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"The file or folder does not exist" error in Windows Vista

Article ID: 949109 - View products that this article applies to.

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Diagnose and fix the problem automatically

Note If you would rather fix this problem yourself, go to the "Let me fix it myself" section.

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SYMPTOMS

On a computer that is running Windows Vista, you receive an error message that resembles the following when you try to rename or to move a file or a folder:

The file or folder does not exist.

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CAUSE

This issue occurs because the <Folder ID> registry keys in the following registry subkey are corrupted or deleted:

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

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Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

322756

(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322756/ )

How to back up and restore the registry in Windows

To fix this problem, create the missing <Folder ID> registry keys in the following registry subkey based on the values in knownfolders.h

(http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb762584(VS.85).aspx)

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

Notes

If a KnownFolders key exists, but the value differs from the value that is listed in knownfolders.h
(http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb762584(VS.85).aspx)
, a "File and Folder Error User Interaction" page is displayed. You can select YES to set the KnownFolders key to its default settings or select NO to keep the current settings.
Additional folder references that are created by the third-party applications in the registry should not be modified.

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