Windows 10: Path to 'Documents' folder -- strange behavior

About three weeks ago I migrated from XP to Windows 10, putting all my personal folders that were in XP's 'My Documents' into Win10's 'Documents' folder. The eBooks for my legacy eBook reader (MobiPocket) were in the XP folder 'My eBooks', which is now a sub-folder of Win10's 'Documents', and the eBook reader was set to find its files at "C:\Users\Owner\Documents\My eBooks". Also, in XP I wrote a batch file to backup documents to the USB memory (F:\), and I modified it in Win10 as follows:

Xcopy "C:\Users\Owner\Documents\*.*" "f:\JN Daily Backup\Documents" /c /h /s /i /y /q /d:%var2% [date I enter with the keyboard]
Both the eBook reader and my batch file worked fine for about 10 days, and then yesterday both started returning "Path Not Found." When I looked in the File Explorer, 'Documents' was still there with 'My eBooks' as a sub-folder containing my eBooks. But then I noticed that 'Documents' was also a sub-folder of Win10's Downloads folder. I clicked on the Downloads\Documents folder, and everything seemed identical to the main folder Documents. I tried modifying a folder in one, and then found the modified file in the other. When I changed the path in my batch file and eBook reader to "C:\Users\Owner\Downloads\Documents\...", both started working again. As shown in the attached screenshot, there no longer is a Documents folder at C:\Users\Owner in the command prompt window, even though it's still there in the File Explorer.

What's going on? Will the path to 'Documents' keep changing?

:)

 

Opening Folders - Strange Behavior

It looks like this issue is only when accessing a folder from the "Quick Access" list. If that helps narrow it down... I've tried resetting settings, etc. Anything else to try??

 

Opening Folders - Strange Behavior

Hi,

Thank you for being part of the Windows 10 family.

Sorry to know that you are facing issues with the Windows 10.

In order to help you better, please provide the information:

Are you getting any error message?

Method 1: I suggest you to perform the system maintenance troubleshooter. It will resolve the common system problems.

1. Tap on Windows Key and click on search bar.
2. Type “Troubleshooting” without the quotes and click on
Troubleshooting.

3. Then click on System and Security.

4. Click on System Maintenance.

5. Click on Next and follow the prompts to run the troubleshooter.

If the issue still persist, refer to the below method.

Method 2: I suggest you to perform a System File Checker of the Computer and check if it helps.

1. Press Windows Key.

2. Then type “CMD” without the quotes and right click on it.

3. Select Run as Administrator.4. Then type”sfc /scannow” without
the quotes and hit on Enter Key.

Method 3: I would suggest you to boot the Computer in Safe Mode and check if the issues is occurring or not. After following the below steps from the link. Under the options. Please select Safe Mode.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/change-startup-settings-in-windows-10#v1h=tab01

Hope it helps. Get back to us for further assistance on Windows related issues. We will be glad to help.

 

Hi, you might like to read thru this which bears some similarity.. albeit the poster caused the problem by what he did himself.
Solved Duplicate D:\ drive - Windows 10 Forums

Ignore the initial speculation about junctions.

 

Thanks. I've now read through the thread you suggested but didn's see any solution to my problem. It bothers me that Windows can start shuffling my personal folders around to places where I and my apps can't find them. I'm wondering whether I should move all my user files out of the Windows 10 system partition into another partition (D:/) on the same drive and then stop using the six Windows-created folders altogether. Maybe that way my folders will stay where I put them and only where I put them. Will I lose any useful Windows funcions if I do that?

 

1. the principle of moving user data away from your Windows disk/partition is a very good one.
- independence of Windows crashes
- backups
- defragmentation
- size (e.g. think SSD until we get 8Tb SSDs at a good price..)
2. you won't succeed in moving everything away
3. not sure how Windows copes with that sort of change if
a. you do an in-place upgrade repair install
b. a major build upgrade
You'd expect it should, of course.
4. Those folders are typically filled with folders created by programs I've installed. That makes Doucuments 'Their Documents' and so on.

Personally, I leave them to get on with it.
I create my own folders on another partition.
'My files and folders'
'My Photos'
and so on.. and nothing else interferes with them.

Now, you can, of course, incorporate your own folders into the libraries- or create your own libraries.

The behaviour you've seen seems remarkably similar to the thread I quoted, so I thought perhaps you might try the ideas at the end of it.

 

I have moved mine and upgraded a few times and it didn't bother it at all. I didn't move AppData though.