For the love of god, Vista, where did you put my files ?!?

Panacea · #1 31st August 2009, 12:05 PM

I have a laptop which runs Vista.

Installed on the laptop is a nice little program, Hydraflow Storm Sewers 2003. It resides in this directory:

C:\Program Files\Hydraflow\Hydraflow Storm Sewers 2003

When I run this program and create storm drain networks, I save them as *.stm files. For example, I named one FourteenAndFifteen.stm.

When I run Hydraflow, I can clearly see/open the file here:

C:\Program Files\Hydraflow\Hydraflow Storm Sewers 2003\FourteenAndFifteen.stm

BUT when I run the windows explorer in Vista, when I go look in that directory, the file isn't there.

???

If I attempt to go to the file by typing the address "C:\Program Files\Hydraflow\Hydraflow Storm Sewers 2003\FourteenAndFifteen.stm" into the navigation bar, it says:

"Windows cannot find the file C:\Program Files\Hydraflow\Hydraflow Storm Sewers 2003\FourteenAndFifteen.stm". Please check your spelling and try again".

!!!

I just want to copy files to a flash drive. As it stands, I have to save them to the flash drive. WTF is going on here ?!?

The Futility of Nihilism · #2 31st August 2009, 12:17 PM

It seems to me that the directory in question is almost certainly "hidden". This is not uncommon for programs that store information in proprietary format in a subdirectory off the program directory. Change your view options to include hidden files and directories and maybe that'll work.

Panacea · #3 31st August 2009, 12:19 PM

Good advice, but I tried that, TFoN. What's weird is that I can see all the other files in the directory (including the "sample.stm" which comes with the program, and the exectuable file).

It hates me!

:sob:

Zeener Diode · #4 31st August 2009, 12:22 PM

Chin up. I'm sure it's nothing personal.

Vista hates everyone without prejudice.

The Futility of Nihilism · #5 31st August 2009, 12:54 PM

By any chance you don't have Hydraflow still open do you? It may have some sort of exclusive lock on the file so you can't get at it ... nah, then you'd get a permission denied error, not a "file not found" ...

Maybe your hard drive is haunted?

Panacea · #6 31st August 2009, 12:55 PM

Overtaken by jack-booted thugs!

threnody · #7 31st August 2009, 06:04 PM

Oh man I feel your pain. I lost two entire chapters using Vista (yes, I know back it up, thren! Back it up!) none of the auto-recovery procedures saved them and they weren't in any spot on the computer that I could find. Overnight rewrites.

Panacea · #8 1st September 2009, 04:54 AM

Seriously, though, I wonder if this is a glitch in the indexing thing that Vista does. Does anybody know much about that?

Erasmus Darwin · #9 1st September 2009, 05:26 AM

It's because programs aren't supposed to write data to "C:\Program Files". In theory, only programs should go there and user data should go in your documents folder or wherever. This allows the operating system to better protect executables from malicious software, keeps your important files in one place (making backups easier), and so forth.

However, older programs tend to not follow these policies. As a result, Vista strikes a compromise: It lets the program write there and see the files that it wrote, but it really sticks the files elsewhere in your user profile.

Here's a blog post on the subject: http://www.hanselman.com/blog/Vistas...alization.aspx

There should be a "compatibility files" button you can click to go to where the real files are.

The Futility of Nihilism · #10 1st September 2009, 05:26 AM

I suggest you convert to 7.

No, not Windows 7. I mean get 7 in here for advice since he probably knows more than all the rest of us combined.

ETA: Now that was a strange simulpost!

blank · #11 1st September 2009, 05:31 AM

Type the following into your address bar:

%appdata%\Hydraflow\Hydraflow Storm Sewers 2003\

Failing that do a "Save As" and stick it into your My Documents.

Panacea · #12 1st September 2009, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Erasmus Darwin

There should be a "compatibility files" button you can click to go to where the real files are.

Well, whatta you know. There they are. Thank you!!

I suppose I'll have to set up some other folders for the data that goes with different engineering programs. What a pain in the ass. *sigh*

ETA: No offense, blank, but I do not ever put anything but random junk or plot files into "My Documents". I have my folders organized in a way which is easy for me to keep track of them.

Sybarite · #13 1st September 2009, 07:54 AM

That sounds like Vista is basing its file indexing on the Mac OS - I love my Mac, but I hate the way it indexes my files, especially photos. Vista - the worst of both worlds!

blank · #14 1st September 2009, 08:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NinetyWt

Well, whatta you know. There they are. Thank you!!

I suppose I'll have to set up some other folders for the data that goes with different engineering programs. What a pain in the ass. *sigh*

ETA: No offense, blank, but I do not ever put anything but random junk or plot files into "My Documents". I have my folders organized in a way which is easy for me to keep track of them.

We have the opposite here at the office- if you don't put your files into My Documents (or folders below My Documents) then they don't get backed up.

Panacea · #15 1st September 2009, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sybarite

Vista - the worst of both worlds!

No shit, sister.

Quote:

Originally Posted by blank

We have the opposite here at the office- if you don't put your files into My Documents (or folders below My Documents) then they don't get backed up.

Ah, I see. I have my backup software set to search all of the engineering programs' directories for new files. It's good to be queen.

Erasmus Darwin · #16 1st September 2009, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NinetyWt

Well, whatta you know. There they are. Thank you!!

Glad I could help.

Quote:

ETA: No offense, blank, but I do not ever put anything but random junk or plot files into "My Documents". I have my folders organized in a way which is easy for me to keep track of them.

You can still create that same organized folder hierarchy within "My Documents". The advantage is that all your important stuff is in one single place when it comes time to do backups and such. The file save dialog is also geared toward making it easy to get to "My Documents". However, if your data spans multiple hard drives (or other media), then that doesn't really work.

Regardless, if you still don't want to use "My Documents", that's certainly your prerogative. I actually tend not to use it that much, either. And looking at the post you added while I was writing this, it looks like you've got the backup angle covered.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sybarite

That sounds like Vista is basing its file indexing on the Mac OS - I love my Mac, but I hate the way it indexes my files, especially photos. Vista - the worst of both worlds!

Not really. They're both borrowing the idea from earlier multiuser operating systems. If you've got more than one user account on a system, it makes sense not to stick user data in the same area that programs are installed.

Fromage A Trois · #17 1st September 2009, 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Erasmus Darwin

You can still create that same organized folder hierarchy within "My Documents". The advantage is that all your important stuff is in one single place when it comes time to do backups and such. The file save dialog is also geared toward making it easy to get to "My Documents". However, if your data spans multiple hard drives (or other media), then that doesn't really work.

This is what I do (at work, at least) - it's worked ok for me so far. At home I have a legacy folder structure which has just been ported to each new PC - so documents from now on go in "My Documents", but older stuff (and things that should be stored with the older stuff).

At work, we have no backup policy - we are responsible for our own backups and it's caused plenty of problems in the past!