Missing "Rename" option in My Documents' files & folders

[KLHT]

On my WinXP SP2 Home Edition system, with all Windows updates applied,
two problems have arisen.

A month or so ago, shortcuts to all files or folders I'd accessed began
appearing in the My Documents folder. Just a week or so ago,
right-clicking on any of the files or folders in My Documents has
failed to provide the "Rename" option.

After undoing the Read Only check-mark the My Documents folder
properties, and in any of it's contained files or folders, and applying
the change and OKing out, upon reviewing the properties, the check
(actually a minus sign) had reappeared.

However, in other folders, located outside of MyDocs, the folder's Read
Only status does not remove the right click "Rename" option. So, this
is probably irrelevant.

I've tried various methods of changing the ownership, but that doesn't
seem to work, although I admit being a bit confused by all the
potential owners listed. I have a no log-in setup, but both of the
accounts, Karen and Administrator have admin privileges.

I hope I have included the relevant details and that someone will be so
kind as to try to help me with these two problems.

Many thanks for your consideration,
Karen

[FutureTechSys.com]

If it were me, I would upgrade to XP Pro for two reasons - better user and
security management for one, and secondly, running Upgrade will fix any
windows issues you're currently having. You can get the disk for about $100
from costco, newegg.com or staples, etc. The $100 you'll spend will make
your computer run SOOO much better... XP Home is not for anything but the
most casual of users, in my personal opinion.

--
Sincerely,
Chris
win...@futuretechsys.com
www.futuretechsys.com - remote support available for all Windows OSs.

[Wesley Vogel]

Why not suggest buying a new machine also? And a new desk to put the new
machine on. And a new house to put the new desk in.

Troll!

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In news:8B7A9633-B45A-4F30...@microsoft.com,
FutureTechSys.com <win...@futuretechsys.com> hunted and pecked:

[Wesley Vogel]

First, you can rename a file or folder by clicking the name once to
highlight it and click it again to open the name for editing, then type the
new name and then press ENTER.

If you do this too quickly it will the same as a double click, do it slowly.

You can also...
1. Click the file or folder you want to rename.
2. Under File and Folder Tasks, click Rename this file or Rename this
folder.
3. Type the new name and then press ENTER.

I do not see how Read-only can be related to Rename missing from the right
click context menu.

You cannot tell from a folder's Properties whether or not a folder is
Read-only, Read-only only applies to the files contained in that folder.

Make sure that you are malware free.

UPDATE your antivirus software and run a full system scan.

UPDATE whatever anti-spyware applications that you have and run a full
system scan with each one.

You might want to start in Safe Mode to run your antivirus and anti-spyware
software.

Running a full system antivirus scan or anti-spyware scan in Safe Mode can
be a good idea. Some viruses and other malware like to conceal themselves
in areas Windows protects while using them. Safe mode will prevent those
applications access and therefore unprotect the viruses or other malware
allowing for easier removal.

How to start Windows in Safe Mode Windows XP
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/index.php?showtutorial=61#winxo

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In news:1157258715....@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com,
KLHT <Karen.Henni...@gmail.com> hunted and pecked:

[FutureTechSys.com]

That's not very nice. Your solution doesn't do anything to fix that its
missing from the right-click menu, which is what the user is having trouble
with.

Making personal attacks on me for making what I believe is a sound technical
suggestion is not helpful. A copy of windows upgrade costs significantly
less than a new computer, desk, or home. In my opinion, it would solve her
problem cheaply and effectively - plus have a lot of side benefits of being
more secure,etc.

Since when is recommending a microsoft product in a microsoft forum being a
troll?

--
Sincerely,
Chris
win...@futuretechsys.com
www.futuretechsys.com - remote support available for all Windows OSs.

[Wesley Vogel]

I do not know why the Rename option is missing. And obviously, neither do
you.

I would suspect malware, so I suggested getting rid of malware.

Brutal honesty from me here: Recommending the purchase of a new operating
system was a dumb idea. And my sarcastic post reflected that I thought it
was a dumb idea.

> Since when is recommending a microsoft product in a microsoft forum being
> a troll?

When it has nothing to do with the problem. Even suggesting a reinstall of
the OP's present operating system would not be a very good answer. Maybe as
a last resort, but certainly not one of the first things to try.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In news:19BA878E-F46A-4D9A...@microsoft.com,

FutureTechSys.com <win...@futuretechsys.com> hunted and pecked:

[Wesley Vogel]

Calling you a troll may have been out of line.

I apologize to you for that.

Recommending the purchase of a new operating system is still a dumb idea.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In news:19BA878E-F46A-4D9A...@microsoft.com,

FutureTechSys.com <win...@futuretechsys.com> hunted and pecked:

[KLHT]

Thanks, Wes, for the ideas.

Clicking the folder twice yields an error message boink, and the Rename
option is missing from File and folder tasks as well as from the
right-click menu.

I run the usual anit-malware tools (spybot, Adaware, WinDefender,
Spyware Blaster, etc, plus McAfee antivirus & security pakg) regularly.
All updated an reun and rerun wince these problems arose.

Will try running all scans in Safe Mode Next.

Karen

[KLHT]

Hmmmmm. I s'pose that's an option. It would be, for me, like giving up.
Even if I were to decide to switch, I'd be determind to fix these
problems first.

Karen

[Wesley Vogel]

Hi Karen,

> Clicking the folder twice yields an error message boink

What's the error message?

When it pops up, click on it to give it focus, hit Ctrl + C to Copy the
message and then paste it in to a message a post back.

I have no earthly idea why Rename may be missing.

The only rename that I could find in my registry was here, two items.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\MUICache
Value Name: @shell32.dll,-31242
Data Type: REG_SZ
Value Data: Rename this file

Value Name: @shell32.dll,-31254
Data Type: REG_SZ
Value Data: Rename this folder

However, the MUICache is just a list of programs or applications that have
run at one time or another. So this will not help at all.

And I do not know its command name, i.e. &Open, E&xplore, S&earch, &Print
Directory, S&haring and Security..., Cu&t, &Copy, Create &Shortcut, &Delete
or P&roperties.

Shell32.dll has something to do with the Rename command. And I just read
some where today that shell32.dll cannot be registered.

I have just spent about three hours searching my registry, the web, my sock
drawer and anywhere else I can think of for why Rename would be missing.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In news:1157340338.3...@e3g2000cwe.googlegroups.com,

[KLHT]

Wes, sorry, I wasn't clear--there's no error message, just the little
error sound.

*Interestingly*, I have discovered that if I drag any of the files or
folders out of my My Documents folder, the Rename option reappears.
Drag it back in, Rename disappears again. This should be a clue, but,
like you, I can find no info on line. Hadn't thought of the sock
drawer.

I cannot be the only one with this problem.

Also, what about the shortcuts to any file I access (even pics i insert
into an email and the folders they were in) appearing in My Documents.
These things could be related.

If I've worn you out on this one, I apologize. Do you recommend another
forum I could try?

Thanks again for the effort!
Karen

Wesley Vogel wrote:
> Hi Karen,
>
> > Clicking the folder twice yields an error message boink
>
> What's the error message?
>
> When it pops up, click on it to give it focus, hit Ctrl + C to Copy the
> message and then paste it in to a message a post back.
>
> I have no earthly idea why Rename may be missing.
>
> The only rename that I could find in my registry was here, two items.
>
> HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\MUICache
> Value Name: @shell32.dll,-31242
> Data Type: REG_SZ
> Value Data: Rename this file
>
> Value Name: @shell32.dll,-31254
> Data Type: REG_SZ
> Value Data: Rename this folder
>
> However, the MUICache is just a list of programs or applications that have
> run at one time or another. So this will not help at all.
>

> And I do not know its command name, i.e. &Open, E&xplore, SS&earch, &Print

[KLHT]

Oh boy, this is so weird.

I right clicked, chose Properties, then the Sharing tab. Do not Share
this Folder was checked. I changed it to Share this Folder. I had
dragged all the files and folders out of My Documents, so I dragged one
back in and the Rename option had reappeared. I dragged them all back
in, all fine and renameable! Oddly enough, now, I can change the
sharing back to Do not Share this Folder and the Rename option is
unaffected.

I do not get it. But I'm glad I fixed it. Hope it stays fixed.

Thanks again for your help,
Karen

[Wesley Vogel]

Hi Karen,

Glad you seem to gotten Rename back. ;-)

But there seems to be a Problem with your My Documents folder.

But I am confused as to why it would relate to Rename gone fishing. ;-)

First, how many tabs are there when you right click My Documents and select
Properties and what are the titles?

There should just be two: General and Sharing.

If you are right clicking a My Documents shortcut, My Documents Properties
should have three: Target, General and Sharing.

Either way the Sharing tab should have "Make this folder private" not "Do
not share this folder" or "Share this folder".

Can you post back with that info?

Two reasons that I can think of for "Make this folder private" option to be
missing:
1. Your hard drive is formatted FAT32 and not NTFS.
2. You moved your My Documents folder to some location other than
%userprofile%\my documents

If you paste the following line into Start | Run and click OK...

%userprofile%\my documents

Does your My Documents folder open? Or do you get an error?

To see how your drive is formatted open My Computer, right click your hard
drive, click Properties, on the General tab, towards the top it will say
Files system. It will show FAT, FAT32 or NTFS.

I honestly do not know what should appear as an option on the Sharing tab if
your hard drive is formatted FAT32. Mine's formatted NTFS.

In your first post you mentioned: "I've tried various methods of changing
the ownership".

You also stated that you have WinXP SP2 Home Edition. With XP Home you have
to boot into Safe Mode to see the Security tab in order to take Ownership of
files or folders. In order to see the Security tab your hard drive needs to
be formatted NTFS. If the hard drive is formatted FAT32 you will never see
the Security tab.

If I didn't know better I would think that you had XP Pro and turned off
Simple File Sharing.

It is my understanding that you cannot turn off simple file sharing in
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition.

Does "Use simple file sharing (Recommended)" appear in Folder Options?

Start | Run | Type: control folders | Click OK |
On the View tab under Advanced Settings, clear at the bottom.

If it does, place a check mark in the box, click Apply and click OK.

Are you on a network or a domain by chance?

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In news:1157360625.0...@p79g2000cwp.googlegroups.com,

[KLHT]

Hey, Wes,

Thanks for hanging in there with this.

I forgot to mention that not only the Rename function has returned, but
the shortcuts for *everything* I accessed have stopped appearing in My
Documents.

Right-clicking My Documents now gives three tabs: General, Sharing, and
Security. General, Shortcut, and Security on a My Documents shortcut.

The words "Make this folder private" are not there, but the option to
share or not are there. Do not share this folder is checked.

>> If you paste the following line into Start | Run and click OK...
%userprofile%\my documents

I get this error message:
---------------------------
C:\Documents
---------------------------
Windows cannot find 'C:\Documents'. Make sure you typed the name
correctly, and then try again. To search for a file, click the Start
button, and then click Search.
---------------------------

I have two hard drives split into a number of partitions. They're all
formatted NTFS.

> In your first post you mentioned: "I've tried various methods of changing the ownership".

Yeah, as I researched the problem online, I got the impression that it
could have something to do with file sharing or ownership. I guess I
should have been more methodical and kept notes on what I'd tried. I
usually just muddle through and eventually fix my computer problems. I
very rarely, if ever, have posted to ask for help!

>>Does "Use simple file sharing (Recommended)" appear in Folder Options?

Yes, it's there, and I have it unchecked right now and think I changed
it once or twice as I tried to fix this problem myself. I don't know if
I want to check it now, despite the recommendation, since everything
(even problems I didn't mention, like slow opening programs, especially
Windows Explorer and IE) seems fixed now.

I am on a home wireless network.

So, what do you think now? Any further suggestions?

Thanks again for the help,

Karen

Any thoughts

[KLHT]

Just an update. I made a restore point and checked the "Use simple file
sharing (Recommended)" box. So far, so good...

Karen

[Wesley Vogel]

Hi Karen,

I am trying to figure out if you moved the Documents and Settings folder
and/or your My Documents folder and if you did so on purpose.

Folder Name: Documents and Settings
Contents: Account information for each user who is granted access on the
computer. Each user account is represented by a subfolder assigned the
user name. Folders under each user account folder include My Documents,
Desktop, and Start Menu.

C:\Documents and Settings is the default location, but doesn't mean that it
has to be located there.

Click Start, click Run, type: .. and click OK. That is, type two
periods.

Typing two periods in the Run command should open C:\Documents and Settings.
Providing that Documents and Settings is on the C: drive. I only have one
hard drive with one partition and my Documents and Settings is located on C:
so I can't check out what happens if Documents and Settings is in a
different location.

Typing one period in the Run command should open
C:\Documents and Settings\Your Name Here Providing that Documents and
Settings is on the C: drive.

> Windows cannot find 'C:\Documents'. Make sure you typed the name
> correctly, and then try again. To search for a file, click the Start
> button, and then click Search.

%userprofile% is an environment variable that is the path to the user's home
folder.

Typing or pasting %userprofile% into the Start | Run box should open to the
Documents and Settings folder on whatever drive it is located on for the
logged in user.

I.e. C:\Documents and Settings\Your Name Here

%userprofile%\my documents should be the My Documents folder for the user
that is logged on.

%userprofile%\my documents in the Run command should open
C:\Documents and Settings\Your Name Here\My Documents if yada, yada.

%homepath% is an environment variable that is the path to the user's home
folder.

Typing or pasting %homepath% into the Start | Run box should open to the
Documents and Settings folder on whatever drive it is located on for the
logged in user.

I.e. C:\Documents and Settings\Your Name Here or equivalent.

If you paste the following line into Start | Run and click OK...

%homepath%

Does any folder open? If so, what folder? Or do you get an error?

If %homepath% opens C:\Documents and Settings\Your Name Here, then you did
not move it.

If you paste the following line into Start | Run and click OK...

%homepath%\my documents

Does your My Documents folder open? Or do you get an error?

If you right click a shortcut to your My Documents folder, click Properties,
on the Target tab the Target box displays the actual location, or target
location, of the My Documents folder.

You can copy and paste that information in a message and post back.

Either you have:
Moved Your My Documents folder to some other location.
Your Name Here is really Owner or something.
Or there is something wrong with the folder. Like the attributes.

Did you move Documents and Settings to another drive on purpose?

Did you move your My Documents folder to another location on purpose?

We can worry about the number of tabs in My Documents folder Properties
after we figure out WHERE your My Documents folder is located and whether it
needs moved back to its proper location.

If Documents and Settings is on C: and you did not move your My Documents
folder on purpose...

If you right click a My Documents shortcut, select Properties on the Target
tab is a Restore Default button. The Restore Default button restores the My
Documents folder to its default location.

If your My Documents folder lost its System and/or Read-only attributes, we
have to know the location in order to see if that is so and if so to fix it.

I probably rambled on here more than I needed to. ;-)

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In news:1157514761.8...@m79g2000cwm.googlegroups.com,

[KLHT]

Hi Wes,

>>I am trying to figure out if you moved the Documents and Settings folder
and/or your My Documents folder and if you did so on purpose.

Yes, my My Documents folder has been on my L drive for at least a year
now. Not moved since.

Documents and Settings is still on the C drive in the System & Program
Files folder. Two periods in Start | Run box take me to it.

Start | Run with one period opens C:\Documents and Settings\Karen, as
does Run %userprofile%, and Run %homepath%.

>>%userprofile%\my documents should be the My Documents folder for the user
that is logged on.

No, this returns the following error message:

---------------------------
C:\Documents
---------------------------
Windows cannot find 'C:\Documents'. Make sure you typed the name
correctly, and then try again. To search for a file, click the Start
button, and then click Search.
---------------------------

>>%userprofile%\my documents in the Run command should open

C:\Documents and Settings\Your Name Here\My Documents if yada, yada.

No, again, but I guess that's because mine is at L:\My Documents

>>If you paste the following line into Start | Run and click OK... %homepath%\my documents Does your My Documents folder open? Or do you get an error?

Error. Same as above.

>>If you right click a shortcut to your My Documents folder, click Properties, on the Target tab the Target box displays the actual location, or target location, of the My Documents folder. You can copy and paste that information in a message and post back.

There are only the General and the Shortcut tabs. On the Shortcut tab,
in the Target box is this "L:\My Documents"
Either you have:

>>We can worry about the number of tabs in My Documents folder Properties
after we figure out WHERE your My Documents folder is located and
whether it
needs moved back to its proper location.

At this point, simple file sharing is on, and everything is still
running fine. All problems fixed.

>>I probably rambled on here more than I needed to. ;-)

Well, I appreciate your diligence! Thanks so much for your assistance.

[Wesley Vogel]

Glad you got it fixed, Karen. I'm still in the dark about what exactly was
wrong. Keep having fun anyway.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In news:1157613273....@m79g2000cwm.googlegroups.com,