Member Avatar for pigwidgeon3

When I try to add new folders to the My Music folder, I can't name them-- they are all called "New Folder (X)"-- nor can I rename them. I've gotten around this by making folders on the desktop and pasting them into My Music, but it is a bit of a pain. Also, when I right click the new folder in an attempt to rename it, the name box is greyed out.

Thanks
Lauren :)

  • 3 Contributors
  • 4 Replies
  • 191 Views
  • 1 Day Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by pigwidgeon3

Dani AI

Generated

A short, practical add‑on for anyone who sees new folders in My Music arrive as “New Folder (x)” and/or the Rename box is greyed out.

My Music is a special Windows shell folder (its on‑disk target can be redirected via the User Shell Folders settings), and other special folders (for example Recent) store shortcuts rather than normal folder content. If the shell target for My Music is wrong you can end up working inside a non‑standard location and Explorer can behave oddly. (support.microsoft.com)

Quick triage (fast checks first, then the safe fixes people mentioned here): press F2 on the new folder (quick test of inline rename) and try right‑click → Properties to see whether the item is actually a shortcut or has Hidden/System attributes (as and suggested). If the folder is inside a redirected special folder, open Folder Properties (or check the address bar) to confirm the real filesystem path — the per‑user shell targets are held at HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders. Back up the registry before you edit anything. (support.microsoft.com)

If items look “greyed out” or behave like shortcuts, inspect and, if needed, clear folder attributes from an elevated command prompt:

attrib "C:\full\path\to\New Folder"    (to view attributes)
attrib -h -s "C:\full\path\to\New Folder"    (remove Hidden and System)

Windows uses the folder Read‑only/System flags to decide whether Explorer should load Desktop.ini/custom views, so use attrib to inspect or change them rather than relying on the Properties dialog for folders. Be careful — removing these attributes can change custom folder behavior. (ftp.zx.net.nz)

If permissions might be the cause (you can rename on the Desktop but not in the library folder), disable Simple File Sharing (XP Pro) or check the Security tab / NTFS permissions (or use CACLS/ICACLS) and take ownership if needed. If Explorer itself seems buggy (F2/right‑click do nothing), a quick workaround is to rename with the command prompt (ren "OldName" NewName) or try changing the view; Explorer bugs like that have been reported and renaming from the prompt often works. If a bad shell‑target was the issue, restoring the correct My Music location (or moving files to a normal folder and correcting the shell path) fixes it permanently. (support.microsoft.com)

Sources used for these checks: Microsoft guidance on redirectable user shell folders and registry location, the CSIDL/special‑folder behavior, the KB about folder attributes/Desktop.ini, and community/Microsoft threads on Explorer rename issues. (support.microsoft.com)

Recommended Answers

All 4 Replies

Member Avatar for pigwidgeon3

Err, I forgot to add that I'm running XP home, with all the service packs available installed.

Member Avatar for Paladine

So when you press F2 when you have the "new" folder selected, Windows does not allow you to rename it? It does nothing? A beep even?

How are you logged into you system? Do you have administrator status? Do you have this problem anywhere else? (I know not on your desktop, but I mean elsewhere).

Member Avatar for JR85023

Right click on the file then go to properties, check to see if the hidden option is set. This will not help you with the folder renaming but it might be the reason that your files are greyed out.

Member Avatar for pigwidgeon3

I sort of fixed the problem, mostly just went around it. The shortcut on my desktop, and consequently where I saved all my music, was mapped to my recent documents, and I just changed it to the regular my documents. I can rename now; I'm not sure what the problem was before, but I've fixed it.

Thanks for all of your help, Paladine and JR85023.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.