Deleted folder keeps reappearing?

This isnt an urgent thing - but it sure is an annoying one!

I had a folder on the desktop (which is empty) which i had deleted quite some time ago... but for some reason, the folder keeps reappearing after i delete it.

Sometimes it disappears for days then reappears.... and other times it re-appears every few hours. Almost as if there's some sort of process running to keep creating the folder.

I dont think it's a virus, because i think my McAffee would've picked it up - but you never know.....

anyone heard of this before??

Find more posts tagged with

Free for TechExams community: Cybersecurity salary guide

Compare cert salaries and plan your next career move

Button

Comments

keatron

Check the all users profile desktop.

C:\documents and settings\all users\desktop.

JDMurray

What's the name of the folder? It may be a temp folder that an app you (or another user) are running is creating.

Khattab

It's definately not a temp folder - it's a folder that i created some time back (called Assessments) and deleted it when i no longer needed it.

I'm at home at the moment, so cant check the "all users" account, but i will check it when i get home.

anyone have any other thoughts?

JDMurray

Is anything disappearing? It sounds like a restore point or backup is being restored. This would restore previously deleted data, but also cause recently created data to disappear.

Do you logon to different user accounts on that computer, or always logon on to the same user account?

Sie

Have you ever used this as a default location for downloads / unzip location of files?

Maybe its recreating this each time you do one of these actions?

Khattab

jdmurray wrote:

Is anything disappearing? It sounds like a restore point or backup is being restored. This would restore previously deleted data, but also cause recently created data to disappear.

Do you logon to different user accounts on that computer, or always logon on to the same user account?

Nothing is disappearing that i know of. It just looks like there is one folder that keeps getting restored - dont know how.

I dont have multiple logon accounts - i've always had just the one logon account.

It isnt a zip or download folder either - it is a folder i havent used in ages, it just intermittently gets restored as an empty folder on my desktop. I deleted it 3 or 4 times yesterday.

It's a head scratcher aye?

keatron

Did you check the all users account?

Khattab

keatron wrote:

Did you check the all users account?

I only have one user account... No other users log onto the pc. I checked the "Default User" and the "All Users" folders, and both have nothing on their desktops......

sprkymrk

Hmmm.

When you first created the folder what was it used for?

Thinking out loud:
Offline folders sycnronizing?
Group Policy?
Someone messing with you?
A self-healing MSI file installation point? (see question above)
Login script?
???

: ???

Khattab

sprkymrk wrote:

Hmmm.

When you first created the folder what was it used for?

Thinking out loud:
Offline folders sycnronizing?
Group Policy?
Someone messing with you?
A self-healing MSI file installation point? (see question above)
Login script?
??? : ???

Initially, the folder had a few word documents and a few mp3's.

This is running on my home laptop.... it isnt joined to a domain - so there's no group policy, and i dont have a login script.

I'm leaning towards someone messing around.... some sort of a trojan or something along those lines maybe?

i'll do an online scan tonight using the Trend Micro housecall product, just incase i've got an infection that McAfee isnt picking up....

The more i keep thinking about it, the more i laugh - because it's such a small thing, yet very annoying! lol

JDMurray

Don't forget the Spyware scanners, like Adaware, Spybot, and AVG Anti-Spyware, and the half-dozen or so rootkit scanners. It's highly unlikely that this is caused by Spyware or a rootkit, but best to rule these possibilities out.

sprkymrk

Khattab wrote:

Initially, the folder had a few word documents and a few mp3's.

Okay, then check this out - Windows Medial Player may be the culprit.

http://www.softwaretipsandtricks.com/forum/windows-xp/10048-help-folder-reappears-endlessly-after-deleting.html

JDMurray

Is this only with Media Player 11, or does 10 also do this?

Khattab

sprkymrk wrote:

Khattab wrote:

Initially, the folder had a few word documents and a few mp3's.

Okay, then check this out - Windows Medial Player may be the culprit.

http://www.softwaretipsandtricks.com/forum/windows-xp/10048-help-folder-reappears-endlessly-after-deleting.html

I think this may be the problem. The mp3's that i had, were ripped off a CD using Media Player, so im fairly convinced this is it....

I knock off work in just over an hour, so will let you guys know how it goes!

JBeam

Have you tried to delete it with the "DOS command prompt" ? I have ran into something similar with a file that kept coming up and I deleted it with the command prompt and it hasn't been back.

JDMurray

In Media Player 11, go to the Tools menu, select Options..., and click the "Rip Music" tab. Click the Change button in the "Rip music to this location" frame. The default is "My Documents\My Music", but on your system it has been changed to a desktop folder that MP11 recreates each time it is started. I recreated your mystery problem on my system, and that's the correct behavior of MP11 (at least). Nice detective work, sprkymrk!

keatron

Definitely a good one Mark.

Khattab

sprkymrky - as always, excellent work!

You've saved me from insanity!! As jdmurray said, i found that the default path in MP was set to the desktop folder!

I changed it back to the default and viola... no more annoying folder popping up!

MdW

Hi...

I have been having the same problem. I have a folder on my desktop which reappears after deleting. It seems to be being automatically recreated by a programme.

I have checked all programmes I can think of, which might have it as a default (Windows Media Player, Skype, Adobe Suite CS3, AutoCAD etc...) but none lists this folder as a default! Is there any way to find which programmes create default folders?

I also assume that the folder must 'belong' to one of my programmes which loads at start-up or is used reguarly, but as mentioned AutoCAD, Adobe Suite etc... are not the culprit!

Any ideas would be great.

I am running Vista Home Premium.

MdW

sprkymrk

Try searching your registry for the path, like C:\windows\....\desktop\foldername. Maybe you can see what program is associated with that path.

hetty

sprkymrk wrote:

Try searching your registry for the path, like C:\windows\....\desktop\foldername. Maybe you can see what program is associated with that path.

+1 Its in there somewhere

MdW

Thanks Guys! I found it. It was set up as the default inbox for my Bluetooth File Exchanger...

I reset that to simply be the desktop and I haven't a problem with it since... good-bye so long!

Excellent work once again team...

MdW

sprkymrk

Thanks for posting back, glad you found it.

ferring

I have an empty folder that keeps reappearing in My Documents called Downloads. I have followed the helpful advice in previous posts and by going to Regedit and doing a search have traced it to Win Zip. I am reluctant to make amendments in the registry, as I do not know what I am doing. I have had a look in Win Zip but cannot find a path that leads to the folder Downloads. Any advice would be appreciated.

Devilsbane

ferring wrote: »

I have an empty folder that keeps reappearing in My Documents called Downloads. I have followed the helpful advice in previous posts and by going to Regedit and doing a search have traced it to Win Zip. I am reluctant to make amendments in the registry, as I do not know what I am doing. I have had a look in Win Zip but cannot find a path that leads to the folder Downloads. Any advice would be appreciated.

Is it really that much of a pain? So big deal there is a folder called downloads inside of your mydocuments folder. If you don't want to look at it, right click on it, choose properties, and check the hidden box.

The folder will still be there but you don't have to look at it anymore.

ferring

I did as you suggested but only the folder's icon goes fainter, the name remains.

Devilsbane

ferring wrote: »

I did as you suggested but only the folder's icon goes fainter, the name remains.

Go into Tools, folder options, and go to the view tab. Change the Hidden files and folders option to "Do not show hidden files and folders"

ferring

Yes. Thank you, that worked.

Devilsbane

ferring wrote: »

Yes. Thank you, that worked.

No problem.

Out of sight out of mind.

Thaillen

Did you check to see if the user profile folder is read-only?