Accidentally moved folder to System Volume Information

Question

I accidentally moved a folder with lots of subfolders and files to System Volume Information on a Bitlocker-partially-encrypted flash drive. Now I can't move them back (not even with control-Z).

The folder seemed to automatically have become system-owned: I tried taking ownership, but that would take a long time and might not work.

How can I move this folder out of System Volume Information?

Solution 1

I use this way so it's worked for me : [first make sure you are not guest log in, in another word you must have administrator access]
1.Start Task Manager and go to users Tab, then remember exactly your admin name :



2.go and right click on system information folder and choose properties:
you must see this windows, right?



3. go to Security tab and you probably see this:



Now click on Continue Button else no problem just click on Advanced
4. Now you must be on Permission for system volume information window



now just click on Add Button ...

note: In any way you must reach to Select User or Group window for this System information window and never mind if you reach to this part with your own method just make sure you are doing setting Permission for that system volume information folder.

5.after all you must reach to Select User or Group window :

Now the main Job is Started !
First, copy From This location.Textbox value.
Then paste it or write it instead of number 1 in bellow pic:
Now insert a \ backslash
at finally Write your current user name (from step 1) and write it instead of number 2 in bellow pic:

6.click check Name button and name path you directly inserted must be underlined otherwise you inserted the path incorrectly so try again with carefully

7.click on ok Button then you'll see your current user add in Permission for system volume information window but without full Control, so check on Allow for Full Control as bellow pic to finish your job :) .

click on Ok button until all properties are closed. Now YOU can enter into that System Volume Information folder and move or cut your folder.

good luck :)

Solution 2

Try the command prompt?

I hit this on an external drive, FAT32 formatted. I dropped a big folder into the SVI black hole. Windows Explorer just refused to shift it back out.

So I just fired up a cygwin command shell, and hey presto: no stubborn refusal from its mv command.

Because it was a FAT32 drive it has no security ACLs or security tab, I would think there's no reason I should not be able to move that folder: I guess Windows Explorer must be applying some extra rules of its own to pretend like it's NTFS.

Solution 3

You can boot your computer with an Ubuntu liveCd after which you can access your System Volume Information folder on your harddrive and move your folder back out.

Edit:
Taking ownership is not strictly necessary. Microsoft explains here "How to gain access to the System Volume Information folder". After doing this i could (also on a Windows 7 machine) move a folder in and out of the "System Volume Information"-folder.

How you could initially move your folder without permission into this directory is a mystery to me because before i granted myself access i could not move anything there.

Comments

[Simon Kuang]

No, actually, I can't because it's an NTFS flash drive that's halfway Bitlocker-encrypted.

[Rik]

Oo, you didn't stated in you question the drive was Bitlocker-encrypted. (small piece of important information :) I added a link where Microsoft explains how to get access to the "System Volume Information"-folder. You don't have to take ownership but you need to grant the user access to the folder. Maybe it can help.

[Ben Voigt]

Why are people explaining how to delete, when the question asks to restore the files to their original location?

[velkoon]

Ah geez, thank you for the tip. Mine was also FAT32 so was missing the ownership tabs as well. I opened Git Bash and did cd /j/ (since it was my J: drive) & did mv System\ Volume\ Information/MyStuckDirectory/ . and I was done. PHEW! What unnecessarily stressful silliness!!