Solved (Semi) Invisible Files

[Suburvia]

Hello. I have an interesting problem. I have checked out some of the tutorials and searched around the forums, but I can't find anything like the issue I'm having.

I am using Guitar Pro 5. I want to send a song I wrote to my friend over MSN. Normally, this is quite simple; I just share the file with him. However, it is not visible in the folder it's supposed to be in when I try to share it with my friend.

If I try to open, edit, or move the file from within Guitar Pro, I can. It's visible and editable and all other such stuff. It's a perfectly normal file.

However, it is completely invisible everywhere else, while other files in the same folder are visible and accessible. I can send those other songs, but not this one. I've gone into the properties of all of the files and they are, as far as I've seen, identical in every aspect. However, I can not see the file I want to send from MSN, or from the Libraries/Explorer. Only Guitar Pro can see the file.

What gives?

P.S. I tried creating a new file, and exporting the old one as a MIDI, but those turned out to be invisible, too. So it isn't just this file, it must be a setting or switch that got flicked somehow.

 

[Dzomlija]

Hello. I have an interesting problem. I have checked out some of the tutorials and searched around the forums, but I can't find anything like the issue I'm having.

I am using Guitar Pro 5. I want to send a song I wrote to my friend over MSN. Normally, this is quite simple; I just share the file with him. However, it is not visible in the folder it's supposed to be in when I try to share it with my friend.

If I try to open, edit, or move the file from within Guitar Pro, I can. It's visible and editable and all other such stuff. It's a perfectly normal file.

However, it is completely invisible everywhere else, while other files in the same folder are visible and accessible. I can send those other songs, but not this one. I've gone into the properties of all of the files and they are, as far as I've seen, identical in every aspect. However, I can not see the file I want to send from MSN, or from the Libraries/Explorer. Only Guitar Pro can see the file.

What gives?

P.S. I tried creating a new file, and exporting the old one as a MIDI, but those turned out to be invisible, too. So it isn't just this file, it must be a setting or switch that got flicked somehow.

Let me guess, Guitar Pro 5 is trying to save its files to either "C:\Program Files" or "C:\Program Files (x86)", or in a subfolder of these two folders?

If this is the case, then you'll find you files at "C:\Users\[YOUR USER NAME]\AppData\Local\VirtualStore". This is happening because the developers of the software incorrectly assumed that you have full access to all folders on your hard disk, as was the case with Windows XP. The "Program Files", "Program Files (x86) and "Windows" folders are slightly more restricted in Windows Vista and Windows 7, thus Microsoft created the VirtualStore automatic re-direct to get around compatibility problems that might be created.

On workaround that you can use to to uninstall Guitar Pro 5, then re-install it to a user created folder that does not exit in "C:\Program Files" or "C:\Program Files (x86)".

In other words, install Guitar Pro 5 to a folder named "C:\Guitar Pro 5", and you will not have a problem.

 

[Suburvia]

Before I go uninstalling and re-installing, I'd like to know why there's no AppData folder under C:/Users/anything. There's four folders under Users, and none of them have a folder named "AppData".

Even weirder is that the one called C:/Users/Administrator has nothing in it. If I check its properties, it supposedly has 9 files and 4 folders, but I can't see any of them.

 

[pebbly]

Before I go uninstalling and re-installing, I'd like to know why there's no AppData folder under C:/Users/anything. There's four folders under Users, and none of them have a folder named "AppData".

Even weirder is that the one called C:/Users/Administrator has nothing in it. If I check its properties, it supposedly has 9 files and 4 folders, but I can't see any of them.

hi suburvia , Try this
control panel>appearance and personalisation>folder potion>show hidden files and folders

 

[Suburvia]

Thanks a bundle guys. Much appreciated.

 

[pebbly]

Thanks a bundle guys. Much appreciated.

You're very welcome

 

[Dzomlija]

Thanks a bundle guys. Much appreciated.

Glad we could help.

Just one question: Did you ever find the files for Guitar Pro 5 under "C:\Users\[YOUR USER NAME]\AppData\Local\VirtualStore"?

 

[Suburvia]

Thanks a bundle guys. Much appreciated.

Glad we could help.

Just one question: Did you ever find the files for Guitar Pro 5 under "C:\Users\[YOUR USER NAME]\AppData\Local\VirtualStore"?

Yes, I did. They were just hidden, as Pebbly suggested. Am I the only one who finds it strange that such important folders were hidden? You'd think Windows should tell you where the files are going, and that it's a hidden location.

 

[Dzomlija]

Thanks a bundle guys. Much appreciated.

Glad we could help.

Just one question: Did you ever find the files for Guitar Pro 5 under "C:\Users\[YOUR USER NAME]\AppData\Local\VirtualStore"?

Yes, I did. They were just hidden, as Pebbly suggested. Am I the only one who finds it strange that such important folders were hidden? You'd think Windows should tell you where the files are going, and that it's a hidden location.

Actually, the name says it all - The "AppData" folder is used to store Application Data. It is hidden for good reason, as messing with the files within can, and often does, lead to programs no longer working properly.

By why then is the VirtualStore folder there also? This is a matter of opinion.

I believe that Windows hides VirtualStore under AppData so that people will believe some programs are not 100% compatible with enhanced security of Windows 7, and will then go out and get the required updates. Which is a valid assumption, because programs should not be writng to "Program Files" (or any other system folder) under any circumstances other than during program installation. That fault then lies with the program beng used, not the OS.

Some would disagree and say that windows should make the VirtualStore easier to find. Why? So that software developers can continue being lazy by not using the recommended user data folders like "Documents", "Pictures", etc? Being a developer myself, I'd know that using the Windows API to determine the location of "Program Files" is no different to finding the location of "Documents", and changing the call from one to the other makes absolutly no difference to the size or performance of an application. At least Microsoft programmers had the forsight to implement the VirtualStore system in the first place, to eliminate the possibility of some poolry written programs being completely broken on Windows 7.

But I'll stick to my guns. Programs such as "Guitar Pro 5" (among others) should not be writing to any protected system folders such as "Program Files", "Program Files (x86)" or "Windows". Doing so is the mark of a lazy programmer.

I'm glad you located your files.

 

[Suburvia]

Thanks for all the help, and that actually makes sense. I agree that programs trying to save to Program Files would just be lazy programming (I'm a rookie myself, so I know how simple changing the file's location would be), but I wholly blame Windows for not telling me that it's redirecting my files. I think Windows should at least tell the user it's being done.

 

[Dzomlija]

Thanks for all the help, and that actually makes sense. I agree that programs trying to save to Program Files would just be lazy programming (I'm a rookie myself, so I know how simple changing the file's location would be), but I wholly blame Windows for not telling me that it's redirecting my files. I think Windows should at least tell the user it's being done.

Put that way, you also make sense. Windows just goes ahead and redirects without warning, leaving the user scratching his head...

OT: Me, I use Emarcadero RAD Studio 2010 for most projects, or Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) when programming Excel worksheets...