When you log on to Windows Vista on a new computer, you do not see the expected files in the My Documents folder

You log on to Windows Vista on a new computer after a Group Policy setting has changed the folder redirection location of the My Documents folder. After you do this, you do not see the expected files in the My Documents folder.

This problem occurs when the Folder Redirection and Client Side Caching (Offline files) setting does not have access to the old shared location of the My Documents folder. Folder Redirection and Client Side Caching (Offline files) requires access to the old shared location of the My Documents folder to move data from the old shared location to the new shared location. If the old shared location is unavailable, Folder Redirection and Client Side Caching (Offline files) cannot move the data. When Folder Redirection and Client Side Caching (Offline files) cannot move the data, the files in the My Documents folder remain stored in the My Documents folder in the old shared location.

This behavior is by design.

To resolve this problem, copy the files in the My Documents folder from the old shared location to the My Documents folder in the new shared location.