Files transferred from Windows XP are not visible with dolphin or ls
by rcdawson from LinuxQuestions.org on (#5GXBJ)
I replaced the hard drive in a Windows XP laptop, installed KUbuntu 20.04, and then copied all the user's folders and data files from the laptop hard drive. All of the user's folders, including all subfolders at all levels, are visible with dolphin or with ls from a terminal, but absolutely none of the individual files within any of the folders are visible. I would say that the files didn't transfer, except that dolphin's search function finds them!
When I did the transfer, I also copied the files to a backup drive. I can see all of the folders and files in that backup with either dolphin or ls.
If click on a libreoffice writer file displayed by the dolphin search function, the file opens with the appropriate application, so I know the file exists and is apparently intact. Incidentally, the file name is not preceded by a dot, so it isn't hidden, at not least using the usual naming convention to hide a file.
I use libreoffice to open one of the files returned by the dolphin search function, then click "file>save file as" I can see the directory in which the file is stored, but, when navigating to that folder with dolphin, I see only an empty directory.
If I create a new file in that directory with Libreoffice writer, the file is visible with dolphin and with ls. Unfortunately, I didn't check to see if simply saving an existing file opened from the dolphin search function would render that file visible from dolphin and ls.
When I did the transfer, I also copied the files to a backup drive. I can see all of the folders and files in that backup with either dolphin or ls.
If click on a libreoffice writer file displayed by the dolphin search function, the file opens with the appropriate application, so I know the file exists and is apparently intact. Incidentally, the file name is not preceded by a dot, so it isn't hidden, at not least using the usual naming convention to hide a file.
I use libreoffice to open one of the files returned by the dolphin search function, then click "file>save file as" I can see the directory in which the file is stored, but, when navigating to that folder with dolphin, I see only an empty directory.
If I create a new file in that directory with Libreoffice writer, the file is visible with dolphin and with ls. Unfortunately, I didn't check to see if simply saving an existing file opened from the dolphin search function would render that file visible from dolphin and ls.