Folder transformed into 'alias' while backing up to DVD - help!

Question

Yet another horrible mess that only Apple seems able to dream up....
I was dragging & dropping folders of documents onto a blank burn folder to create a back-up of them on a DVD. Whilst dragging 3 folders across, somehow 2 of them ended up on the blank DVD window, & the other one finished up in the trash - I have NO idea how; I was not anywhere near the trash, & the other two got across okay. So I thought I would just drag this folder back to where it came from - WRONG - nothing is ever simple in Apple world is it - I now have the folder with 'Alias' next to it. I can open the documents that are in it, but I cannot back it up onto any other disk or memory stick. Which is pretty important as this was the most important of all the folders I was trying to back up! I have tried putting it in the trash again & then clicking 'put back', but I still just get this stupid 'Alias' thing.
Help please; can someone explain to me how I can get this folder back; this must be possible since I did not delete it forever; all I did was put it in the trash, but it's entire nature seems to have been morphed into something else. These things are SO simple in Windows!

Answer 1

While having looked in here a few times since you first posted this issue,
I'm uncertain what to attempt to resolve the underlying problem as it may
have something to do with user permissions, file ownership, and so on.
Usually the admin or main user account owns almost everything it can
control, sometimes this gets messed up and so the files you move may
become copies instead of originals, so you'd get an odd alias instead.
However that said, I'd consider (if possible) complete backups of your
entire system to an externally enclosed boot-capable hard drive with
its own power supply so it does not need computer power to run it.
And then use a clone utility (carboncopycloner, or superduper) and
attempt to make a suitable complete system clone; maybe even with
all your applications and other parts intact, together.
That would take some time, perhaps a few hours. Then with a bootable
and tested clone, consider a fully new installation of your system et all.
Right down to the roots. (This may affect any Recovery partition, btw.)
Also if the hard disk drive is original equipment, a replacement may be
in order at some point. The Apple Hardware Test is not conclusive.
The hard drive may have bad sectors or files that have been ignored or
overwritten, or minor corruption issues that may affect the system.
Sometimes just a restart into SafeBoot, and run repair disk permissions
in Disk Utility's first aid, can help odd file action in a user account. Be
sure to restart normally...
Hopefully someone who knows more about how to diagnose (terminal or
superuser modes) the OS X can find your thread and reply to it. Several
lengthy procedures could be helpful to help diagnose possible problems.
The readout from Console utility OS X log files may also point out details.
Sorry to say that I don't have a direct answer to your issue, but did have
some experience several OS X versions ago. Now considered vintage.
Good luck & happy computing!