Strange Folder Redirection Issue - Lost Files

[miloshmedia]

Hi all,

 

 

I have a secondary site we are slowly migrating teachers to a new set of OUs with fresh group policies, structure etc.

 

Currently teachers have nothing centrally stored apart from a mapped profile drive, so as devices are getting older we were worried about files not getting backed up. Therefore we have setup folder redirection

policies to move any locally stored files to their user area \Desktop\Documents etc.

 

 

We moved the user to the new OUs, logged in, waited forever for the files to move and then checked that everything had redirected (we only checked on the computer, not on the file server at this point). Logged the user off, changed the username and home folder to their new name as had a name change, logged in and the desktop had disappeared.

 

Everything else - downloads, recycle bin etc had stayed there, but the entire desktop contents had disappeared. I've tried changing back to the old OUs, changing the username/profile path back, I've ran Recuva and EaseUS to see if they've been deleted and have got nowhere. Not on the server or locally on the machine. The C drive storage implies to me that they are somewhere on the laptop but I've ran TreeSize to see if they're there which has come up with nothing too.

 

We had 250 users to migrate. We've done over 200 so final stretch now, but this one is puzzling me. I've got extensive experience managing windows server on both a 1st and 3rd line support level, so this one is really puzzling me as have never seen it before.

 

 

I have the laptop still in a hope we can try and get the files back. My logic is that if they've been moved I can get them from where they've moved to, or surely if they'd been deleted EaseUS/Recuva would have picked up on that?

 

 

 

Best,

 

 

Miles

[speakercon]

I've found changing folder redirection policies to be flakey without deleting the local user profile.

 

So nothing was redirected prevously? Is there nothing in the local profile folder, C:\Users\USERNAME\Desktop ect..?

 

 

 

Off topic but would you not be better using the OneDrive app to sync the local folders to OneDrive instead of setting up new server shares.

Edited May 12, 2024 by speakercon

[miloshmedia]

Thanks. Nothing was redirected before and nothing in the local profile which is what’s baffling. Even checked the registry keys.

 

This site has only just got a gig line, some staff in rural areas, debate over Microsoft vs Google school so usually is the route I’d go down but going down the local route just seemed a better fit

[speakercon]

Could you try running treesize on the local hdd, see if there are any large folders hiding anywhere?

[miloshmedia]

That’s where I tried running it - couldn’t see anything that resembled the desktop content

[Olliedawg]

Ohh folder redirection.. when it works its great, when it doesn't.. you sure know about it!

 

Do you need the "Move contents of Desktop to new location" option? Can you try a test one with this unticked?

[psydii]

Take a look in the windows\system32\csc folder. You might need to be NT System to go splunking there.

 

What version and build of Windows was running on the server(s) and client when the folder redirection policy took effect?

[chaplic]

Have you taken the laptop offline (disabed nics/ wifi) and see if teh files magically appear?