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Folder not shown in Windows explorer

J

Jeff Layman

Flightless Bird
I needed to save a downloaded flash presentation. According to Google, one
simple way of doing this is to save the cached file in Temporary Internet
Files.

I have indexing disabled, but asked Windows Explorer to search for a large
file (1 - 16 Mb) saved that day in my Temporary Internet Files. It couldn't
find any. So I asked Everything to search for a *.* file anywhere on the
hard disk and then sort the 200k of files by time. I looked through the
list of very recently saved files and found one called videoplayback[1] in
C:/Users\<me>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet
Files\Low\Content.IE5\9USJR2S6. That was the flash file.

As well as Windows Explorer I have Explorer++ and FreeCommander, and both
were able to find this file, and I could go to the locations in these
utilities and copy it to the desktop.

But it was not possible in Windows Explorer. I have it set up to show all
hidden files and folders, but it will not show
C:/Users\<me>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet
Files\Low\Content.IE5\9USJR2S6. The problem is that I can get to
C:/Users\<me>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\, and
then use the drop-down arrow to get to the next lower level, but this is
only C:/Users\<me>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet
Files\Content.IE5. There is no "Low" folder. Even if I open the
Content.IE5 folder, there is no videoplayback{1} file there.

Anyone know what the explanation is for this?

--

Jeff
 
R

R. C. White

Flightless Bird
Hi, Jeff.

Ever notice the word "Temporary" in "Temporary Internet Files"?

Not trying to be facetious, but I NEVER save downloaded files in TIF. And I
have IE8 (as in previous IE versions) set to Empty the TIF when I exit the
browser. (In IE, click Tools | Internet Options | Advanced and scroll way
down to Security.)

Long ago I created a folder named "Download" (NOT the Windows default folder
"Downloads" - note the "s" at the end) and direct almost all my downloads to
that folder. (After the first download, of course, this becomes the default
destination for future downloads - until something changes it and I have to
change it back by specifying it as the location for my next download.) And
this Download folder is in E:/, the Root of a "neutral" volume, one that
does not contain any Windows OS installation, and is outside Win7's
"protected" locations. After the download, I can Move or Copy the file to
wherever it needs to go permanently. Since I currently have "more disk
space than I'll ever need", I usually Copy the file, leaving the original
download here...Just In Case.

That Content.IE5 folder came into use back in IE5, as its name suggests. It
is a WEIRD folder! That is, it cannot be manipulated using "normal" Windows
commands. It's best to use the tools within IE's Tools | Internet Options,
General tab to deal with the TIF. IE8 puts these under "Browsing history";
earlier IEs had a different heading but the behavior is the same, so far as
I've seen. If you open an elevated Command Prompt window and navigate to
that sub-level in your TIF, then do a "Dir" command in each of the
subfolders under Content.IE5, you probably will see a very long listing
under each of those randomly-named folders - and the listings will probably
look near-identical in each of the four! I told you it's WEIRD! Trying to
deal with files here is like the classic Adventure game: "You are in a maze
of twisty little passages, all alike...." :>(

Can you go back and download that Flash presentation again? This time,
don't accept the default destination, but direct it to a folder that you
have permission to access, perhaps a New Folder. Then Copy the file from
there to the folder where you really want it to go.

Just remember, it's "TEMPORARY Internet Files". ;^}

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
rc@grandecom.net
Microsoft Windows MVP
Windows Live Mail Version 2011 (Build 15.4.3002.0810)) in Win7 Ultimate x64


"Jeff Layman" wrote in message news:i655s3$gi6$1@news.albasani.net...

I needed to save a downloaded flash presentation. According to Google, one
simple way of doing this is to save the cached file in Temporary Internet
Files.

I have indexing disabled, but asked Windows Explorer to search for a large
file (1 - 16 Mb) saved that day in my Temporary Internet Files. It couldn't
find any. So I asked Everything to search for a *.* file anywhere on the
hard disk and then sort the 200k of files by time. I looked through the
list of very recently saved files and found one called videoplayback[1] in
C:/Users\<me>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet
Files\Low\Content.IE5\9USJR2S6. That was the flash file.

As well as Windows Explorer I have Explorer++ and FreeCommander, and both
were able to find this file, and I could go to the locations in these
utilities and copy it to the desktop.

But it was not possible in Windows Explorer. I have it set up to show all
hidden files and folders, but it will not show
C:/Users\<me>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet
Files\Low\Content.IE5\9USJR2S6. The problem is that I can get to
C:/Users\<me>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\, and
then use the drop-down arrow to get to the next lower level, but this is
only C:/Users\<me>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet
Files\Content.IE5. There is no "Low" folder. Even if I open the
Content.IE5 folder, there is no videoplayback{1} file there.

Anyone know what the explanation is for this?

--

Jeff
 
C

Char Jackson

Flightless Bird
On Tue, 7 Sep 2010 11:58:11 +0100, "Jeff Layman"
<jmlayman@invalid.invalid> wrote:

>I needed to save a downloaded flash presentation. According to Google, one
>simple way of doing this is to save the cached file in Temporary Internet
>Files.
>
>I have indexing disabled, but asked Windows Explorer to search for a large
>file (1 - 16 Mb) saved that day in my Temporary Internet Files. It couldn't
>find any. So I asked Everything to search for a *.* file anywhere on the
>hard disk and then sort the 200k of files by time. I looked through the
>list of very recently saved files and found one called videoplayback[1] in
>C:/Users\<me>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet
>Files\Low\Content.IE5\9USJR2S6. That was the flash file.
>
>As well as Windows Explorer I have Explorer++ and FreeCommander, and both
>were able to find this file, and I could go to the locations in these
>utilities and copy it to the desktop.
>
>But it was not possible in Windows Explorer. I have it set up to show all
>hidden files and folders, but it will not show
>C:/Users\<me>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet
>Files\Low\Content.IE5\9USJR2S6. The problem is that I can get to
>C:/Users\<me>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\, and
>then use the drop-down arrow to get to the next lower level, but this is
>only C:/Users\<me>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet
>Files\Content.IE5. There is no "Low" folder. Even if I open the
>Content.IE5 folder, there is no videoplayback{1} file there.
>
>Anyone know what the explanation is for this?

Since the Windows 9x days, there have always been regular files and
folders, 'hidden' files and folders, and a third category,
undocumented and informally known as 'really hidden' files and
folders.

In Windows Explorer, when you instruct it to show Hidden files and
folders, it doesn't tell you that there is yet another set of 'really
hidden' files and folders that will remain out of view. There are
Registry hacks and of course you can use a command prompt to see some,
but the best way seems to be to use 3rd party tools, like you
discovered.

Much has been written about this in the past 10-15 years. Here is a
sample link: http://sillydog.org/mshidden.php
 
J

Jeff Layman

Flightless Bird
"Char Jackson" <none@none.invalid> wrote in message
news:uorc861b7hgpon2bjbca638t37qrso9t3c@4ax.com...
> On Tue, 7 Sep 2010 11:58:11 +0100, "Jeff Layman"
> <jmlayman@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>
>>I needed to save a downloaded flash presentation. According to Google,
>>one
>>simple way of doing this is to save the cached file in Temporary Internet
>>Files.
>>
>>I have indexing disabled, but asked Windows Explorer to search for a large
>>file (1 - 16 Mb) saved that day in my Temporary Internet Files. It
>>couldn't
>>find any. So I asked Everything to search for a *.* file anywhere on the
>>hard disk and then sort the 200k of files by time. I looked through the
>>list of very recently saved files and found one called videoplayback[1] in
>>C:/Users\<me>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet
>>Files\Low\Content.IE5\9USJR2S6. That was the flash file.
>>
>>As well as Windows Explorer I have Explorer++ and FreeCommander, and both
>>were able to find this file, and I could go to the locations in these
>>utilities and copy it to the desktop.
>>
>>But it was not possible in Windows Explorer. I have it set up to show all
>>hidden files and folders, but it will not show
>>C:/Users\<me>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet
>>Files\Low\Content.IE5\9USJR2S6. The problem is that I can get to
>>C:/Users\<me>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\,
>>and
>>then use the drop-down arrow to get to the next lower level, but this is
>>only C:/Users\<me>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet
>>Files\Content.IE5. There is no "Low" folder. Even if I open the
>>Content.IE5 folder, there is no videoplayback{1} file there.
>>
>>Anyone know what the explanation is for this?
>
> Since the Windows 9x days, there have always been regular files and
> folders, 'hidden' files and folders, and a third category,
> undocumented and informally known as 'really hidden' files and
> folders.
>
> In Windows Explorer, when you instruct it to show Hidden files and
> folders, it doesn't tell you that there is yet another set of 'really
> hidden' files and folders that will remain out of view. There are
> Registry hacks and of course you can use a command prompt to see some,
> but the best way seems to be to use 3rd party tools, like you
> discovered.
>
> Much has been written about this in the past 10-15 years. Here is a
> sample link: http://sillydog.org/mshidden.php

Interesting link, but index,dat and I are old friends! I have been erasing
(not just deleting) it for many years. It is not easy in XP, and very
difficult in Win7. I used Unlocker and Eraser with XP, but have problems
with both in Win7HPx64. Eraser crashes if you tell it to erase index.dat on
reboot, and Unlocker just does not work. I found I can do it by using
LockHunter to move index.dat to the desktop on boot, and then I can use
Eraser to deal with it.

That link unfortunately hasn't been updated since March 2007, unfortunately.
Where there were just a few index.dat files in XP, there are around 50 (and
more get added for each account) in Win7.

If I could be bothered, I'd set up a dual boot with linux and use that to
deal with all the index.dat files.

It all still doesn't really explain why Windows Explorer can't see the "Low"
folder and the flash file, but can see Content.IE5. I can't see why MS would
choose to do it that way - why not just hide it the same way as anything
else?

--

Jeff
 
J

Jeff Layman

Flightless Bird
Replies integrated into your paragraphs...

"R. C. White" <rc@grandecom.net> wrote in message
news:eek:4SdnVzY-MQ0yBvRnZ2dnUVZ_sSdnZ2d@posted.grandecom...
> Hi, Jeff.
>
> Ever notice the word "Temporary" in "Temporary Internet Files"?
>
> Not trying to be facetious, but I NEVER save downloaded files in TIF. And
> I have IE8 (as in previous IE versions) set to Empty the TIF when I exit
> the browser. (In IE, click Tools | Internet Options | Advanced and scroll
> way down to Security.)

No, I didn't save the flash file there - it's where IE8 chooses to keep it
and I found it. I left the flash presentation on the screen just in case IE8
lost it when I moved to another tab I had open, and then copied it from the
TIF location to the desktop.

> Long ago I created a folder named "Download" (NOT the Windows default
> folder "Downloads" - note the "s" at the end) and direct almost all my
> downloads to that folder. (After the first download, of course, this
> becomes the default destination for future downloads - until something
> changes it and I have to change it back by specifying it as the location
> for my next download.) And this Download folder is in E:/, the Root of a
> "neutral" volume, one that does not contain any Windows OS installation,
> and is outside Win7's "protected" locations. After the download, I can
> Move or Copy the file to wherever it needs to go permanently. Since I
> currently have "more disk space than I'll ever need", I usually Copy the
> file, leaving the original download here...Just In Case.

Yes, I tend to download files other than to just "Downloads", although
mainly to the desktop so I don't forget about them!

> That Content.IE5 folder came into use back in IE5, as its name suggests.
> It is a WEIRD folder! That is, it cannot be manipulated using "normal"
> Windows commands. It's best to use the tools within IE's Tools | Internet
> Options, General tab to deal with the TIF. IE8 puts these under "Browsing
> history"; earlier IEs had a different heading but the behavior is the
> same, so far as I've seen. If you open an elevated Command Prompt window
> and navigate to that sub-level in your TIF, then do a "Dir" command in
> each of the subfolders under Content.IE5, you probably will see a very
> long listing under each of those randomly-named folders - and the listings
> will probably look near-identical in each of the four! I told you it's
> WEIRD! Trying to deal with files here is like the classic Adventure game:
> "You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike...." :>(

See my reply to Char Jackson on Content.IE5 and in particular index.dat. I
am not happy with IE8 frequently but inconsistently "Not Responding" and
will change to Opera or FF. That will remove the index.dat problem
permanently.

> Can you go back and download that Flash presentation again? This time,
> don't accept the default destination, but direct it to a folder that you
> have permission to access, perhaps a New Folder. Then Copy the file from
> there to the folder where you really want it to go.

See reply to first paragraph. But as silly as it may seem, I didn't realise
I could save the whole webpage - including the flash presentation - to my
usual folder. I assumed that the flash presentation wouldn't get saved (as
that option was not included when I right-clicked on the flash video). What
is very odd is that the videoplayback[1] file alone is 4.1Mb, and the whole
saved webpage, with all the junk, and including the flash presentation, is
only 673Kb!

--

Jeff

> Just remember, it's "TEMPORARY Internet Files". ;^}
>
> RC
> --
> R. C. White, CPA
> San Marcos, TX
> rc@grandecom.net
> Microsoft Windows MVP
> Windows Live Mail Version 2011 (Build 15.4.3002.0810)) in Win7 Ultimate
> x64
>
>
> "Jeff Layman" wrote in message news:i655s3$gi6$1@news.albasani.net...
>
> I needed to save a downloaded flash presentation. According to Google,
> one
> simple way of doing this is to save the cached file in Temporary Internet
> Files.
>
> I have indexing disabled, but asked Windows Explorer to search for a large
> file (1 - 16 Mb) saved that day in my Temporary Internet Files. It
> couldn't
> find any. So I asked Everything to search for a *.* file anywhere on the
> hard disk and then sort the 200k of files by time. I looked through the
> list of very recently saved files and found one called videoplayback[1] in
> C:/Users\<me>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet
> Files\Low\Content.IE5\9USJR2S6. That was the flash file.
>
> As well as Windows Explorer I have Explorer++ and FreeCommander, and both
> were able to find this file, and I could go to the locations in these
> utilities and copy it to the desktop.
>
> But it was not possible in Windows Explorer. I have it set up to show all
> hidden files and folders, but it will not show
> C:/Users\<me>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet
> Files\Low\Content.IE5\9USJR2S6. The problem is that I can get to
> C:/Users\<me>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\,
> and
> then use the drop-down arrow to get to the next lower level, but this is
> only C:/Users\<me>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet
> Files\Content.IE5. There is no "Low" folder. Even if I open the
> Content.IE5 folder, there is no videoplayback{1} file there.
>
> Anyone know what the explanation is for this?
>
> --
>
> Jeff
 
R

R. C. White

Flightless Bird
Hi, Jeff.

In an Administrator:Command Prompt window, the simple Dir index.dat /s/a
command produced a list of 88 files totaling over 36 MB in my Win7 x64
Ultimate's Drive C:, including one 32,768-byte file in Content.IE5.

Last March 30 (Yes, I remember that date!) my WLMail began acting up. All
my emails and newsgroup messages were appearing as a blank page with an
attachment; the attachment was the text of the message. It took me about 2
months to track down the cause and fix it. The fix was easy, once I found
the cause.

The problem was some left-over files in Content.IE5 from some prior IE
installation. See the thread "Mail comes in as attachment", including my
9/1/10 post where I reported my experience, including, "Finally, I opened an
elevated 'DOS' window and deleted Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5.
That seemed to fix the problem, finally! But, just to be sure, I manually
deleted the rest of the TIF folder contents. When I restarted IE8, it
rebuilt some of those folders, but not some old ones that had been dated
years ago, before Win7 existed."

That might not relate directly to your problem, but it fortifies my
statement that the Content.IE5 folder is WEIRD! ;^}

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
rc@grandecom.net
Microsoft Windows MVP
Windows Live Mail Version 2011 (Build 15.4.3002.0810)) in Win7 Ultimate x64


"Jeff Layman" wrote in message news:i65ve3$o7k$1@news.albasani.net...

"Char Jackson" <none@none.invalid> wrote in message
news:uorc861b7hgpon2bjbca638t37qrso9t3c@4ax.com...
> On Tue, 7 Sep 2010 11:58:11 +0100, "Jeff Layman"
> <jmlayman@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>
>>I needed to save a downloaded flash presentation. According to Google,
>>one
>>simple way of doing this is to save the cached file in Temporary Internet
>>Files.
>>
>>I have indexing disabled, but asked Windows Explorer to search for a large
>>file (1 - 16 Mb) saved that day in my Temporary Internet Files. It
>>couldn't
>>find any. So I asked Everything to search for a *.* file anywhere on the
>>hard disk and then sort the 200k of files by time. I looked through the
>>list of very recently saved files and found one called videoplayback[1] in
>>C:/Users\<me>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet
>>Files\Low\Content.IE5\9USJR2S6. That was the flash file.
>>
>>As well as Windows Explorer I have Explorer++ and FreeCommander, and both
>>were able to find this file, and I could go to the locations in these
>>utilities and copy it to the desktop.
>>
>>But it was not possible in Windows Explorer. I have it set up to show all
>>hidden files and folders, but it will not show
>>C:/Users\<me>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet
>>Files\Low\Content.IE5\9USJR2S6. The problem is that I can get to
>>C:/Users\<me>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\,
>>and
>>then use the drop-down arrow to get to the next lower level, but this is
>>only C:/Users\<me>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet
>>Files\Content.IE5. There is no "Low" folder. Even if I open the
>>Content.IE5 folder, there is no videoplayback{1} file there.
>>
>>Anyone know what the explanation is for this?
>
> Since the Windows 9x days, there have always been regular files and
> folders, 'hidden' files and folders, and a third category,
> undocumented and informally known as 'really hidden' files and
> folders.
>
> In Windows Explorer, when you instruct it to show Hidden files and
> folders, it doesn't tell you that there is yet another set of 'really
> hidden' files and folders that will remain out of view. There are
> Registry hacks and of course you can use a command prompt to see some,
> but the best way seems to be to use 3rd party tools, like you
> discovered.
>
> Much has been written about this in the past 10-15 years. Here is a
> sample link: http://sillydog.org/mshidden.php

Interesting link, but index,dat and I are old friends! I have been erasing
(not just deleting) it for many years. It is not easy in XP, and very
difficult in Win7. I used Unlocker and Eraser with XP, but have problems
with both in Win7HPx64. Eraser crashes if you tell it to erase index.dat on
reboot, and Unlocker just does not work. I found I can do it by using
LockHunter to move index.dat to the desktop on boot, and then I can use
Eraser to deal with it.

That link unfortunately hasn't been updated since March 2007, unfortunately.
Where there were just a few index.dat files in XP, there are around 50 (and
more get added for each account) in Win7.

If I could be bothered, I'd set up a dual boot with linux and use that to
deal with all the index.dat files.

It all still doesn't really explain why Windows Explorer can't see the "Low"
folder and the flash file, but can see Content.IE5. I can't see why MS would
choose to do it that way - why not just hide it the same way as anything
else?

--

Jeff
 
C

C.Joseph Drayton

Flightless Bird
On 9/7/2010 12:36 PM, Jeff Layman wrote:
> "R. C. White" <rc@grandecom.net> wrote in message
> See reply to first paragraph. But as silly as it may seem, I didn't
> realise I could save the whole webpage - including the flash
> presentation - to my usual folder. I assumed that the flash presentation
> wouldn't get saved (as that option was not included when I right-clicked
> on the flash video). What is very odd is that the videoplayback[1] file
> alone is 4.1Mb, and the whole saved webpage, with all the junk, and
> including the flash presentation, is only 673Kb!
>

Just thought that you might want to know that that saved page that is
673KB, is not saving the actual Flash file. What it is saving is the
LINK to the Flash file.

When you look at an HTML file, you will often see a directive that says
HREF that is pointing to the link on the web. If you take your system
offline aned clear your cache, you will see that the page will not
display the Flash presentation.

The other part of the equation is that the temporary Internet folder
sub-structure is not meant for SAVING files, it is simply a cache used
by your browser client to hold data that is being bought in from the
Internet. Depending on how your browser is set up, you could have a
small cache that uses FIFO for removing old cache data, you could have a
a cache set to unlimited and then have the cache deleted when you exit
the browser.

I use portable FireFox (browser) & portable ThunderBird (e-mail client)
under WIndows7 Premium and I have it set to unlimited and then to delete
the cache when I exit the session.

Sincerely,
C.Joseph Drayton, Ph.D. AS&T

CSD Computer Services

Web site: http://csdcs.site90.net/
E-mail: c.joseph@csdcs.site90.net
 
J

Jeff Layman

Flightless Bird
"C.Joseph Drayton" <c.joseph@csdcs.site90.net> wrote in message
news:i69jst$kps$1@news.eternal-september.org...
> On 9/7/2010 12:36 PM, Jeff Layman wrote:
>> "R. C. White" <rc@grandecom.net> wrote in message
>> See reply to first paragraph. But as silly as it may seem, I didn't
>> realise I could save the whole webpage - including the flash
>> presentation - to my usual folder. I assumed that the flash presentation
>> wouldn't get saved (as that option was not included when I right-clicked
>> on the flash video). What is very odd is that the videoplayback[1] file
>> alone is 4.1Mb, and the whole saved webpage, with all the junk, and
>> including the flash presentation, is only 673Kb!
>>
>
> Just thought that you might want to know that that saved page that is
> 673KB, is not saving the actual Flash file. What it is saving is the LINK
> to the Flash file.
>
> When you look at an HTML file, you will often see a directive that says
> HREF that is pointing to the link on the web. If you take your system
> offline aned clear your cache, you will see that the page will not display
> the Flash presentation.
>
> The other part of the equation is that the temporary Internet folder
> sub-structure is not meant for SAVING files, it is simply a cache used by
> your browser client to hold data that is being bought in from the
> Internet. Depending on how your browser is set up, you could have a small
> cache that uses FIFO for removing old cache data, you could have a a cache
> set to unlimited and then have the cache deleted when you exit the
> browser.
>
> I use portable FireFox (browser) & portable ThunderBird (e-mail client)
> under WIndows7 Premium and I have it set to unlimited and then to delete
> the cache when I exit the session.

Thanks for the explanation.

I wanted to show the flash file to someone where there is no internet
access. So I will have to save the videoplayback[1] file, as simply saving
the webpage is a waste of time, as it will not be able to access the flash
file on youtube without internet access.

--

Jeff
 
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