Renaming any folder produces "Could not find this item". Clicking "Try Again" always works. Why?

Anonymous
2009-11-11T13:37:01+00:00

This is not the same issue as similar postings that have to do inability to delete folders that contain zero byte files. 

If I try to rename any folder in my system, I get "Could not find this item" with the choices "Try Again" and "Cancel". When I click "Try Again", it always succeeds. So - my system isn't crippled - but it is so totally annoying. I can even right-click on my desktop, and choose "New...  Folder" and type in a name, and I get "Could not find this item". The interesting thing is that the item's name does change even before I click "Try Again". 

If I have a folder named "Folder1" and I rename it to "Folder2", I get the error that "Folder1" Could not be found - which is actually true, as it is already renamed to "Folder2".

Why is Windows 7 looking for the old folder name after renaming? I've also disabled AVG's live scanner to no avail.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Files, folders, and storage

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Anonymous
2010-04-29T20:39:55+00:00

I finally got it.

I used the same solution for the similar issue in Windows Vista. Once i got to my company laptop, i exported this 2 registry keys.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\FolderDescriptions

Merged into my pc and voilà !!

The 'shell' command also works again (ex: shell:personal brings up the account folder)

I uploaded the reg file and you can get it here http://cid-fb5a28bc4a1cc9b6.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/Public/Folder%5E_fix%5E_win7%5E_x64/FolderDescriptions.rar

This is for Win7 x64. Use it at your own risk.

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  1. Anonymous
    2015-06-07T18:24:10+00:00

    This is verified working on Windows 8.1 Professional. Thank you so much!

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  2. Anonymous
    2015-05-22T20:54:15+00:00

    I finally got it.

    I used the same solution for the similar issue in Windows Vista. Once i got to my company laptop, i exported this 2 registry keys.

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\FolderDescriptions

    Merged into my pc and voilà !!

    The 'shell' command also works again (ex: shell:personal brings up the account folder)

    I uploaded the reg file and you can get it here http://cid-fb5a28bc4a1cc9b6.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/Public/Folder%5E_fix%5E_win7%5E_x64/FolderDescriptions.rar

    This is for Win7 x64. Use it at your own risk.

    I just had to apply this fix for a second time on the same machine.  I don't know what is causing this problem but it is really annoying and the Microsoft FixIt that claims to correct the issue cannot find it.

    Thank you for the fix, varredor!

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  3. Anonymous
    2015-04-04T18:16:31+00:00

    This reg seems to have worked.  This happened on my computer recently (April 2015) and this fix worked.  Thanks again.

    Kent

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  4. Anonymous
    2015-03-21T10:02:46+00:00

    Of course it was a Microsoft update. Thing is, "could not find this item" is such a niggling thing it is hardly worth spending time determining what update or process or combination of things brought it about. This Windows 7 computer is not a test bed; it is a working computer with very few applications and no hacks at all... except Microsoft's (updates). I don't recall "could not find this item" in Windows 95, but the only computer more important than this one in our operation is a Windows 98 2nd with four printers that we use for mass mailings; pin feed labels, etc. Thankfully W98 doesn't receive updates; that ended about ten years ago. Now the KB3004394 "genuine advantage validation" (that's a good one); that broke my wife's laptop and this one.

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