Access Denied, too many folder levels and other pet peeves

Gomer · 24 Oct 2011

Good Morning All,

In the process of trying to set up a dual boot on a Win7 computer, I've run into some real pet peeves not having to do with the dual boot process.

FOUR Folder levels (Desktop, Libraries, Documents, My Documents) before I even see the folders I want to choose from? I have to admit that when XP came out with the Docs&Settings redundancy, I started to think of buying an Apple. Why do I have to wade thru 4 levels in the tree just to get to MY file folders? Is there a way to bypass all this?
- Redundancy in the tree is not limited to Libraries.
  - Under Desktop there is also a user folder labeled Gomer, under which are TWO folders labeled My Documents
    1. One with the same tree as in My Docs in #1, and
    2. One that tells me that "Access is Denied"
  - Under Computer, OS, Documents & Settings, which is like the XP tree, I get "Access Denied"
- And IF I had Homegroup set up, I would expect more redundancy.
- This is what would be called Dirty Programming - taking 60 lines of code when 12 would be cleaner - back in the days of DOS when we wrote programs by hand.
"ACCESS DENIED" even if I have Admin permission? Aren't I allowed control of my own machine?
I want all computers on the LAN to have access to all files on the various computers. Homegroup doesn't work with XP and I don't want to set up more redundancy by having Homegroup for the 7s and some other way for all computers to access the files on the XP computers.

So, would one or more of you wizardly geeks sort out which forums I should voice my various complaints to, or better yet, suggest the threads that have already been working on these issues.

Thanks muchly, Gomer

logicearth · 24 Oct 2011

Those folders that give "Access Denied" are not folders. They are for broken old applications.
See links in my signature.

Gomer · 24 Oct 2011

Thanks for the explanation about Access Denied, logicearth
Unfortunately, the shortcuts (that link to those junctions) are scattered all over the tree, kinda like the stuff my neighbor's dog leaves laying in my lawn. They're not really a hassle until you step in them. One would think that MS could have found a cleaner way to solve the security problem.

logicearth · 24 Oct 2011

They did, but you made the choice to show them...so they are shown. You don't want to see them then turn "Hide protected OS files" back on.

FliGi7 · 24 Oct 2011

And once you learn/figure out how to pin shortcuts to the Taskbar, folders are even easier to access than ever before.

I'm not sure why Homegroup doesn't work for you in terms of sharing files.

Using Windows Vista and XP with a Homegroup « NogiTech
Share Files and Printers between Windows 7 and XP - How-To Geek
Sharing files between a Windows XP PC and a Windows 7 PC over a home - Microsoft Answers
How to Enable Printer & File Sharing between Windows 7 and Windows XP | Windows 7

One of those should help you figure it out.

MilesAhead · 24 Oct 2011

The most common road block is XP machine have default workgroup name MSHOME while Vista and W7 have default workgroup name WORKGROUP. Also Vista and W7 the firewall is set to block everything by default.

MilesAhead · 24 Oct 2011

Also this might make customization of the Navigation Pane easier:
Windows 7 Navigation Pane Customizer: Show, Hide, Rename Items In Windows Explorer Navigation Pane | door2windows

Britton30 · 24 Oct 2011

You might look into this to see XP machines in a Win 7 network.
XP Computers in the Windows 7 Network Map

Rather than fiddling with file trees, use the Start Menu to access Docs, Pics, etc.

Access Denied, too many folder levels and other pet peeves-start-menu.png

Gomer · 25 Oct 2011

logicearth said:

They did, but you made the choice to show them...so they are shown. You don't want to see them then turn "Hide protected OS files" back on.

One peeve solved!! Thanks muchly, logicearth

Thanks FliGi7, I'll read those files

Thanks Britton 30, as I can't get to the internet to update to SP3, I'll have to leave that Hotfix go for a bit.
I have a question for you regarding that Start Menu. How do I replace "Pictures" with another name and use it for what I want or is it specifically set up for pictures? Alternatively, can I add more folders instead of having "Documents"/which opens to "My Documents"/which opens to the tree of my documents. The tree of my creation over the years contains about a dozen folders, each with many subfolders, some of which have their own subfolders. Adding two more just adds to the number of popups opening to get to a file - one of the reasons that I tend to use Explorer.

Thanks MilesAhead, workgroup name was one thing I forgot to make a note of. I'll check that. Also, that link to Nav. Pane may be the solution to the question above regarding changing the way the Start Menu displays.

Many thanks to all of you for your knowledge, expertise and willingness to share. MicroSoft owes you all BIGTIME!! for doing their work for free.

Britton30 · 25 Oct 2011

Hi Gomer, to change the name of one of those items, right click one and you can choose "Rename" from the context menu.

Those aren't folders but Library Junction Points, the default being Documents, Pictures, Music, and Videos and each will open the corresponding folders, i.e. My Music. If you will open any one of them you will see near the top of the window a link under the Library name, X Locations, click that and another window opens which will allow you to add ANY folder(s) to that Library. Click "Add" and an explorer will open to let you navigate to said folder to include.

If you open an Explorer window and click Libraries, in the menu will be a link for New Library and you can create your own and customize it as above. A folder may be included in more than one Library if desired.

Access Denied, too many folder levels and other pet peeves

Access Denied, too many folder levels and other pet peeves

Thanks, That was what I was looking for