New CF/SD cards and "ignore_my_documents" file

[Derring Do]

Here's a tip from PocketPC magazine, which cleared up some issues about where certain applications were looking for their files.

The upshot is: With a new CF or SD card, create a "My Documents" directory at the root level before doing anything else. This will enable your apps to look to the CF for their files, and let you keep main memory open.

If you didn't create the "My Documents" directory initially, you have a system file called "ignore_my_documents" which can be confusing your programs if you eventually DID create the "My Documents" directory.

Read the following tip for further information, and the procedure to use to delete this file. Hope it helps!

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The “ignore_my_documents” problem on SD and CF Storage Cards
By Diane Dumas

The “ignore_my_documents” file is a hidden, zero-byte file that is created by the Pocket PC 2002 OS when you save a document from Pocket Word or Pocket Excel to a storage card that has no My Documents folder on it. This can cause problems if you later create a “My Documents” folder on that card. When you try to store a document, your Pocket PC becomes confused about where to store it, and this causes a slowdown or an “infinite hour-glass” problem.

To prevent this from happening, create a My Documents folder on every storage card before you put it into use. If it’s too late for that now, here is how to solve the problem:

Insert the problematic storage card into your Pocket PC.
Since the “ignore_my_documents” file is a hidden file, you will need to use your desktop PC to find and delete it if it’s there.

Sync your Pocket PC with your desktop PC and click the Explore button on the ActiveSync menu. This will launch the folder viewer.
Navigate to the storage card on your Pocket PC.
At the top of the folder viewer menu, click Tools > Folder Options.
Click the View tab, and under Advanced Settings look for “Hidden files and folders.”
Click the radio button next to “Show hidden files and folders.”
Click the “OK” box to close the Folder Options menu.
Refresh the view by pressing View > Refresh on the folder menu.
After setting your folder to view hidden files and refreshing the display, if you see an “ignore_my_documents” file, don’t delete it yet! First, move all documents into the card’s My Documents folder (create one if it doesn’t already have one). Now delete that pesky file.