User Folders - Restore Default Location

Thank you so very much!

I've been searching for a week or two for a decent (correct and easy to follow) answer to this issue.

Seven.
(Not named after the system, I feel I must add.)

I really need some help. I have only had my pc 2 days, am new to 7, and have lost the luckily empty My Pictures folder and icon from user name folder. I was experimenting to see if anything I save in My Pictures could save on the removable D HD, rather than the usual C.

I right clicked on My Pictures in user name folder > Properties > Location. Then I clicked on 'Move', and another window opened, and I clicked on DATA (D) from the list on second window. This entered (D) in the box on the first window instead of C:\Users\Ian\Pictures. In hindsight, I probably should have clicked on 'Find Target' to make any pictures saved to My Pictures store on D HD, instead of C??

Anyway, the My Pictures folder and icon completely changed. The Icon changed to an icon of a hard drive, and the wording underneath changed to DATA (D). I tried to use 'Restore Default', but it said there were no restore defaults. This may be because the pc has only been on 2 days, and doesn't have any restore points yet? It was impossible to get the My Pictures folder back to how it was, or even get it's location back to C:\Users\Ian\Pictures.

Anyway, I used option 2 on page one of this thread, and everything was perfect, until step 25. It says if the user file is missing, create a new one and name it 'Pictures'. Trouble is, if I try to create a new folder called Pictures in user name folder, a 'Confirm Folder Replace' box appears saying 'This destination already contains a folder named pictures........... Do you want to merge this folder (image of folder).......with this one (image of another folder)? Clicking Yes, makes the new folder disappear, clicking no just means the name stays as 'New Folder'.

I have used command prompts twice, restarted several times, but it doesn't work. Am I right that until I can get a folder in User Name folder named 'Pictures', then the link from registry won't be made, and I won't ever get My Pictures restored?

Two Points;
1) I have checked Regedit, and the line for My Pictures is exactly how it should be, ie. My Pictures REG_SZ C:\Users\Ian\Pictures

2) If I type 'Pictures' in the start menu search box, it comes up with a file called 'Pictures'. Clicking on this brings up a new window and in the address bar at the top it says - Computer>Acer(C)>Users>Default>Pictures. Under the details headings, it says 'This Folder Is Empty'.
If I type 'My Pictures' in start menu search, I get a 'My Pictures' file in the results, with the correct My pictures folder icon that I have lost, to the left of it. Clicking on it opens a new window, and address bar reads Libraries>Pictures Lib>My Pictures, and says below 'This Folder Is Empty'.
I wonder if these 2 files/folders that appear in search results are the reason why I am being told that there is already a folder called Pictures, when I try to rename a new folder in user name folder?

Apologies for the essay, but I would really appreciate help to get the My Pictures folder back as it was. Thanks in advance to Brink, who is probably the expert I need.

Hi Brink

Here are the screen shots. I notice that in the shot of my user name file, with hidden files set to show, the 'Pictures' folder has miraculously appeared. Hope this is a good sign.

Ian

OK. Done steps 22 - 24, and pasted the line in your post to the command prompt. Restarted pc twice, but no luck. Folder still not reappeared.

With all hidden files set to 'show', it looks like it's grayed/faded.

Ian