Can only access/see hard drives in win explorer

[deniro0311]

Win XP Pro SP2, re-installed a month ago, one hard drive with 2 partitions, two hard drives with 1 partition each

This is a problem I have never had, nor can I find any info about it. I booted up yesterday and the "my computer" icon was missing from the start menu, my two stardock objectdocks were missing, and I could not access a single drive (hard or optical) in win explorer. After messing around I decided I better run some scans (to include hijack this). As far as I can tell, my computer is not infected. I did a reboot a while later, and I was now able to access everything through win explorer. I don't know how, but I can.

Here is where I stand as of now. I can see my drives in disk management, and they appear to be good. I can access all drives in win explorer. Here is what is still messed up. I can't add a "My Computer" icon to the start menu. If I add one to the desktop it contains no drives. If I try to access another drive from a program, I only have the ability to access "My Documents". For example, if I open firefox and click file, then click open file, and then try to browse for a particular file, I can only look in "My Documents". There are no other drives present.

These problems exist on all my accounts, to include admin and a new one I created . I have check just about every setting I could think off.

I am currently working on a web site, and I have to continually click on "open with" from a particular files context menu. This is making everything I do a real pain. Plus, I just want to know whats going on with my computer.

Thanks in advance

[cluberti]

If you open a command prompt, can you change to each drive and see a dir listing? Also, do you have this problem in safe mode?

[deniro0311]

The command prompt is good to go. I can access everything.

I have the same problems in safe mode.

Let me also add that the only account that can see the drives in win explorer is an admin account I created. The built-in admin account, and the limited user account I created can not see the drives in win explorer.

[deniro0311]

I just remembered how I got win explorer to see my drives. After I started to get desperate, I decided to look at my x-setup pro program. It's a registry tweaking program, for those of you who have not heard of it. I had not touched it since I re-installed. I found a setting that would add a win explorer icon to the quicklaunch bar. This icon allows me full access, but if I access win explorer any other way it only gives me access to my docs.

[deniro0311]

I guess nobody has had this problem before.

[cluberti]

Well, if one user can see everything, but others on the same machine can't and you haven't rebooted, it's a permissions issue. Not sure where, mind you, with what little we know, but it's definitely security/permissions (or software that modifies security/permissions).

[deniro0311]

You would think it's a security permission, but which one. The one user that has access can only access the drives through windows explorer and through certain programs. In other words, that user is also heavily restricted. I have no idea how this happened.

[Idontwantspam]

I think cluberti is referring to NTFS permissions, which dictate which users can do what to which files and folders. I'd advise that you turn off Simple File Sharing (it's in tools > folder options under the view tab) and then right-click one of the drives in question, click properties, then go to the security tab and let us know what it says.

[deniro0311]

I already had it turned off, and my administrators group has had full permissions. This is getting ridiculous. If I have to do a second reinstall in one month, I think I will go out and buy a mac.