Lost Folders - but files exist

Win10x64Home build 14393.447 - upgraded a year ago from Win7

Something yesterday transposed 'Downloads' into 'Documents' in the Quick Access list of File Explorer and in the Library list shows the downloaded files in the so-called 'Documents' folder.

I cannot find my trusty Documents folder at all, nor use any files.

But, Word, or Excel, or some other applications when doing a 'Save-As' go to the folder list which belongs in the old 'Documents' folder and proceeds to save properly (Word can also re-open the new file as a Recent file) but File Explorer cannot find 'Documents' at all.

Trying the Registry Key trick did nothing.

Any help appreciated.

Phil

Thanks spunk

Using Word to look at Recent Items list, or to look at where the current file was Saved-As (created yesterday after all this happened) and seeing various related files properly stored there in properly named folders, and thus seeing the full C:\xxxx\yyyy\ where all these files should be stored.

The problem is that C:\xxxx\yyy was the 'Document' Library but is now findable but is the previous 'Downloads'. The Library labeled 'Documents' now contains all the 'Downloads' files and 'Documents' just will not appear anywhere - not with that label. But the C:\xxxx\yyy which should be 'Documents' is found by the Save-As or the Recent-Items.

I am not sure this is THE solution to my wee problem, but; Looking through TenF the difference between Admin and Real Admin became clear. I followed instructions, in an elevated DOS box, I could dir and see all the folders and files I have been claiming to not see. Following the steps net user administrator active:yes I got dir to show me all the files, all the folders.

Dropping out of DOS and starting it up again just as me 'admininstrator' I do not have permissions to perform that command. Try elevated admin again in DOS and there they are.

So this problem is one of permissions.

Reading through Brink's tut on activating the Real Administrator in Win10 has not been a success, yet. I cannot see how to do that. Though I am using Homex64 edition of Win10.

Now, where from here?

Thanks for input so far to this query. My problem remains but I have seen more of Win10 subtle features than ever before.

Applications like Word and Excel can see my Documents folder (lost to me when using File Explorer) and can read files, create and save files within the Documents folder.

Even after creating a super-admin user and after running net user administrator active:yes then logging in as me or as the super-admin File Explorer cannot see the Documents folder. But, in an elevated CMD window the Documents folder is displayed - with 72 folders and 214 files; 1,690MB of data. That is just about what I reckon there should be.

Which permission? To be set where? How? What will let me use the Documents folder again in Win10?

Thanks.

OK, the path for 'Documents' that I had set up a few years ago, and had used daily, is - C:\!!!! PFO Data\. Under this folder are 72 subfolders, 200 odd files, and 1.6+MB as reported in the elevated CMD window when the super-admin user does DIR C:\!!!!*.*

The attached image shows the mouse pointer when hovering on a filename. This reveals the C:\!!!! PFO Data\ folder which should be my Documents root and which I cannot see in Win10. And it shows the ticks on File Name Extensions and Hidden Items which I have had set since Win3.

I will say that I had used spaces in the folder name, but that has not seemed a problem for several years.

Thanks spunk - the procedure is the exact one that I cannot do because the root folder of my Documents Library is not visible except when the super-admin is logged in an elevated CMD and not in Win10.

I may have a deficit of thoroughness in explaining as I amat sea here. I've put two screenshots to show the Manage button I believe you mention and the references to my documents root C:\!!!! PFO Data which show. But the second shows C:\ and evidence of C:\!!!! PFO Data is absent, it is not searchable, nothing can be opened or saved to it from File Explorer.

But the super-admin can DIR it in a CMD box and various softwares (Word and Excel) can see old/known files. But they also cannot see the original C:\!!!! PFO Data documents folder to save to or to open from - the third screenshot where Excel cannot see the folder to save to.

I am not sure if this is clear to anyone else. It is hardly clear to me. I just wish I could get permission to change this permission.