Here is a possible solution, if your problem is similar to one I had before. The files may be hidden in an ASCII colder that is an "invisible" HIDDEN folder. To see if this is your problem, too, do the following:
(1) Open any directory under "my computer" and select the "Tools" menu item
(2) Under Tools, click on "Folder Options" - a screen with 3 tabs will open up.
(3) Select the "View" tab on the Folder Options screen.
(4) Under "Hidden files and folders, click on the "Show hidden files and folders" option, then click on OK at the bottom of this screen.
Open the folder lock directory where your "lost" files are located. You should now see a partially grayed out directory name with a lot of odd, non-alphabetic characters. Click on this name, and you should find all your files within that directory. Now, just drag and drop them to another, safe directory.
If this wasn't your problem, maybe these steps will help someone else.
't access shared folder in xp from vista