Can't find "documents" when connected to PC

[VanBCguy]

I have an S3 (yes, I know, VERY outdated but waiting on the S7 to be back in stock with my provider.

I have a folder called "documents" in my gallery. It's saved to my SD card but when I connect to a PC, I can't find it at all. Nowhere to be seen in either phone or SD card storage.

How can I have a folder saved (especially to my SD card) that isn't viewable?

Help?

 

[B. Diddy]

Is it a hidden folder? Does the folder name start with a period?

 

[VanBCguy]

No it is not hidden and does not have a period before the name. It is as visible as all other folders within my gallery and is simply called "documents" (without the quotes of course). Lower case d if that matters.

 

[B. Diddy]

I'm not quite sure how the S3's Gallery app works, since I don't have one--but if you created a separate folder within the Gallery app (as opposed to the My Files app), then that folder may just be an organizational construct used by the Gallery app itself, and may not be an actual separate directory recognized by the filesystem. Are the photos you placed in that gallery folder still present in the phone's storage?

 

[VanBCguy]

I'm not quite sure how the S3's Gallery app works, since I don't have one--but if you created a separate folder within the Gallery app (as opposed to the My Files app), then that folder may just be an organizational construct used by the Gallery app itself, and may not be an actual separate directory recognized by the filesystem. Are the photos you placed in that gallery folder still present in the phone's storage?

I have an S3 (yes, I know, VERY outdated but waiting on the S7 to be back in stock with my provider.

I have a folder called "documents" in my gallery. It's saved to my SD card but when I connect to a PC, I can't find it at all. Nowhere to be seen in either phone or SD card storage.

How can I have a folder saved (especially to my SD card) that isn't viewable?

Help?

"I CAN"T FIND IT AT ALL" being the key words.

Sidenote: Why does this forum's page make an Android phone crash when opened on an Android? Seems a little ironic.

 

[B. Diddy]

Let's clarify something here: how exactly did you create the "documents" gallery folder you're referring to? If you created this folder using the Gallery app, then that's what I was referring to in my previous post--folders created within the Gallery app may not necessarily be physical directories on your internal storage or SD card. They're organizational constructs that are used only within the Gallery app. I think (but am not 100% sure) that the Samsung Gallery apps do this kind of thing.

However, if you created a physical directory called "documents" on the SD card using a file manager app, that's a different case.

How are you accessing the forum on your phone? Using the desktop or mobile web page on a browser, or the Android Central app, or the Android Central Forums (from Tapatalk) app?

 

[VanBCguy]

Let's clarify something here: how exactly did you create the "documents" gallery folder you're referring to? If you created this folder using the Gallery app, then that's what I was referring to in my previous post--folders created within the Gallery app may not necessarily be physical directories on your internal storage or SD card. They're organizational constructs that are used only within the Gallery app. I think (but am not 100% sure) that the Samsung Gallery apps do this kind of thing.

However, if you created a physical directory called "documents" on the SD card using a file manager app, that's a different case.

How are you accessing the forum on your phone? Using the desktop or mobile web page on a browser, or the Android Central app, or the Android Central Forums (from Tapatalk) app?

Thanks for the clarification questions. Hopefully my answers will help me resolve this issue.

I created a "documents" folder (lower case "d") via the file manager on my phone. I used lower case "d" because the Gallery app comes with a default "Documents" folder with upper case "d". I transferred everything over and don't have a problem seeing the new "documents" folder and its contents in the gallery, with an SD Card icon (telling me that it is indeed stored on my SD Card. I have no issues with opening that folder and viewing the contents either (which tells me that the files are indeed there and viewable).

I plug my phone into the computer, open up the appropriate directory, can see all my other folders on either the internal storage and SD Card, but the one exception is the newly created "documents" (the new lower case d one).

I do not access the forum on my phone. It will open, I can read the first page and then it jams and I have to clear all my tabs, restart my phone and open up any tabs I closed (on both the default Samsung browser or Chrome). But that's an entirely different issue. I am using the forum now on my PC.

Hopefully that info helps answer your questions.

Thanks in advance B. Diddy.

 

[B. Diddy]

Sorry for the delayed reply. Thanks for the clarification. I'm a bit puzzled by this, though. What happens if you Unmount the card (in Settings>Storage), remove it, and insert it into your computer's SD reader--does the computer see the documents folder now?

What if you rename it from "documents" to something else, like "My Pics"?

 

[VanBCguy]

Sorry for the delayed reply. Thanks for the clarification. I'm a bit puzzled by this, though. What happens if you Unmount the card (in Settings>Storage), remove it, and insert it into your computer's SD reader--does the computer see the documents folder now?

What if you rename it from "documents" to something else, like "My Pics"?

I have tried renaming the folder to "Important" so it doesn't cross over with any other folders/docs with the same word in it.

I can't view it while attached to my computer via USB cable acting as another drive nor when I unmount the card and read the contents via SD Card reader.

Simply put, I've tried every way I know possible, but I can't see it or the contents.

 

[B. Diddy]

I'm starting to wonder if this is a problem with the card itself. Can you try using a different card and set it up in a similar manner?

 

[VanBCguy]

I'm starting to wonder if this is a problem with the card itself. Can you try using a different card and set it up in a similar manner?

SD you mean? Or SIM?

 

[Rukbat]

SD. No one mentioned the SIM.

I'm suspecting that the folder is located in a folder that has read rights that don't include "everyone" (which is you), so you can't see anything in hat folder - including other folders.

"nor when I unmount the card and read the contents via SD Card reader." THAT sounds VERY strange. Are you sure the folder is really there? Windows should ignore Linux' permissions entirely.

 

[B. Diddy]

Yep, SD card. The only thing that can get saved to the SIM are contacts and SMS messages, and that's really for older phones.

 

[VanBCguy]

Yep, SD card. The only thing that can get saved to the SIM are contacts and SMS messages, and that's really for older phones.

I'm not a hugely knowledgeable person when it comes to the "back end" of using my phone. I know how to do what I've mentioned before and going thru the "root"(?) folders like a Computer folder path, but how would I accomplish this safely?

 

[B. Diddy]

Rewind a little bit again: when you created the documents folder, how did you copy the files to the folder, and from where? Do you still have copies of these files somewhere, like on your computer? Or are they only located in that documents folder on the SD card now?

If you still have copies on the computer hard drive, then I would suggest getting a new SD card, creating a folder on that card (using Windows Explorer), copying those files to that folder, and then inserting the card into the phone. See if you're able to access that folder normally on this new card.

 

[VanBCguy]

It was created by renaming the Documents phone storage folder via the Files setting on the Android (G3, 4.4.2(?)

No back-ups exist (except maybe in the Google back-up?). I'll check.

The funniest jist of this dilemma (and most confusing) is that I can see them in the Gallery but not find them in either directory.

 

[B. Diddy]

Try AirDroid or Wi-fi File Explorer to see if you can access the files from the computer wirelessly.