Another Windows 7 question for Bob

[Gerlinde]

Referring to Jayell's earlier thread here, I run into a similar folder issue with consequences.
I have created a folder named "firefox" for all my downloads. Its located under Favorites > Downloads.

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Awhile ago I did the same thing as Jayell and managed to get several instances of that folder in my Library folders like > My Pictures, My Music etc.
I was able to get rid of the additional firefox folders where they did not belong, but now the folder under Favorites behaves wired. Every time I open it, it is empty and it takes quite a while until it repopulates. It seems like it has no memory of its content, like folder Alzheimer's.
What could be the reason for this behavior?

[Bob]

Hi Gerlinde,

The Favorites folder only contains shortcuts to folders. Clicking on a folder in Favorites causes the Explorer to open the folder where it's actually located -- the same as if you had navigated directly to it. Simply accessing the folder through Favorites shouldn't affect how the thumbnails behave. Something else is going on.

What you describe sounds exactly like what happens when you open a folder containing files but no thumbnail images for them. As the thumbnails are created one by one, they will show up and populate the panel. These thumbnails are supposed to be stored so they don't need to be recreated next time you view the folder. In Windows 7, the thumbnails for all local files are cached in a common hidden database in the user area. Thumbnails for remote files, e.g. those on a network drive, are handled differently. Is this file on an internal hard drive or somewhere else? After the thumbnails repopulate, do they remain if you go to a different folder and come back? Do they disappear only after you have rebooted?

[Gerlinde]

Hi Bob, thank you for responding.
The folder is on the internal drive. The thumbnails have disappeared after any restart or shut down. But I usually never shut down when I not use my notebook, I simply put it in sleep mode. The thumbnails have disappeared every time I open the folder from the favorites menu. When I browse to C:\Users\Gerlinde\Downloads\firefox all the the thumbnails are there right away.

[Bob]

I simply put it in sleep mode. The thumbnails have disappeared every time I open the folder from the favorites menu. When I browse to C:\Users\Gerlinde\Downloads\firefox all the the thumbnails are there right away.

I'd like you to try a couple of experiments. #1) Place a shortcut to the folder on the desktop. Close the lid and put the computer into sleep mode. Open the lid to bring it out of sleep mode and open the folder from the desktop shortcut. Are the thumbnails there right away or do they need to be rebuilt? #2) Put it in and out of sleep mode like you did in #1 but don't use the desktop shortcut, browse to C:\Users\Gerlinde\Downloads\firefox and open the folder. Are the thumbnails still there? And finally, #3) restart and browse to the folder. Are the thumbnails still there?

Is this the only folder this has happened to? Or, have you seen it with other folders?

[Jayell]

Awhile ago I did the same thing as Jayell and managed to get several instances of that folder in my Library folders

I'm sorry you're having negative issues with this .. but I'm so glad to find I'm not the only one who's done this.

It seems like it has no memory of its content, like folder Alzheimer's.

[Gerlinde]

. #1) Place a shortcut to the folder on the desktop. Close the lid and put the computer into sleep mode. Open the lid to bring it out of sleep mode and open the folder from the desktop shortcut. Are the thumbnails there right away or do they need to be rebuilt?

The first time I clicked on the shortcut it took a moment to build the icons. Not as long as the Favorites folder shortcut. Once the icons were there they stayed, even after closing the lid.

#2) Put it in and out of sleep mode like you did in #1 but don't use the desktop shortcut, browse to C:\Users\Gerlinde\Downloads\firefox and open the folder. Are the thumbnails still there?

This folder always has the thumbnails no matter what I do.

#3) restart and browse to the folder. Are the thumbnails still there?

No, the thumbs need to be recreated and it takes now as long as the folder in the Favorites. C:\Users\Gerlinde\Downloads\firefox still has all the icons.
This is the only folder/shortcut that behaves that way.

Jayell, I'm glad you posted , I thought I'm the only dummy who has problems with that

[Bob]

That is very odd. It's not supposed to work like that. Sometimes, Windows will delete the thumbnails without giving a reason or not save them in the cache database. That seems to be what's happening. I presume you have lots of free space on your boot drive. Let me look around and see if I can find something that relates.

[Gerlinde]

Thank you Bob. My drive has 190 GB of free space.

Edited: I just found this and it looks like this fixed the problem
I restarted and the thumbs were still there when I opened the firefox folder from the favorites.

[John 'twosheds' McDonald]

Edited: I just found this and it looks like this fixed the problem

I didn't know that.

[Bob]

Thanks, Gerlinde!

Yes, that will prevent the thumbnail databases from being deleted. For now, that seems like the best workaround. I haven't been able to find anything definitive that addresses the root cause -- why they are being deleted in the first place.

I don't think its because the contents of the folder changed like that link suggests. I add, delete, and change content all the time and my thumbnail cache database files are updated, not deleted. I don't get the thumbnail rebuilding that you were getting regardless of whether I go to the folder directly or via a shortcut. I suspect it may be something in the registry that triggers the problem. I'll keep my eyes open. If I run across something later I'll post back here.

[Gerlinde]

And the weird thing is it happens only to that one folder. I agree with you, Bob, there is probably some other problem behind that.
I appreciate your help, your comments sent me in the right direction. Its a relief that folder is behaving for now.