# Stupid windows problem

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-windows-problem/284686>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 14, 2005, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-windows-problem/284686 "2005-01-14T08:09:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ArrMatey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/arrmatey/32/3522_2.png) [@ArrMatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArrMatey)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-windows-problem/284686/1 "2005-01-14T08:09:54Z")

</div>

Okay, understand that I’m a total technophobe, and am always scared that I’m going to do something that would cause my computer to explode, so please explain to me in -small words-.

I’m running windows 98SE, and for whatever reason, the option to create new folders has vanished. I don’t get it when I right-click, I don’t get it on the file menu, I don’t get it anywhere. It’s… Odd.

Can anyone give me real simple instructions on this one?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-windows-problem/284686/2 "2005-01-14T08:27:50Z")

</div>

- 
  - 
    - Have you tried running the System File Checker? If not: open any system Window and click [help], and then do a search for “extracting files”. Three listings came up on my OEM Win98SE disk install: one about general info on extracting files, one about extracting and replacing a single file, and one about how to run the System File Checker. Or at least, I remember that the thing about the System File Checker is in there somewhere, look around in those results.

- Also note: the option to “replace a single file”. So if you can find out online which file concerns the problem you are having, then you can use the opeion to replace it with a newly-extracted copy…  
~

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ArrMatey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/arrmatey/32/3522_2.png) [@ArrMatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArrMatey)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-windows-problem/284686/3 "2005-01-14T20:09:40Z")

</div>

Did the file scan, replaced the file they said was damaged or missing, still don’t have the ‘new’ option when right-clicking or selecting the file menu. ☹

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![kinoons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a698b9/32.png) [@kinoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kinoons)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-windows-problem/284686/4 "2005-01-14T23:13:28Z")

</div>

assuming the issue began very recently you can try using a backup of your regestry. Book to a dos prompt (hit f8 as the system boots, choose dos prompt from the list) and type “scanreg /restore”. you should get a list of dates, choose on when the system worked and reboot.

if that dosen’t work I found a reg hack on another site that may work (disclaimer – its from another forum, I havent tried it, and as always be careful when poking around in the windows regestry)

[http://www.computing.net/windowsme/wwwboard/forum/44084.html](http://www.computing.net/windowsme/wwwboard/forum/44084.html)