New update made files disapear when searching through a computer

[MysterioMask]

After the latest android update. Whenever I plug my HTC One M9 into my computer to transfer files or photos too or from my computer, the folders where things are stored are now nowhere to be found. For example I had a folder I had titled Music and I put music into it. Well now whenever I click on the music folder nothing is in it, but on the phone the music is still there.

Here is another example. I have some photos on my phone id like to transfer to my computer. usually they would be in DCIM well they aren't there now. I browsed nearly every folder I could see on the phone but couldn't find them. I also have the option to see hidden files selected as well on my computer. Yet on the phone I can see them fine. When I go to the photos and look at it, and select details it says its called IMAG1275, and the file path is now /storage/5297-DD97/DCIM/100MEDIA I cannot find that on the files that show up on my computer anywhere at all. I used file explorer on the phone and it cant find it either. I also installed HTC sync manager and that cant find it either. Any idea what is going on? Or how I can find the file path through my computer? I have a bunch of photos id like to transfer and would rather not have to email them to myself 1-2 at a time.

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! When you connect via USB, swipe down the notification panel and tap the USB icon. Make sure MTP is selected. Then check Windows Explorer. With Marshmallow, the default USB connection is Charge Only--you usually have to change it manually to MTP for the PC to recognize the phone's storage.

 

[itguyjax8430]

After the latest android update. Whenever I plug my HTC One M9 into my computer to transfer files or photos too or from my computer, the folders where things are stored are now nowhere to be found. For example I had a folder I had titled Music and I put music into it. Well now whenever I click on the music folder nothing is in it, but on the phone the music is still there.

Here is another example. I have some photos on my phone id like to transfer to my computer. usually they would be in DCIM well they aren't there now. I browsed nearly every folder I could see on the phone but couldn't find them. I also have the option to see hidden files selected as well on my computer. Yet on the phone I can see them fine. When I go to the photos and look at it, and select details it says its called IMAG1275, and the file path is now /storage/5297-DD97/DCIM/100MEDIA I cannot find that on the files that show up on my computer anywhere at all. I used file explorer on the phone and it cant find it either. I also installed HTC sync manager and that cant find it either. Any idea what is going on? Or how I can find the file path through my computer? I have a bunch of photos id like to transfer and would rather not have to email them to myself 1-2 at a time.

Welcome to Android Central!

Did changing USB modes help?

 

[MysterioMask]

I am not entirely sure what you mean by MTP. I bring the drop down menu and select File transfers from the usb connection setting. Then it allows me to see most of the folders in my phone except the one im looking for. There is a folder in the phone called Mobile Content Transfer and while that does have a folder called storage in it. Its not the correct one. Sorry for the late response. I got pretty busy the last few days.

 

[B. Diddy]

MTP means Media Transfer Protocol, and is often called File Transfer on certain phones--so it sounds like you have the correct setting.

Do the missing folders or files have a period in front of the name? Like "/.Documents"? In Windows Explorer, click on the options and make sure Show Hidden Folders/Files is turned on.

 

[MysterioMask]

I have show hidden folders turned on. There is no period heres an example of the details from my phone of a pic on my phone I cant find on my comp /storage/5297-DD97/DCIM/100MEDIA

 

[B. Diddy]

Are these files on the phone's Internal Storage or SD card?

What other options besides File Transfer do you have when you swipe the notification panel down?

 

[MysterioMask]

Internal Storage. The options are Charging, File Transfers, Software Installation, Tethering, MIDI input, and MirrorLink Connection.

 

[B. Diddy]

Hmm. Try reinstalling the USB drivers. I believe the HTC Sync Manager installer will do that: Download HTC Sync Manager

 

[MysterioMask]

Same thing, doesn't matter if its in the sync manager or just through normal file explorer cant find the files. I might spend a day digging through every single file and see if I cant come up with something. I just doubt I will find it since a search for anything called storage already came up with nothing that I am looking for.

 

[B. Diddy]

I should've asked this before--are you using a Windows PC or a Mac?

 

[MysterioMask]

I use windows.

Also i have a bit of an update. I didnt fully dig through every folder yet on the phones storage. But i started with the SD card and found out that it is saving new photos to the SD card in a seemingly random folder after digging around in there a bit.

Also I found out that the file path in the phone does not match up with a file path on a computer.

For example one says its in storage/emulated/0/restoreimage, while the computers file path is This PC\HTC6535LVW\Internal storage\RestoreImage

There is still an app i use which has some photos id like to save but cant find it yet. But again i havent dug through the entire phone yet. when i did a search for any of the folders listed in the details for those, none came up on the comp that had them. But i did a quick test and found i can copy those photos to the SD card in a new folder and find that folder. So that should work but is an annoying work around for something that used to be simple and easy prior to this new update.

 

[B. Diddy]

The Camera app typically has a setting that allows you to choose where it will save photos by default (Internal Storage vs SD). What's yours set to?

Are you saying that when the Camera saves a photo, it saves to the RestoreImage directory instead of /DCIM/100Media? I'm not sure how to explain that. But I believe that the /storage/emulated/0/ directory is an artifact of how Android accesses its directory structure, and this isn't exactly how it's displayed when viewed through a PC. The PC is likely interpreting "/storage/emulated/0/" as "Internal Storage."

 

[MysterioMask]

No i was using the restoreimage directory as an example of something i can see and how it reads the directories.

I had a new update the other day again but it didnt fix the issue. In fact it seemed to make it worse. I went into the DCIM folder on the SD card tonight to grab a photo i had taken recently in which is where it should have been. Only to find out that its in a completely different DCIM folder now. I dug around and found a few other DCIM folders but none of them had the photo i needed so i had to email myself it. I only needed one photo at the time but there was a whole bunch that are now in some other folder i cant find once more.

I really would like to know what is going on and how to fix this. Its becoming more than just an annoyance at this point and would prefer not to factory reset the phone especially if i dont know if that will even set things right.

 

[B. Diddy]

This might be getting too difficult to figure out remotely. I'm not sure how you have multiple DCIM folders, unless you're talking about multiple subfolders under the DCIM folder.

 

[MysterioMask]

No there is litereally multiple DCIM folders and at least 1 I cannot find with more photos in it.