Windows 10: Network drive is hiding folders

I'm transferring stuff from my wife's old computer to her new one. (She inherited her old computer from me several years ago, so I'm still a user on it).

Mapped a drive to Users (\\ComputerName)(Z: ), On it are Me, Default, Default.migrated, Her and desktop.ini, nothing else. On the computer C:\Users has 2 additional folders: DefaultAppPool and Public.

Clicking on her username folder on drive Z: has several folders and files one would expect, and a couple of missing folders: AppData in particular. Opening my username also has missing files and folders but it does have the AppData folder.

I'm using a thumb drive to get the files I need but I'm kinda curious why there is a difference.*Confused

:)

 

Unable to Hide Empty DVD Drive

Unfortunately, hide empty drives does not hide DVD drives.

If you have e.g. card readers, they will be hidden when you select hide empty drives but only if you select

"don't show hidden files, folders and drives" as well.

 

File Explorer is not hiding empty USB drives, despite setting to 'hide empty drives'

Good one! That turned up useful info. It seems that three File Explorer settings may be interacting:

View->Options->View->Hide empty drives

View->Navigation pane->Show all folders

View->(show/hide panel) Hidden items

My Windows preference for decades has been to show all file system items, including 'hidden system' items, so I had the latter two selected. To hide empty drives, I had the first item selected. In sum, I had all three selected.

Thanks to your tip (create a new account), I see I can get the Navigation Pane to stop showing empty drives by unclicking 'show all folders' (regardless, it seems, of how 'hide empty drives' is set). It appears that 'show all folders' overrides or ignores
'hide empty drives' (even though a folder is not a drive!).

View->Hidden items seems to control visibility of system files, and, if 'Hide empty drives' was selected, makes empty drives disappear from This PC (otherwise, ie., if View->Hidden items is not selected, This PC shows empty drives greyed out, despite the
'Hide empty drives' setting).

So, to hide empty drives, I think one should do this:

Select View->Options->View->Hide empty drives

Deselect View->Navigation pane->Show all folders

Deselect View->(show/hide panel) Hidden items (if you care about hiding empty drives on This PC; otherwise, if you want to see system files, select this item; empty drives will still be hidden on the Nav pane).

The Navigation Pane option 'Show all folders' seems to function as 'Show all folders & some empty drives' (it doesn't show empty USB or DVD drives). Closing and re-opening File Explorer may be required to get it to implement the selection.

From previous Windows versions, I thought 'View->(show/hide panel) Hidden items' controlled only display of system files, but it seems to now also affect display of hidden drives (eg., in This PC's display).

'View->Options->View->Hide empty drives' would seem to be an explicit and therefore overriding control, but that doesn't seem to be the case (eg., the Nav pane seems to listen more closely to its own control).

Anyway, thank you RobertJWin, you've helped me get to the bottom of the issue. Others may wish to further explore this (and confirm the above), and Microsoft may wish to review how some of this is implemented, to make it more clear/correct (there may be
a Nav pane issue re media reader slots).

Thanks again, Robert

 

Nothing is hiding. Just the Security permissions are screwed up. Try GrantPerms to see if it will fix things. You can keep the Farbar tools on a USB stick. GrantPerms Download

 

Have you set i ttoshow hidden and system files?