Solve : Folder Only Shows Files That Start With A-F (Won't Display Oth

1.	Solve : Folder Only Shows Files That Start With A-F (Won't Display Other Files)?
Answer» Just tonight, a folder I have within my My Music folder (containing my .mp3 files) started only showing folders and files that have names that begin with A-F...only. Windows doesn't show the rest of the folders and files in there named G-Z. The folders and files ARE THERE, because if you type their full path in the address bar, they show up (and the files still play fine in iTunes). Again, if you open up the folder they simply don't appear. Even if you do a Windows Search, they still don't appear. I even tried copying this problem folder to my external hard drive, but the folders and files still do not appear! (THIS IS ONLY HAPPENING WITH THIS PARTICULAR FOLDER). I'm completely bewildered. There have been no major updates or changes to the computer...I'm sooo lost. Thanks in advance for any and all help!!! >>running Windows XP Media Center Edition SP2.Try Control Panel -> Classic View -> Folder Options -> View -> Select "Show hidden files and folders". Are you able to see G-Z then? They may have somehow been turned into hidden files and folders. Good idea, bud sadly I already tried that to no avail. Plus, when I actually open up the "missing" folders and files (when I type the full path) they indeed say they're not hidden files. Hence why I'm so lost as to why they're not being displayed...This is bizarre. Can you NAVIGATE to them from the C:\ prompt? Yea, I can navigate to them via the address bar or c:\prompt. For instance, if I type in the address to a file, for instance: "C:\Documents and Settings\HP_Administrator\My Documents\My Music\[mp3] Library\a-ha - Take on Me.mp3", unfortunately I can't actually see the file, it simply starts playing it in iTunes. However, if I type in the address to one of the folders, it does show up. For example: "C:\Documents and Settings\HP_Administrator\My Documents\My Music\[mp3] Library\prefuse_73-surrounded_by_silence" ...is my computer just crazy??I THINK your computer is stark raving mad. Have you tried to copy one of these invisible files or folders to a DIFFERENT location? Quote started only showing folders and files that have names that begin with A-F...only. Windows doesn't show the rest of the folders and files in there named G-Z Quote "C:\Documents and Settings\HP_Administrator\My Documents\My Music\[mp3] Library\a-ha - Take on Me.mp3", unfortunately I can't actually see the file, The second statement contradicts the first. Quote from: Dias de verano on March 06, 2008, 12:32:12 PM Quote started only showing folders and files that have names that begin with A-F...only. Windows doesn't show the rest of the folders and files in there named G-Z Quote "C:\Documents and Settings\HP_Administrator\My Documents\My Music\[mp3] Library\a-ha - Take on Me.mp3", unfortunately I can't actually see the file, The second statement contradicts the first. I was just using the band "a-ha" as an example...if it makes more sense, place "Taking Back Sunday - A Decade Under the Influence.mp3" instead... Anyway, yea, I think it may have just gone crazy. Quote from: Eg0Death on March 06, 2008, 12:01:24 PM I think your computer is stark raving mad. Have you tried to copy one of these invisible files or folders to a different location? Well, if I open up one of the "invisible" folders, I can indeed drag the files out of the folders (let's say, on to my Desktop) and they'll be there...weird. MY PROBLEM is that a lot of the files (over a 1000 of them) aren't in folder...so essentially, they're stuck... needhelpreallybad, how long have you been using computers? Quote from: Dias de verano on March 06, 2008, 03:28:21 PM needhelpreallybad, how long have you been using computers? I know, I know this situation sounds ridiculous...but honestly I have no idea what the heck is going on. I have a folder. The folder has files and other folders in it. Only files and folders named A-F appear on my screen. When I do a Window Search in this folder, only files and folders named A-F show up. YET, THE FILES AND FOLDERS ARE INDEED IN THERE STILL...iTunes still plays them. I sound crazy, but that's what's going on.What view have you got in Explorer? Thumbnails, Tiles, List, Icons, or Details? What happens if you try to open the folder in Internet Explorer? Have you got some insane number of files in the same folder? Like thousands? What filesystem is the disk? It's very possible you have exceeded the file# limit for a folder and Windows freaked and split it out... Congratulations on this as i believe the limits are quite high. You may want to look into organising things better instead of dumping everything into My Music.FAT32 Maximum number of files on disk: 268,435,437 Maximum number of files in a single folder: 65,534 NTFS Maximum number of files on disk: 4,294,967,295 Maximum number of files in a single folder: 4,294,967,295 It says you cannot have more than 65,534 files in a folders on a FAT32 volume, but things will start happening before then. I have seen a report of a folder with 10,000 files in where Windows Explorer crashes after reading around 3500 file names. Lots of long filenames with similar beginnings is going to make the short-filename generation feature exhaust resources and cause slowdowns and crashes. If NTFS is the filesystem, it may not be the FS which is borking out, it may be Explorer. Very large numbers of files will slow it down to a crawl. Any way, a disk check wouldn't be a bad idea. Perhaps a defrag too? Screenshots would be nice, or failing that, details of the file count & space used as shown in the Windows Explorer status bar, and the file count and data used figures which are right at the end of the output of DIR /S in a command prompt window. The OP has fallen silent, which may indicate that the "penny has dropped", but who knows? Well I'm no longer silent, as I returned from a weekend where I was (luckily) away from my problem computer. As requested, here are some screen shots. There are discrepancies all over the place. First, I got the folder properties of the problem folder (the name of the folder is "[mp3] Library"): As you can see, it says there are 1605 files and 48 folders, totaling 6.89gigs. Then, I opened the folder ("[mp3] Library") and did a "select all": If you notice to the right, it all says only "612 items selected". However, on the file and folder properties, it says there are 1152 files and 48 folders, totaling 6.88 gigs. AND OF COURSE, to add to the confusion, my count of the files (not folders, strictly files) should actually be 3292 files. As you can see, nothing is making sense. Once again, no, the missing files are not hidden files, and just to be safe, I do have "Show hidden files and folders" turned ON. Thanks for any and all CONTINUED help!!! P.S.: Sorry for the monster-size pictures...When did you last do a disk check?

Solve : Folder Only Shows Files That Start With A-F (Won't Display Other Files)?

Answer»

Just tonight, a folder I have within my My Music folder (containing my .mp3 files) started only showing folders and files that have names that begin with A-F...only. Windows doesn't show the rest of the folders and files in there named G-Z. The folders and files ARE THERE, because if you type their full path in the address bar, they show up (and the files still play fine in iTunes).

Again, if you open up the folder they simply don't appear. Even if you do a Windows Search, they still don't appear. I even tried copying this problem folder to my external hard drive, but the folders and files still do not appear! (THIS IS ONLY HAPPENING WITH THIS PARTICULAR FOLDER).

I'm completely bewildered. There have been no major updates or changes to the computer...I'm sooo lost.

Thanks in advance for any and all help!!!

>>running Windows XP Media Center Edition SP2.Try Control Panel -> Classic View -> Folder Options -> View -> Select "Show hidden files and folders". Are you able to see G-Z then? They may have somehow been turned into hidden files and folders. Good idea, bud sadly I already tried that to no avail.

Plus, when I actually open up the "missing" folders and files (when I type the full path) they indeed say they're not hidden files.

Hence why I'm so lost as to why they're not being displayed...This is bizarre.
Can you NAVIGATE to them from the C:\ prompt? Yea, I can navigate to them via the address bar or c:\prompt.

For instance, if I type in the address to a file, for instance:
"C:\Documents and Settings\HP_Administrator\My Documents\My Music\[mp3] Library\a-ha - Take on Me.mp3", unfortunately I can't actually see the file, it simply starts playing it in iTunes.

However, if I type in the address to one of the folders, it does show up. For example:
"C:\Documents and Settings\HP_Administrator\My Documents\My Music\[mp3] Library\prefuse_73-surrounded_by_silence"

...is my computer just crazy??I THINK your computer is stark raving mad.
Have you tried to copy one of these invisible files or folders to a DIFFERENT location? Quote

started only showing folders and files that have names that begin with A-F...only. Windows doesn't show the rest of the folders and files in there named G-Z

Quote

"C:\Documents and Settings\HP_Administrator\My Documents\My Music\[mp3] Library\a-ha - Take on Me.mp3", unfortunately I can't actually see the file,

The second statement contradicts the first.
Quote from: Dias de verano on March 06, 2008, 12:32:12 PM

Quote
started only showing folders and files that have names that begin with A-F...only. Windows doesn't show the rest of the folders and files in there named G-Z

Quote
"C:\Documents and Settings\HP_Administrator\My Documents\My Music\[mp3] Library\a-ha - Take on Me.mp3", unfortunately I can't actually see the file,

The second statement contradicts the first.

I was just using the band "a-ha" as an example...if it makes more sense, place "Taking Back Sunday - A Decade Under the Influence.mp3" instead...

Anyway, yea, I think it may have just gone crazy.

Quote from: Eg0Death on March 06, 2008, 12:01:24 PM

I think your computer is stark raving mad.
Have you tried to copy one of these invisible files or folders to a different location?

Well, if I open up one of the "invisible" folders, I can indeed drag the files out of the folders (let's say, on to my Desktop) and they'll be there...weird. MY PROBLEM is that a lot of the files (over a 1000 of them) aren't in folder...so essentially, they're stuck...

needhelpreallybad, how long have you been using computers?
Quote from: Dias de verano on March 06, 2008, 03:28:21 PM

needhelpreallybad, how long have you been using computers?

I know, I know this situation sounds ridiculous...but honestly I have no idea what the heck is going on. I have a folder. The folder has files and other folders in it. Only files and folders named A-F appear on my screen. When I do a Window Search in this folder, only files and folders named A-F show up. YET, THE FILES AND FOLDERS ARE INDEED IN THERE STILL...iTunes still plays them.

I sound crazy, but that's what's going on.What view have you got in Explorer? Thumbnails, Tiles, List, Icons, or Details? What happens if you try to open the folder in Internet Explorer?

Have you got some insane number of files in the same folder? Like thousands? What filesystem is the disk?

It's very possible you have exceeded the file# limit for a folder and Windows freaked and split it out...
Congratulations on this as i believe the limits are quite high.
You may want to look into organising things better instead of dumping everything into My Music.FAT32
Maximum number of files on disk: 268,435,437
Maximum number of files in a single folder: 65,534

NTFS
Maximum number of files on disk: 4,294,967,295
Maximum number of files in a single folder: 4,294,967,295

It says you cannot have more than 65,534 files in a folders on a FAT32 volume, but things will start happening before then. I have seen a report of a folder with 10,000 files in where Windows Explorer crashes after reading around 3500 file names. Lots of long filenames with similar beginnings is going to make the short-filename generation feature exhaust resources and cause slowdowns and crashes.

If NTFS is the filesystem, it may not be the FS which is borking out, it may be Explorer. Very large numbers of files will slow it down to a crawl. Any way, a disk check wouldn't be a bad idea. Perhaps a defrag too?

Screenshots would be nice, or failing that, details of the file count & space used as shown in the Windows Explorer status bar, and the file count and data used figures which are right at the end of the output of DIR /S in a command prompt window.

The OP has fallen silent, which may indicate that the "penny has dropped", but who knows?
Well I'm no longer silent, as I returned from a weekend where I was (luckily) away from my problem computer.

As requested, here are some screen shots. There are discrepancies all over the place.

First, I got the folder properties of the problem folder (the name of the folder is "[mp3] Library"):

As you can see, it says there are 1605 files and 48 folders, totaling 6.89gigs.

Then, I opened the folder ("[mp3] Library") and did a "select all":

If you notice to the right, it all says only "612 items selected". However, on the file and folder properties, it says there are 1152 files and 48 folders, totaling 6.88 gigs.

AND OF COURSE, to add to the confusion, my count of the files (not folders, strictly files) should actually be 3292 files.

As you can see, nothing is making sense. Once again, no, the missing files are not hidden files, and just to be safe, I do have "Show hidden files and folders" turned ON.

Thanks for any and all CONTINUED help!!!

P.S.: Sorry for the monster-size pictures...When did you last do a disk check?

Solve : Folder Only Shows Files That Start With A-F (Won't Display Other Files)?

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