7. Have
Show hidden files and folders dotted and
Hide protected operating system files (Recommended) unchecked in Folder Options.
NOTE: For how, see OPTION TWO here:
How to Hide or Show Hidden Files and Folders in Vista
8. Click on the download button below to download the
User Folders.zip file, then click on
Save and save it to the
Desktop.
9. Right click on the
User Folders.zip file (on Desktop) and click on
Open.
10. Extract the same folder(s) for your user folder name with the standard yellow icon displayed to the
Desktop.
11. Open the extracted folder and right click on the
desktop.ini file and click
Copy. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: This file is set as a hidden file. This is why it is faded.12. Open the user folder that has the standard yellow folder icon displayed.
A) Right click on a empty area in the folder's window and click Paste.
NOTE: If you are asked if you want to replace the old desktop.ini file, then click Copy and Replace. (See screenshot below)
B) Repeat step 11 for each user folder you need to fix.
13. Close all windows.
14. Open a
elevated command prompt.
15. If prompted, click on Continue in the UAC prompt.
16. In the elevated command prompt, type the
command below (see table below) for the user folder name you need to fix. (See screenshot below table)
NOTE: This will set the user folder as Read-only. You can Copy and Paste these to make it easier for you.
WARNING: If you have
changed the default location of your
user folder, then you will need to type the full path of it's new location after
attrib +r instead of the default %USERPROFILE% location below. For example,
attrib +r D:\New location
| User Folder |
Command |
| Contacts |
attrib +r -s -h %USERPROFILE%\Contacts /S /D |
| Desktop |
attrib +r -s -h %USERPROFILE%\Desktop /S /D |
| Documents |
attrib +r -s -h %USERPROFILE%\Documents /S /D |
| Downloads |
attrib +r -s -h %USERPROFILE%\Downloads /S /D |
| Favorites |
attrib +r -s -h %USERPROFILE%\Favorites /S /D |
| Links |
attrib +r -s -h %USERPROFILE%\Links /S /D |
| Music |
attrib +r -s -h %USERPROFILE%\Music /S /D |
| Pictures |
attrib +r -s -h %USERPROFILE%\Pictures /S /D |
| Saved Games |
attrib +r -s -h %USERPROFILE%\"Saved Games" /S /D |
| Searches |
attrib +r -s -h %USERPROFILE%\Searches /S /D |
| Videos |
attrib +r -s -h %USERPROFILE%\Videos /S /D |

17. Repeat
step 16 for each user folder that you replaced the
desktop.ini file for.
18. Close the elevated command prompt.
19. Restart the computer, or logoff and login again for the changes to take effect.
20. Confirm that the folder icon is back to normal.
21. You can now delete the downloaded folders on the desktop and set your hidden files and folders settings back to normal in
step 7 above.