Windows 10: Download/Desktop folders BUG

Basically at some point I set my Windows 10 desktop as the place I'd like downloads to go to. Probably from FIREFOX. This has worked on other PCs but a bug emerged on this one.

The bug is that the desktop folder renames itself as DOWNLOADS. It retains the desktop icon but behaves as a downloads folder. The other downloads folder still exists with the proper icon. Like so --

https://www.tenforums.com/attachmen...apture.png?s=c1e8b753a573dc6e5ffc1ac8c4009171

Advice offered here didn't work. I say as much in the last comment.

Windows 10 desktop renamed "downloads" - Microsoft Community

One of the comments said an MS Tech (?) simply readjusted the name and fixed it. Do you know how I could do that? I followed the advice and it didn't work.

:-(

:)

 

Removing Folders from User Profile Deletes the actual folder

I just deleted The shortcuts to download, document, desktop folders from C:\Users\[User]

It deleted content of my desktop, download and document folders from drive

D:\UserData\Documents\

D:\UserData\Downloads\

D:\UserData\Desktop\

Who thought this is funny to make deleting a shortcut delete the actual file?

Please fix this bug!!!!

 

Desktop folder now named Downloads

To be honest, it has been quite a while since I experienced and dealt with this issue.

So you have two Download folders without a Desktop folder?

If that is the case, try creating a Desktop folder.

Once you have created a Desktop folder, and have at least one unique folder for both
Download and Desktop, figure out which folder is behaving like a
Desktop folder would behave.

This might not be of much help, but (due to not being able to remember exactly what I did) doing something like this and then experimenting further worked for me.

Worst case scenario is that you will have to reinstall windows if it bugs you that much (and I imagine it might).

 

I've never liked the default of Desktop with Windows and downloads [goes back a ways], gets too crowded. I created a new Folder on the desktop name Desktop and so far no change after saving data to it. Firefox does have a setting that can be changed as to where downloads are saved, great for newer computers with small-capacity C:/OS drives.

 

I have always made d:\downloads and c:\downloads as the default downloads, program by program, browser by browser, etc. Ever since learning that a major Windows update or upgrade or certain re-installs can accidentally lead to the deletion of all EXEs, ZIPs, user-created shortcuts in the Desktop folder -- I have steered away from having anything download to the Windows Desktop. That's just me *Smile

 

I hear you. The first thing I do on a PC is remove the Recycle Bin. I keep it in the Start Menu, out of the aesthetic way. After that I only use the desktop as a temporary place for files. I N-E-V-E-R put shortcuts on the desktop -- with the handy taskbar and Start Menu serving me as critical apps and secondary apps.

All this said -- any ideas on how to rename the desktop folder back to itself? Said area is news to this Apple switcher.

 

We will have to await others in the know, I have no answer *Smile

 

Use a Live Linux Distro (my standard fallback for whenever Windows tries to thwart me). *Smile

 

My MacBook Pro is now running the latest, macOS Sierra 10.12.1 [note the rename by Apple from Mac OS X]. Shortcuts on it are called an Alias.

For Windows it could be because the Desktop is the first item under This PC. Inside Desktop are all or most of the files and Folders showing on the Desktop, mine is showing the new Desktop Folder I created as a subFolder of Desktop.

 

Thanks for your reply Berton. A few thoughts --

1. The situation here is that there is no Desktop folder. I mean, there is -- but the system renamed it 'Downloads'.





See the one I circled? That's actually the desktop folder.

2. Or am I looking in the wrong place?

3. Seeing how delicate/confused this system already is the idea of adding a folder called Desktop sounds like a bad idea.

 

Have you checked the "desktop.ini" file (assuming W10 still uses them) in the "Documents" folder?

Maybe something overwrote the original one.