures" and "C:\Documents and Settings\...\Pictures" in the same Windows install is if something is still hanging around from the previous install. Windows doesn't use both locations for one single install; the fact that both locations are in use on your computer tells me that there is still something hanging around from a previous install.

At any rate, the way to fix it is to move everything into one folder or the other (I believe you should stick with the C:\users\... folders), and then from that point forward use only the folder you moved everything into. And then delete the no-longer valid shortcut from the Pictures Library.

 

[dlwmacgregor]

I used the XP Migration Tool from XP (on my old computer) which is probably why I have the XP-related folder.
The contents of both locations are identical (files and folders) right down to the pictures I took yesterday.

 

[dlwmacgregor]

OK. I removed the Document and Settings location from the Library.
There are still Folders and Files missing from the BY Month View.
Should I try and re-index again?

 

[mrjimphelps]

I'm guessing that the two folders are somehow synchronized. If you delete the "XP" style folder, then everything will be only in the folder that you didn't delete. But before I deleted anything, I would copy the entire contents of both folders to a separate location, just to make sure that I didn't lose anything when I deleted the folder.

Keep in mind that there other folders which could be affected when you do the delete -- Documents, Desktop, Music, Videos, etc. I suggest that you back up both C:\Users\<yourname>\*.* and C:\Documents and Settings\<yourname.\*.* to an external drive, then delete C:\Documents and Settings\<yourname>\*.*.

("*.*" tells Windows to copy everything)

Then after doing that, make sure that all of your stuff is in C:\Users\<yourname>. If not, then copy it from the external drive into that folder structure.

Finally, delete the entry to C:\Documents and Settings from your Pictures Library.

Update: I typed the above before I saw your last entry. I wouldn't use the Library shortcuts to access the files; I would drill down to them starting on C:\. Then copy everything that I listed above to an external drive.

 

[dlwmacgregor]

I deleted the C:\document and Settings pictures folder and nothing showed up in the Library sorted by Month and the Gallery app didn't like it either. It said the C:\Users\.... Folder was missing even though that wasn't the one I deleted.
I restored the Documents and Settings... from my nightly backup and everything was back to where it was before - still screwy.
I will check my Windows 10, since that was updated from this Windows 7. I don't use Windows 10 it's just there for Backup and future use (when I upgrade my CPU).

 

[mrjimphelps]

When I said to back up the folders, I meant to suggest a simple copy of the files and folders, rather than doing a backup with backup software. Then copy them back, once you have deleted the old folder structure.

My thought is that you, not the backup software, will manage the copy process. Therefore, hopefully this will strip out whatever is causing the folders and files to synchronize.

 

[dlwmacgregor]

I didn't do a Backup from Backup Software.
I deleted the folder structure and then restored it from a Backup.

 

[dlwmacgregor]

I found the answer - in a roundabout sort of way.
In addition to my usual Windows 7 drive I also have a "backup" Windows 7 drive using a separate and legitimate copy of Windows.
I use it to troubleshoot any problems on my main windows 7 drive and test stuff out.
I booted into it and had the same problem with Libraries with missing Folders and Files.
In one case when Arranged by Month said "empty folder" I knew something basic was wrong.
As a hunch I "took ownership" of the root picture folder and voila!, everything started to appear. I gave it a few minutes and Arranged by Month and everything was there.
Thanks to the Take Ownership shortcut i got from Seven Forums a few years ago, it's all fixed.