W7: Files only visible via "Save As"
W7 Professional.
I helped a friend out today who was absolutely sure that they had downloaded some files they wanted from the web, but couldn't find them. W7 search returned 'owt even though the indexing all appeared good, so I started thinking out of the box; I had the idea that maybe they had downloaded to a "protected" folder that W7 would try to safeguard the contents of, so amongst other places I took a look in System32 using Windows Explorer. I found nothing even though all "hide" options were removed.
However... when trying to replicate what they had perhaps done, I found that their files WERE in the System32 folder but only visible in the Save As dialogue from the web browser (Chrome, though I don't think this is relevant).
My recovery method was to delete them via the Save as dialogue, open the Recycle Bin, and then Cut and Paste them from there to somewhere sensible.
This implies to me that my "protected folder" thinking was along the right lines and that perhaps there is a virtual folder where I could also have found the files?
I'm interested to learn!
Cheers,
TLXV