Unable to see folder C:\users\all users

kado897 said:

That's the way Symbolic links and Junction points act in Explorer. They behave like a real folder rather than a shortcut.

Except the attributes are shared. If you change C:\ProgramData to not hidden for example the junction in C:\Users shows the same.

Bree said:

There is no 'C:\Users\All Users' folder in my Windows 10 PC (upgraded from 7). There is a hidden shortcut called All Users in C:\Users that points to C:\ProgramData. Checking back on a Windows 7 machine, that too had the same shortcut, not a folder.

I have to go back to Windows XP to find an actual folder called All Users. It's C:\Documents and Settings\All Users. No doubt this is the reason the shortcut is included in later versions, for backward compatibility with software written in the XP era.

Your screenshot apparently shows a backup of your C: drive in an X: drive on your router, not the actual C: itself. It is likely that copying C: to C_Backup has followed the shortcut and copied the contents of C:\ProgramData to a folder it has created using the shortcut's name.

The reason you cannot see C:\ProgramData or the C:\Users\All Users shortcut on your actual C: drive is that you have 'Show hidden files, folders and drives' turned off in File Explorer. To turn it on use File>Options>View in File Explorer.

Thank you all. As Bree says, I knew I had seen it before, but did not realize it had been all the way back to XP. And then when robocopy copied the file it really became confusing,

Does anyone know why DIR or TREE do not show Symbolic Links?
I can't find an internal CMD, or internal program, which shows symbolic links. Thank you Kado897 for the link.

gypsycomp said:

Does anyone know why DIR or TREE do not show Symbolic Links? .

It does if you have authority (run as admin) and ask it to (add the /a switch).

Code:

Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.14393]
(c) 2016 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Windows\system32>dir c:\users /a
 Volume in drive C is Windows10
 Volume Serial Number is 526E-E26D

 Directory of C:\users

17/11/2016  18:28    <DIR>          .
17/11/2016  18:28    <DIR>          ..
17/11/2016  12:06    <DIR>          Hali
17/11/2016  18:28    <DIR>          Administrator
16/07/2016  13:40    <SYMLINKD>     All Users [C:\ProgramData]
06/08/2016  02:32    <DIR>          Default
16/07/2016  13:40    <JUNCTION>     Default User [C:\Users\Default]
16/07/2016  12:45               174 desktop.ini
06/08/2016  02:34    <DIR>          Public
               1 File(s)            174 bytes
               8 Dir(s)   5,191,417,856 bytes free

C:\Windows\system32>

You can type dir /? if you would like more details.