Libraries

dsperber · 30 Sep 2011

Powell41 said:

If anyone has any solutions as to how I can get Windows 7 to operate the way I want it to, I will be most appreciative.

In the "save as..." dialog, you can just navigate down through "Computer" instead of using the "Libraries" to set the target location for where you want to save whatever it is that you want to save. You are manually pointing to a target folder, just as you always did with 98, XP and Vista.

You can even "close up" the Libraries item in the dialog, so that it won't be expanded the next time you use it.

So, in "save as...", just navigate through Computer -> C -> Users -> <username> -> My Documents, etc. (if you want to put it there) or you can navigate to any other drive or folder on any hard drive (not necessarily under Users on C).

You are not obligated to use Libraries.

seavixen32 · 30 Sep 2011

One of the first things I do when I buy a new computer is create a partition purely for my own personal pictures, music, videos and Microsoft Office documents.

It is done with no ifs, buts, whys or wherefores - it just gets done.

I too, found Libraries confusing, so creating my own default save location suits me and protects my personal data when Windows decides to go walkabout.

Bill2 · 30 Sep 2011

You can change the default location of libraries by moving user folders or user profile. Set it to what you want, that gives you the convenience of having stuff saved where you want without cluttering the windows partition or having to navigate to the desired folder in the save location dialog box.

User Folders - Change Default Location

User Profile - Change Default Location

kado897 · 30 Sep 2011

On the other hand you can just use libraries to gather together similar items in different folders, partitions or drives while still keeping their separate identity in the file system. It makes sense to me.

SundRance · 30 Sep 2011

Libraries are pretty handy once you understand how they work. Still and all:

How to Disable “Libraries” Feature in Windows 7? - Tweaking with Vishal

I DID use the tutorials to diable Homegroup and did change some other things about Windows 7, but all in all, I think it's the best OS Microsoft has ever created and I find it way better than Vista.

Best Wishes,
Rªnce

Powell41 · 30 Sep 2011

Hi Pincushion:

Many thanks for your reply. Perhaps you can answer my question.

I have just reloaded my O/S after trying to install Vista on this computer and so I'm stuck with Windows 7 unless I go back to my old machine. The problem I have is that I have no idea what the Libraries do. I've read through the Windows 7 for Dummies section on Libraries, I've read through the Tutorials on this site, and I've gone on line to get info. None of them tell me in plain language what Libraries is all about. I'm sitting here with five discs full of saved files and I don't have the faintest notion about where to install them. Do I click on Documents in the Start menu to set it up in the Library? Do I do the same thing for Pictures and Music? (even though I don't keep my on my computer I'd like to know where downloaded files are stored) What about a file for Videos? Do I make up a folder for this somewhere else and transfer it to Libraries. I tried this previously and nothing happened. When I clicked on Libraries I got a message telling me to open a library? I get the same thing now. When I open Documents from the Start menu it shows two items. When I then click on Libraries in this window I get a message telling me to open a library. What library? There's no library listed. I've already had two very large files disappear into never-never land. I figure Windows 7 decided on its own that I should send these files to some village chietain in Zamboanga. From the looks of it, I'll have to run everything from my discs because I have no idea what the system is going to do with them.

Regards
Powell Lucas

whs · 30 Sep 2011

Powell, I think you read too much into those Libraries. They are just a colection of pointers (like an index) to folders. A standard system would come with e.g. a Pictures Library pointing to the folders of My Pictures and to Public Pictures.

If you store something to the Pictures library, that is the same as storing it to My Pictures which is the default folder. If, however, you have additional folders in the library or if you want to store to the Public Pictures, you have to select those specificly.

The default folder has a checkmark in Library Properties as you can see in my picture. What you can also see it that I have another My Pictures folder in a seperate data Partition D.

Libraries are very convenient when you have your data spread all over the place in seperate folders. They serve as common repository.

Britton30 · 30 Sep 2011

Libraries is a junction point or shortcut to a folder, file, or groups thereof, whatever you add to them. They contain nothing at all but point to thing which do.

kado897 · 30 Sep 2011

There are four libraries set up by default in seven. Documents, Pictures, Music and Videos. Each act as a collection of two folders, your documents etc and Public Documents etc. As mentioned previously the libraries themselves do not contain the files they merely act as a collection point for the folders which do. These real folders are located in the file system in your user folder as My Documents, my Pictures, My Music and My videos. These are the default folders which store files you add to the library. As mentioned earlier there is a corresponding set of public folders in the libraries. You can add any other folder you like to a library (there are some restrictions with flash drives and network locations), if you have a need to and similarly you can remove any of the default folders from a library. You can also create libraries of your own for any purpose you need.

Powell41 · 30 Sep 2011

Good Day Folks:

I have been wrestling with the Libraries function on this system ever since I started running Windows 7 about a week ago and I think I've finally figured out what it does. However I would like confirmation because I can't believe that anyone, even Microsoft, could be so stupid.

In Vista, when you opened an app, for example Documents, a side pane would open listing all the other apps in your Users directory and in the 'C' drive. From there you could switch apps with one click or move files between apps. Is this essentially what the Libraries function does?

If so, I am amazed that Microsoft laboured so long only to produce VistaBloat. What used to be a simple one click system now requires you to set up your folders using an additional step for each folder just to open the files in that folder, not to mention having to set up folders individually in the 'C' drive if you want to move files permanently from one folder to another. This is simply a fancy variation on the original DOS only obscured with a whole lot of jargon.

If the above is the case, the engineers and programmers could have put their time to better use coming up with a new version of Pong.

Regards
Powell Lucas

Libraries

Libraries the sequel