Documents? My Documants?

<P>I am very new (5 days ago!) to the Windows world having been on a Mac for years. So please treat me like a 10-year-old.</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>This is an old chestnut. I just can't get my head around the difference between Documents and My Documents.</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>In Start &gt; Documents I get a window called &gt; Library &gt; Documents, in which are three files:</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>"Application Help &amp; Record of Computer Setup&amp;Use"</P>
<P>"Custom Office Templates"</P>
<P><I>(I don't need now to know about these)</I></P>
<P>"Windows Hints &amp; Tips"</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>I created the last file, containing hints and tips that I have discovered.</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>So far so good. I can easily get to these and open the last file.</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>But I have read about (and caught a glimpse, I think), of another documents folder somewhere called "My Documents". I don't know how to display the file path from my C drive but I would expect that a documents folder, like all files, is physically held on that drive, and with a name which I guess would be "Documents".</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>But I have read that there is another folder called "My Documents" somewhere.</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>I have read this in the Windows help area:</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>"<FONT face=Calibri><FONT color=#000000>The help says that Libraries </FONT><B><FONT color=#000000>list</FONT></B><FONT color=#000000> files and folders together in one Library folder (eg., Documents) to make it easy to get to them. That is, the files and folders are not really in the Library &gt; Documents folder but are </FONT><B><FONT color=#000000>held</FONT></B><FONT color=#000000> in a place elsewhere. The files and folders listed in that Library are simply </FONT><B><FONT color=#000000>pointers"</FONT></B></FONT></P>
<P></P>
<P><FONT face=Calibri><FONT color=#000000>Pointers behave rather like Shortcuts to those files. This is confirmed by the Windows help file on Libraries which says</FONT></FONT></P>
<P></P>
<P><FONT face=Calibri><FONT color=#000000>“</FONT></FONT><I><FONT face=Calibri><FONT color=#000000>In this version of </FONT><FONT color=#000000>Windows</FONT><FONT color=#000000>, you can also use </FONT></FONT></I><FONT face=Calibri><A href="mshelp://windows/?id=90ce43ee-33ac-4913-868c-3130e8c62416#gtmt_library_def" target=_blank><B><I><FONT color=black><U>libraries</U></FONT></I></B></A></FONT><I><FONT face=Calibri><FONT color=#000000>to organize and access files regardless of </FONT><B><FONT color=#000000>where they're stored</FONT></B><FONT color=#000000>.”</FONT></FONT></I><FONT face=Calibri><FONT color=#000000> and “</FONT><I><FONT color=#000000>A library gathers files from different </FONT></I></FONT><FONT face=Calibri><A href="mshelp://windows/?id=3960fc8d-ec0e-4618-854c-170a74f3bed6#gtmt_location_def" target=_blank><B><I><FONT color=black><U>locations</U></FONT></I></B></A></FONT><I><FONT face=Calibri><FONT color=#000000>and displays them as a single collection, without moving them from where they're stored</FONT></FONT></I><FONT face=Calibri><FONT color=#000000>.” And “</FONT><I><FONT color=#000000>Libraries don't actually store your items</FONT></I><FONT color=#000000>.”</FONT></FONT></P>
<P></P>
<P><FONT face=Calibri>Therefore, Libraries hold pointers to files which are physically stored on a disc, </FONT><FONT face=Calibri>and apparently that can include an external drive. That seems clear.</FONT></P>
<P></P>
<P><FONT face=Calibri>So here are my questions:</FONT></P>
<P></P>
<P><FONT face=Calibri>Q1. Have I got this right?</FONT></P>
<P></P>
<P><FONT face=Calibri>Q2. How does "My Documents" come into this? </FONT></P>
<P></P>
<P><FONT face=Calibri>Q3. Do I need in Windows 7 to know where my document files are really stored (except for curiosity)?</FONT></P>
<P></P>
<P><FONT face=Calibri>Q4. Can I just access my files by going to Library &gt; Documents and forget "My Windows"?</FONT></P>

I don' tknow how that happened. It was typed by me in plain text. If this message appears OK I will repeat my post.

I am very new (5 days ago!) to the Windows world having been on a Mac for years. So please treat me like a 10-year-old.


This is an old chestnut. I just can't get my head around the difference between Documents and My Documents.


In Start > Documents I get a window called > Library > Documents, in which are three files:


"Application Help > Record of Computer Setup&Use"
"Custom Office Templates"
(I don't need now to know about these)
"Windows Hints &amp; Tips"


I created the last file, containing hints and tips that I have discovered.


So far so good. I can easily get to these and open the last file.


But I have read about (and caught a glimpse, I think), of another documents folder somewhere called "My Documents". I don't know how to display the file path from my C drive but I would expect that a documents folder, like all files, is physically held on that drive, and with a name which I guess would be "Documents".


But I have read that there is another folder called "My Documents" somewhere. I have read the following in the Windows help area:


“Files and folders are held together in one Library folder (eg., Documents) to make it easy to get to them. That is, the files and folders are not really in the Library > Documents folder but are held in a place elsewhere. The files and folders listed in that Library are pointers.”
Therefore, Pointers behave rather like Shortcuts to those files.
This is confirmed by the Windows help file on Libraries which says:
“In this version of Windows, you can also use href="mshelp://windows/?id=90ce43ee-33ac-4913-868c-3130e8c62416#gtmt_library_def" to organize and access files regardless of where they're stored and A library gathers files from different locations and displays them as a single collection, without moving them from where they're stored.”
So Libraries don't actually store your items. Therefore, Libraries hold pointers to files which are physically stored on a disc, and apparently that can include an external drive.”
That seems clear.


So here are my questions
Q1. Have I got this right?
Q2. How does "My Documents" come into this?
Q3. Do I need in Windows 7 to know where my document files are really stored (except for curiosity)?
Q4. Can I just open or save my files by going to Library > Documents and forget "My Windows"?


Thanks

I don' tknow how that happened. It was typed by me in plain text. If this message appears OK I will repeat my post.

ThrashZone said:

Hi,
Did you refer to the links I posted ?
Here's another that might help,
Documents vs. My Documents - Relocating folders off c: to data drive

Yes I did and very helpful they are too because I will need to do something like that (see below). The method relocating folders off c data drive seems the way to go - less risky.

My new computer has a 256 GB flash drive (C: drive) which has Windows 7, Photoshop, InDesign and MS Office. They can stay there because they start up very quickly. I have a 1 TB internal drive E:. The flash drive is far too small to hold future docs, videos etc. etc. as well and I need to put them on that 1 TB internal drive E: , along with copying about 300 GB of docs, pictures, music, videos on an external USB drive which (I hope) could be put into the Windows Library structure. Then, hopefully, when I look for a document in Start > Documents/Pictures etc., all those Libraries and files will appear neatly under the present Library structure with no indication that most of them are on the internal E: drive.

***Does this look realistic please?***

What I (you) propose should work because many computers now have a flash drive to speed up booting etc. and not many will be 1TB in size, so this approach must be known about.

I would not even dream of doing anything like that myself - too technically complex - but I have a man who could: my local guru who sold me the machine. I will suggest it to him and show him your posts.

Many thanks for your help.

Incidentally, coming from 19 years on a Mac I find Windows has generally the same functionality (although less drag-and-drop) but the Library structure is totally different. Even the keyboard is not the same! It is a long learning curve.