Windows 7 Folders/Libraries

[Deleted User]

My Windows 7 came set up with 4 libraries:
Documents
Pictures
Music
Video

The Music & Video libs are empty apart from the samples that came with the computer, and there are only a handful of files that I have put in the pictures library. The operative words here are "I have put", because Win 7 has put a load of other stuff in there by itself.

For some reason Win7 has created folders in the Pictures library and then put files from the Document library in them. They are not copies, but the same files accessible via a different path (ie if I edit one "copy", the change appears on both). Why are they there, and what are they for? They include Word, Excel, PDF, and even complete folders.

I wondered if it was anything to do with me having stored picture files in the documents library, but there are 'copies' of folders that don't contain any picture files anyway. (I do that because I like having pictures in the same folder as the text files they relate to.) I'm wondering what I would have to copy if I were making manual backups.

Thanks

I_have_spoken

Why are they there, and what are they for?

Shouldn't be. Backup the files then run a chkdsk to validate there hasn't been corruption. Have you ever pulled the power without shutting down the PC?

If you can modify the file from either directory, somehow symbolic links (symlinks) have been created.

ThemeOne

The libraries you mention are not real folders, but can be configured to show items stored in other folders.

The first thing to check is whether unwanted folders have somehow become set as "library locations".

For example, right click on the Pictures folder, choose Properties and you will see a list of library locations. You can remove any folders whose contents you don't want to be visible in Pictures. The other libraries work the same way.

[Deleted User]

I_have_spoken wrote: »

Have you ever pulled the power without shutting down the PC?

That started happening when the battery kicked the bucket. Samsung don't make the batteries anymore, so I only run it on the mains now.

[Deleted User]

ThemeOne wrote: »

For example, right click on the Pictures folder, choose Properties and you will see a list of library locations. You can remove any folders whose contents you don't want to be visible in Pictures.

If I do that there's only one location listed, and that's in Documents not Pictures.

If I delete a file it disappears from both locations, and then reappears in both if I restore it. If I try to move a file, it refuses on the grounds that source and destination are the same name. Renaming changes both together.

ThemeOne

jack_pott wrote: »

If I do that there's only one location listed, and that's in Documents not Pictures.

In that case, from within the Properties window, you might want to add the My Pictures folder (use the Include a Folder button) and then remove the Documents folder. Doing that should return the Pictures Library to the kind of behaviour you would expect.

Doing this won't delete anything in Documents, it will just prevent them being shown as part of the Pictures Library.

[Deleted User]

ThemeOne wrote: »

In that case, from within the Properties window, you might want to add the My Pictures folder (use the Include a Folder button) and then remove the Documents folder. Doing that should return the Pictures Library to the kind of behaviour you would expect.

Doing this won't delete anything in Documents, it will just prevent them being shown as part of the Pictures Library.

That's fixed it, thanks. I've learned a bit more about how W7 works as well, having done that.

FootfallsEcho

Thanks ThemeOne; I too have learned something new. These 'duplicate' folder have annoyed me for ages.
Cheers

I_have_spoken

These 'duplicate' folder have annoyed me for ages.

They've been done away with in Windows 10, thankfully