I deleted the Downloads folder in my Windows 7 home directory (which I had moved and renamed to incoming)
I was able to restore the folder from a backup, this restores the contents as well as Desktop.ini (hidden) that gives it the right folder icon within the home directory.
However, right clicking does not show the “Location” tab, indicating that Windows doesn’t recognize it as the special downloads folder. By Location tab I mean the tab that allows moving the location of the folder (try this on My Pictures, etc.). Until I see this restored I assumed Windows isn’t aware that this is in fact my Downloads folder.
How to fix this?
Solution:
Windows keeps track of the location of special folders in the registry. Have you ever used regedit.exe? Start that program and browse to:
ComputerHKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerShell Folders
In that folder, there is an entry with this name:
{374DE290-123F-4565-9164-39C4925E467B}
That entry should be set to the location of your Downloads folder, usually:
C:Users[username]Downloads
There is another entry here:
ComputerHKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerUser Shell Folders
Same name as before:
{374DE290-123F-4565-9164-39C4925E467B}
This entry should be set to:
%USERPROFILE%Downloads