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[andrewberg]

Hello, I may have a problem with personal user folders in Windows Vista:

I wanted to rename my pictures folder on an external USB drive "B: \1. Arts collections" --  but while the selected new name appears in Explorer as desired, the folder path remains unchanged -- so if I click in the address bar, it still displays the old name "B:\1. Arts collections." (Furthermore, some applications could not find the folder under its new name...)

Background: Prior to renaming I had removed the 'personal pictures folder' linking to this folder by resetting the address "B:\1. Arts collections" on the "Properties > Path" tab back to the default path "C:\Users\Pictures ". (Otherwise, the phenomenon could be explained in that Windows continues to link personal user folders under their original name, even if you rename them ...) Also, using Regedit I have removed all references to the old folder path from the registry (eg. under "Shell Folders")...

What else can I do to make Windows and any programs use only the new name of the folder?
Thank you in advance!

[JimH]

If you rename through MC, it will all work, but you can fix this by using MC's Find and Replace tool.  Tools > Library Tools...

[andrewberg]

Thanks, but what do you mean by "rename through MC"?

Note the problem isn't directly related to MC since I had removed the folder from my library beforehand...

[ferday]

if you rename a User profile folder, you should use a syslink junction for windows and others to see it properly

search google for mklink...it's not that hard and it works perfect for me

in MC, you just use the RMC tool to change the folder path from the old to the new...the library will automatically go to the other path.  but other applications get broken much easier

[andrewberg]

As explained before (pls read previous posts before adding new!), that folder was no longer associated to my user profile when I renamed it!

I don't care for any extra tools, only for a deeper insight to Windows... Actually, I learned in the meantime that Windows stores a file 'desktop.ini' for folders you assign new icons to, which I had done with my folder. This file can contain a host of information including the string 'localized resource name' to store the current folder name...

So again, none of this explains why Windows displays a regular folder (that is NOT a 'system' or 'user profile' folder) under two different names... Any other ideas, only Windows experts please?

[ferday]

Mklink is a Windows command line (not an external tool) that makes a permanent link (not a shortcut like changing the properties).  So if the folder used to be B:/pictures, and all your applications depend on that, you need to mklink a junction between b:/pictures and c:/new pictures (or whatever).  This will fool windows and every other application into believing everything is where it used to be

If this isn't what you are asking, try to be more clear instead of wasting words on scolding people who are trying to help

[andrewberg]

Sorry for being impatient... but I have to point out if suggestions seem off topic, such as your "if you rename a User profile folder,..." did (see first post, "I had removed user folder linking" -- please bear with me, as a non native English speaker I may use awkward wordings ;-)

So, although 'fooling' Windows sounds like fun, I don't want to make things more complicated by creating hidden links (that I likely forget later).

However, what you refer to as 'syslink' or 'Mklink' may be related to my problem, because the folder behaves as though it was still 'hardlinked' (to use a term I know ;-), just like the other folders under "C:\users\...".  So perhaps the question should be: How can I find out if such linking still exists, and remove it?

[ferday]

Finding them might be hard.  Try a Cmd line

dir /AL /S c:\

C:\ replaced with whatever drive you want to check.  To remove a link just delete it like any normal file

[andrewberg]

Try a Cmd line
dir /AL /S c:\
To remove a link just delete it like any normal file

Can you tell what the /AL /S switches stand for, or what they do? To my understanding, if any hardlink to that folder existed, I would see a duplicate in some other location, but that's not the case. Or to be exact, I have a backup folder of the same name on another drive , but they are not linked in any way (or so I think ;-).

[ferday]

/Al is junction specific search, /s is include sub folders

The links shouldn't be "hidden"; they are usually listed in the original directory like a shortcut but they appear as regular folders instead of shortcuts

Junctions are the only way to allow (most) apps to use files once they've been moved without reinstalling the app.  As mentioned in MC this is easy to get around...I can't speak for any other apps you may use

[andrewberg]

Thank you for that. I still don't think it will resolve my problem though as I'm sure no such link exists... It's almost as if the programs I use to view those images (i.e. Desktop Sidebar galeries, and also MC before I removed the path from my library) would prevent me from renaming the folder so they can continue to use it... However that's possible, so there must be something else going on...

I guess, until I eventually discover what it is, I'll just leave the old folder name as it is ;-)