Cancelled move operation. Files now missing?

Greetings,

I am desperately looking for help regarding missing files due to cancelled prompt in windows XP.

I was trying to copy "my documents" folder into a new folder on an external hard drive. I tried to drag and drop the folder, but it only pasted a shortcut. I then attempted to copy and paste, but it gave no option to paste.

The size of the folder I was attempting to copy was about 7 gigs of data.
After not being able to do either drag/drop and copy and paste, I then tried to use the "Move" operation. When I clicked 'move', it opened a dialogue window notifying me that original files in the original location would go to the new location.
No longer wanting to do such method, I clicked cancel.

I was going to attempt and copy and paste yet again.

When I visited the original folder to view its contents, it only contained the 3 folders that usual comes with windows, "My Music", "My Photos", and "My Videos". My own folders and files have gone missing.
I went back to the folders and performed the "Undo" action but nothing has come back. I visited the recycle bin, but the only files that are there, are the ones that I deleted before attempting to move the original folder. Inside the recycle bin, I right-clicked to see if it would give me the option of "Undo move" (I also did this in the original folder and new folder I had made) but there was no option.

After looking at the folders and contents a bit later, when I was "undoing" previous actions, it apparently performed the undo operation for renaming the folder on the external drive.
When I go to the "My Documents" folder, which contained the original files and click on the properties, it now say "Target E:\ New Folder"....but nothing is in there except the 3 folders My Music, My Photos, My Videos, and a shortcut to "My Documents"....which contains nothing.

I don't understand why this happened when I decided to not go through with the operation.

As usual, these files are seriously important and I need them back.

Thank you in advance to anyone who can help.

 

sometimes when you attempt to move or drag and drop if you lift your finger off the cursor even slightly the files may be dropped in a different folder.

go to folder options, insure that you have checked to show hidden folders

then go to search, type in the name of one of the documents that is missing, hit search

do this on the external drive also, when you find one document the rest will be there also.