Information

This tutorial will show you how to restore a personal user folder if it has been deleted, in the wrong location, or is missing from your C:\Users\(user name) or Start menu location.

Tip

If you would like to change the personal user folder default location, then see: How to Change a Personal User Folder Location in Vista

RELATED LINKS:

• How to Fix a Personal User Shell Folder Displayed as a Standard Yellow Folder Icon in Vista
• How to Change a Personal User Folder Location in Vista
• How to Prevent or Allow User Profile Folders Location Change in Vista

EXAMPLE: Personal User Profile Folders

EXAMPLE: Personal User Profile Folders Start menu Location

NOTE

This can help open the user folder if it is just missing and not currupted.

1. Open the Start menu.

2. In the white line (Start Search) area, type in the Shell command for the missing Personal User folder and press Enter. (See screenshot below table)
NOTE: For example, I’m using the shell:My Music shell command for the Music personal user folder in this tutorial.

User Folder	Shell Command
Contacts	shell:Contacts
Desktop	shell:desktop
Documents	shell:Personal
Downloads	shell:downloads
Favorites	shell:Favorites
Links	shell:Links
Music	shell:My Music
Pictures	shell:My Pictures
Saved Games	shell:SavedGames
Searches	shell:Searches
Videos	shell:My Video

3. This should open the missing personal user folder from it’s current location and replace it in the Start menu.
NOTE: Check to see if the personal user folder has returned to the Start menu or C:\Users\(user name) location. Sometimes a restart is needed. If the user folder did not return, then proceed to OPTION TWO below.

4. Your done.
NOTE: If the personal user folder has returned and it is a standard yellow folder instead of the greenish blue folder, then see: How to Fix a Personal User Shell Folder Displayed as a Standard Yellow Folder Icon in Vista

NOTE

This can help restore the default location of a user folder. If it does not help, then use OPTION THREE below.

1. Right click on the user folder that you want to restore the default location for and click on Properties.
NOTE: Do this from the C:\Users\(user name) location for the best results and not from the Start menu user folders.

2. Click on the Location tab. (See screenshot below step 3)
NOTE: If you do not have a Location tab, then this is not the correct user folder and is only a normal folder that has the same name as the user folder. You will most likely need to use OPTION THREE in this case instead.

3. Click on the Restore Default button and click on OK. (See screenshot below)

4. If you get this, then click on Yes. (See screenshot below)

5. Click on Yes. (See screenshot below)
WARNING: If you do not click on Yes, you will have two copies of the personal user folder in the main (user name) folder with one being as described in the NOTE under step 2.

NOTE

Try OPTION ONE or OPTION TWO above first. If they do not help, then do this option. This option will show you how to restore only the Downloads (long number), Desktop, Documents (Personal), Favorites, Music (My Music), Pictures (My Pictures), or Video (My Videos) user folders back to it’s default location.

The Manual Method:

1. Open the Start menu.

2. In the white line (Start Search) area, type regedit and press Enter.

3. In regedit, go to: (See screenshot below 5)
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders
NOTE: You can see the default paths for the user folders under the Data column.

4. In the right pane, check to see if the missing personal user folder (under Name column) has the default %USERPROFILE% location (under Data column) for it.
NOTE: You can see all of the default locations in the screenshot below. If it does not have the default location, then proceed to step 5 to change it. If it does have the default location, then go to step 7.

5. In the right pane, right click on the personal user folder that is missing and click on Modify.

6. Type in the default location of the missing personal user folder, then click on OK. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: For example, %USERPROFILE%\Music.

7. Close regedit.

8. Logoff and logon, or restart the computer to restore the folder.
NOTE: Sometimes you may need to restart more than once for the changes to be applied.

That’s it,
Sandeep