listing files under terminal vs thunar view (linux)

hi all

as a noob to linux i have what seems to be a dumb problem, i downloaded a file "dsl-4.2.5.iso" this was located in the "Documents" folder : the default filemanager "thunar" can show this file along with a folder "AspireOne" which comes as a default. (i know i should have downloaded to the "Downloads" folder but i'm on a learning curve)

opening a terminal at the $ prompt i type in : ls <enter>
i see the folders: Desktop Documents Downloads Music Pictures Videos
i type in : cd Documents <enter>
i then type in : ls <enter>
and all i see is the folder : AspireOne
there is no sign of the file : dsl-4.2.5.iso

i also have 2 other files in the "downloads" folder that i can see with thunar but can't see in terminal mode (even after changing to "su" mode); can someone please explain this behaviour?
i have looked through the 600 odd posts here and can't see anything similar, researching the options with the 'ls' command doesn't suggest what i am doing wrong either.

tia

regards

p.s. for other noob's i have also found that : cd documents <> cd Documents
the 'case' is very important in linux

i have just discovered the answer: just browsing through other sections & found:

viewtopic.php?f=54&t=4140#p28142

the "disappearing" files are on the expansion card in the same directory structure:
/mnt/home/Documents
&
/mnt/home/Downloads

 

Do you have a card plugged into the storage expansion slot? If you do, Thunar shows a merged view of the files in the user home directory and the expansion card. If you open a terminal, the directory you'll be in is the user home directory, which is not what Thunar shows. If you want to be sure you're seeing the same files at the prompt as you do in Thunar, then you need to do

cd /mnt/home
cd Documents
...etc

 

What exactly is the output when you run "ls -la"? What is the output when you run "pwd"?