ok..... this info should help. it wasnt written by me
Ok... I just did some testing with this, and something weird is going on, at least for me.
This all happened on Windows Vista.
I installed an old version of RedShark (v. 3.01). I went ahead and created a deck. Afterwards, I uninstalled the program. When I checked the Program Files folder, the redshark directory was gone. No files or anything. Completely gone.
But don't panic just yet. I went ahead and reinstalled version 3.01 and created another deck. When I navigated to the redshark directory under Program Files, the deck I created wasn't there. How could it be that redshark sees the decks it creates, but you can't see the files?
It turns out that Vista causes many programs to save to a directory called VirtualStore. It can be found here:
C:/users/(username)/AppData/Local/VirtualStore/Program Files/redshark/
(username) is the account name you are using on Vista. Some of the folders are hidden, so you will need to have your computer show them. To do this, click on the folder with your username on it on the desktop. Click on the "Organize" drop down, and there should be an option for "Folder and Search Options". Click on the "View" tab. Under "Advanced Settings", there should be a folder for hidden files. Click on "Show all files". Hit OK.
You should now see the AppData folder in the folder with your Username. Go to Local, then VirtualStore, then Program Files, and then redshark. You will see your old decks there. Copy them to a different location.
It is really unfortunate that Vista has to work this way. I've heard that other developers are having problems with this same issue.
I hope this helps for recovering lost decks.
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Because of an issue regarding Windows Vista, Vista users who installed the latest version of Redshark today may not be able to view or save their decks. To fix this, follow the steps below. ONLY Vista users need to do this. New installers will hopefully be released within the next week or so to fix other minor bugs that have been reported since the release of the current version (such as Luxray GL LV.X’s text missing), but the installers may not resolve this Vista issue. A separate Vista installer may be created to solve this problem, but it is still under investigation.
1. Uninstall Redshark.
2. Reinstall Redshark. BUT, when it asks you where you want to install it to, it is imperative that you input “c:\redshark.” This will install it to a different folder than normal.
Follow the steps below if you want to recover your old deck files and use them in the current version of Redshark. You will only need to do this once, as the two steps above will allow Redshark to save your deck files safely in the future.
1. Go to “C:/users/(username)/AppData/Local/VirtualStore/Program Files/redshark,” replacing “(username)” with your Windows username. If this is too complicated for you, you can also go to “My Computer,” click the C: Drive, your username, and then go to AppData -> Local -> VirtualStore -> Program Files -> Redshark.
2. Some of the folders are hidden, so you will need to have your computer show them to you. To do this, click on the “Organize” drop down at the top of the folder, select “Folder and Search Options,” click on the “View” tab, and click “Show all files” under “Hidden files and folders.” Hit OK. You should now see faded files and folders (you may want to undo this after you are done with the below steps - select “do not show hidden files and folders” to reverse this action).
3. Open the folder with your username and find the “AppData” folder.
4. Go to: Local -> VirtualStore -> Program Files -> redshark. You will see your old decks there. Copy them to your “c:\redshark” installation folder. Now you’re ready to play Redshark with your old decks!
That would solve the "drop to avoid losing" issue...
