SD card is not displaying all folders in Win7 file explorer

[AC Question]

Last night I was deleting some unneeded videos from my HTC Desire 510's SD card, and when I went to put more on, suddenly the video folder in the gallery app had disappeared and my phone would no longer show up as an external storage device, only showing the 'CD' with the Sync Manager install. I eventually got it to show up again by uninstalling everything HTC from my computer and then plugging my phone in, but now most of the folders on my SD card aren't appearing.

I wanted to add a picture link here, but apparently I need to have 10 posts first. But I see no point in signing up to a forum I'll only come to for one problem and then likely never use again.

Even after unplugging the phone and reconnecting several times, I get no music folder despite my songs still being on the phone, the Pictures folder is empty, and several other folders that show up just fine in Astro File Manager have vanished. Strangely, the Books folder is perfectly fine. I can't even try to get into e.g. the music folder by typing the path into the bar, because Explorer claims the folder doesn't exist.

Right now, the only thing I can think of to fix this is to format my SD card, lose everything, and start over.

 

[nahoku]

But I see no point in signing up to a forum I'll only come to for one problem and then likely never use again.

The problem is that you are required to sign up to "reply" to a post on the forum... even if you're replying in your own thread.

Have you pulled the SD card from your phone and connected it directly to your computer to see if the files and folders are there?

See... how are you going to answer that if you don't join the forum?

 

[Jason Argyle]

Well fortunately I discovered that the forum lets me use a G+ account, so here I am again.

I can't try the SD card on its own in my computer because I don't have a card reader. I've been able to get around the lack of a video folder in my gallery by simple opening the files in Astro, but I'll need to do something about the music folder, since without that I can't add or remove music. HTC Sync Manager tries to read my entire hard drive for files but refuses to detect my phone, despite automatically opening when I plug it in.

 

[nahoku]

Sounds like your computer is only seeing the phone connected in "installer" mode. If you pull down the notification shade, can you switch to MTP mode. This will enable your computer to see the phone as an mass storage device. Also, can you borrow a card reader from someone to check the SD card outside of the phone?

 

[Jason Argyle]

It already defaults to MTP. When I plug the phone in right now, I get both the 'CD' with the installer and the contents of the phone/SD card as seperate items in My Computer, but the card doesn't display most of the folders.

And I don't know anybody who has a card reader.

 

[nahoku]

I don't own a HTC, but how's about in the App Drawer, do you have a My Files folder or something of the sort? If so, do the folders show up in there? Can you use the search function in My Files to find your music and identify the folder it's in? Another thing to try is to go into Settings > Application Manager, find the Music app(s), and clear the cache, then restart your phone. If nothing works, I'm running out of options unless you can get your hands on a SD card reader to verify it's not a phone problem.

 

[Jason Argyle]

I have Astro File Manager, and all the missing folders show up there just fine, same with all my music. While I don't have a card reader, I found out that my mum's laptop has an SD card slot, and everything shows up fine there when it's just the SD card. On a hunch I plugged my phone into the laptop, but sadly the same folder problem still happens.

So the card is fine, but it appears that my phone is not.

 

[nahoku]

Ok, this is what I found searching the web. With the SD card connected to the laptop, open the folders that don't show up, look for a file .nomedia and delete it. If the root of the SD card also has this .nomedia file, delete that also. BEFORE you delete the .nomedia files, backup your music, etc onto the pc just in case something goes wrong. After you delete the .nomedia files, put the SD back in the phone, and restart the phone to see if the phone will rescan the SD card to find your media. If it still doesn't find the media, install Rescan Media from the playstore to force a media rescan. Somehow we need to make the phone rescan for media.

EDIT... I just wanted to reassure you that in the root of my SD card and all my folders that have media, there is NO .nomedia files.

 

[Jason Argyle]

There were no .nomedia files in the missing folders.

I tried three times, but Rescan Media didn't want to run. It crashed immediately upon loading, so I tried something that sounded similar, Rescan SD Card. The Gallery app now has its video folder back, and it has also reappeared on the SD card (while the phone is connected). After a bit of messing around, I managed to get the Music folder to appear as well. So that means the 'important' folders are back to normal. I have no idea if the still-invisible ones will matter to me anytime in the future though. If it matters, these are the folders I currently CAN see:

Books, DCIM, Music, Pictures, rosie_scroll, TunnyBrowser, Videos

(By the way I have no idea what rosie_scroll is, but it's empty)

 

[nahoku]

Did a search for rosie_scroll... seems it has to do with you default launcher. Might just be one of the many folders the phone puts on the SD every time you mount it. If you delete it, it'll probably just be recreated. Just leave it.

Well, I'm glad your "important" folders are back. Sorry about the Rescan Media app not working. I don't personally use it. I just found it in a thread dealing with a similar issue as yours. Dump it from phone if you haven't already. I'll keep Rescan SD Card in my head for the next time. Thanks!

I have no idea if the still-invisible ones will matter to me anytime in the future though.

Which are still invisible? I wonder if something corrupted the SD card a little. If you wish to start over with it, you might backup all your stuff, format the SD (in the phone), and reload your media. Maybe then the invisible folders will reappear. Just a thought.

 

[Jason Argyle]

The missing folders are:

_nero_sync, Alarms, Android, Download, Inkpad_Notepad, Movies, Notifications, obb, Playlists, Podcasts and Ringtones.

None of them really sound important though. I can set a ringtone through the music player anyway.

 

[nahoku]

These are SD folders? The only folder I show on my SD is the Android folder (from those you listed). Could be Lollipop differences too, plus other stuff you have installed, like nero, notepad, etc. Might just be how HTC does their stuff.