Want Folders Not Libraries

[kegobeer]

Are you clicking the Windows Explorer icon in the taskbar? If so, then this is expected behavior. As has been stated, if you want to change it, it's very easy.

Set the Windows Explorer Startup Folder in Windows 7 - How-To Geek

If you open it via Win+E, it opens up in the My Computer view.

 

[UsernameIssues]

First let me clarify that I don't use W7 much - I'm still on XP. I do support several people that use W7, so I have a virtual machine with W7 in it.

Here is a screenshot of what I first see in Explore. ~~~ This just shows that I don't have a "documents" folder available.......

There is definitely something different about your explorer window. If you follow kegobeer's link, you can probably get the documents shortcut back under Libraries - once you have done that, the file > save as dialog issue will be cured as well.

......It was only when I created the recipe document in Open Office then tried to save and create a new folder in process......

Thanks for the additional info - I was not sure how to help you since I was not sure what editor you used... I should have just asked.

.....How about someone recreate what I did and see if you have the same hang ups. I very well may simply be missing something. I don't purport to be a geek......

Now here's the thing:
I installed Open Office into my W7 VM
opened Writer
typed "test" in as some text
did a file > save as
The "save as" dialog box looks just like the one that I posted earlier. The "Libraries\documents" folder was already selected in the save as window - so I made a new folder via right click > new > folder (then I deleted that new folder) and made another new folder via the new folder button and I put the test document in that new folder - then exited OO Writer.

I opened up explorer to see if the test folder and test file was were it was supposed to be... but I noticed a new temp folder being created in the root of C. [The type of temp file that OS patches sometimes create with lots of letters and numbers in the folder name. I figured that it was OO updating itself because OS updates are turned off. The temp file soon went away.] I mention this OO update thing because the test folder/file that I saved was nowhere to be found via explorer.

So.... I opened OO's Writer app again and did a File > save as --- only to be told that folder that I was attempting to access was no longer available. This tells me that OO took note of the most recent folder used for the save as dialog and it tried to open that for me during the second save as operation, So I was not the only entity that thought the recently created folder and test file should still be on the hard drive.




A glance at Writer's recent documents confirms the location of the file that OO & I did not find:




...and via explorer





RANT
Dear MS,
I have enough trouble explaining to people where files really are on their hard drive without you calling the real "Documents" folder by an alias of "My Documents". Not all applications call your APIs - some apps use their own file access dialog boxes... thus people need to know the real path to their files.
/RANT
There; I feel better now.

.....Do I need to start another thread to ask about the additional questions I have posed or do people simply not know the answers?.....

No, we just were not clear that the explorer issue and the save as issue are related. Once you fix explorer, the save as will be fixed - we hope.

.....Also look at my screen shot and see how it opened up with all the space to the right and everything jumbled to the left. This is how it looks every time I open any folder the first time before I drag it open to view more stuff at once....

Turn off the preview pane. You can use the menus shown on the left or toggle that pane via the icon highlighted on the upper right.



I'm going to go ahead and hit "Submit Reply" for this post before the attached images disappear again. There appears to be a time out on that when a post stays in the edit mode too long. If I get the time, I'll start over on the OO install and see if the test file goes away again.

 

[pcunite]

You might also like to remove "Libraries" from the shell context menu like so. Save to a removelib.reg file or whatever then run it.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}]
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}]
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}]
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{2112AB0A-C86A-4ffe-A368-0DE96E47012E}]
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{491E922F-5643-4af4-A7EB-4E7A138D8174}]
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{7b0db17d-9cd2-4a93-9733-46cc89022e7c}]
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{A302545D-DEFF-464b-ABE8-61C8648D939B}]
[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{A990AE9F-A03B-4e80-94BC-9912D7504104}]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel]
“{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}”=-

 

[modifier]

.....Do I need to start another thread to ask about the additional questions I have posed or do people simply not know the answers?.....

No, we just were not clear that the explorer issue and the save as issue are related. Once you fix explorer, the save as will be fixed - we hope.

.....Also look at my screen shot and see how it opened up with all the space to the right and everything jumbled to the left. This is how it looks every time I open any folder the first time before I drag it open to view more stuff at once....

Turn off the preview pane. You can use the menus shown on the left or toggle that pane via the icon highlighted on the upper right.

View attachment 205354
.

Thanks for the thoughtful post. I haven't digested all you said about saving a doc but the issue I was having with Explore opening up with a minimal view was easily fixed by simply clicking on the Preview Pane icon on the upper right. I opened and closed Explore several times and it seems to have stuck. So that was easy.

For the moment I'm going to work around having Libraries. I'll see if I want to spend the time to understand how to eliminate them later. One thing I'm concerned about it if I eliminate them will I loose what is in them since I have folders within libraries? Or do they not really work that way?

Now the one other issue that no one has touched on yet is my erratic mouse behavior when scrolling pics. Like I said before if I'm trying to scroll up or down through a bunch of pics and click on the space between the bar and the arrow more than a few times or I hold down on the arrow for too many seconds it goes into rapid scroll mode that is too fast to see. It makes it almost impossible to find a pic if there are a lot in a folder. The only way around it I have found it to hold left button and drag the bar, but this is even hard to do if there are a lot of pics because you can't move it a small enough distance.

I haven't enabled any preference that I have aware of that is supposed to speed things up or accelerate. The only automation I have enabled on my laptop is pinch to zoom, but this happens on my desk top too. Another symptom is when it goes into this rapid mode if I take the cursor away from the scroll bar it stops then starts up again if I move it back to it without hitting any mouse buttons. If I left click away from the scroll bar it stops then the process repeats if I try and scroll again. I hope that isn't too confusing.

 

[UsernameIssues]

When I reinstalled OO for a second time, I could not get it to update - it seems that the servers were down. So I did not repeat my experiment to see if the folder/file would be deleted during an update.

Glad to hear that you got your folders looking like you want them, for now.

I'll have to let others talk to the usefulness of the Libraries. As far as losing the stuff that is in them if you remove them from view: my one small test was to put pictures into the "users\username\my pictures" folder and then merged the reg file that pcunite posted. The pics are there - Libraries are not

As far as your mouse and the wild scrolling - I don't use a mouse with my laptop, so I've not seen such behavior. Maybe a fresh thread in this Sevens Forum might help you.

 

[Jacee]

I have a folder on my desk top called "my Desk". Inside that folder I have many, many more folders, but each folder is named with an icon... very easy to get to like a complete filing system.

 

[modifier]

I'll have to let others talk to the usefulness of the Libraries. As far as losing the stuff that is in them if you remove them from view: my one small test was to put pictures into the "users\username\my pictures" folder and then merged the reg file that pcunite posted. The pics are there - Libraries are not

Yeah that may work. I did have a Library called Bicycles and a folder in it that was called Components. The Components folder had only pics I had saved to that folder but the Library had every picture I had saved to either the folder or the Library. I created another folder called Bicycles and moved all the bicycle pics into it but they didn't really move they just copied. But then I deleted one of the pics in the Library to see if it would go away or stay in the folder. It went away. I still don't get the purpose of Libraries. They seem redundant. I hope they don't double the space used on the hard drive. But I think I read somewhere that they do not. I find that you can do almost everything in 7 that you could in XP and perhaps some additional stuff. It just seems harder to figure out how to do it. I wonder if 8 will be an improvement.

 

[lehnerus2000]

Jump List?

Have you tried adding "My Documents" to the "Jump List" in "Windows Explorer"?

Add "My Documents" to the "Jump List"

• Pin "Windows Explorer" to your Taskbar (if it isn't already present).
• Open Windows Explorer
• Navigate to "My Documents" (or another desired folder).
• Drag the "My Documents" folder to the pinned "Windows Explorer" icon.
• Release the mouse button when the "Pin to Windows Explorer" screen tip appears.

Access "My Documents" from the "Jump List"

• Right click on the pinned "Windows Explorer" icon to activate the "Jump List".
• Click on the desired icon.

Click on the picture for an animation.

​

 

[boohbah]

you could open your users folder and drag the documents folder to the favourite tree on the left in a window, and any other folders/file you want quick access to.
also if you set a window how you like it ie, size then adjust the view you want for the files ,large icons, list ,details etc then click organise /folders and search options/view tab then click apply to folders to save the setting.
to select the size of your files click the change your view tab ,top right of a window then using the dropdown arrow will give you more options with a slider to fine tune the size you want.

 

[kenC]

Here's a way to disable Libraries if that's what you still want: How to Disable “Libraries” Feature in Windows 7? - Tweaking with Vishal

I strongly recommend you to at least make a restore point first or preferably take a System Image.

I tried Libraries for about 2 weeks after getting my laptop and never found any need for them, so used this link and I've never
missed them. There is a restore in the Zip file if you change your mind.

 

[Jacee]

Leave "Libraries" as they are ... it's not a problem to work around them and make your own folders, all included into one folder on the desktop.

Name the desktop folder what you want to, then name all individual folders as you want.

Save to 'desktop' , then move recipes, .txt notes, forums, or whatever into their respective folders. ( the most simple way to do this)

 

[boohbah]

I agree with jaycee,
as a newcomer to windows 7 things will be different to XP but why change or remove them. once you get used to the system then you will appreciate them, i didnt use the libraries much at all in the early days but now i have several drives with music folders.
Using the library to collate the shortcuts to all the different music folders is a godsend, no more opening several windows and folders to get a specific track ,they show in one place.
bare in mind these files and folders in the library are ONLY shortcuts to the original folders that YOU create then add to the library.

 

[bbearren]

I've been using Windows 7 for over two years, now, and I have yet to find any use at all for the "Libraries" feature. Over the course of Windows 3.11 and Windows 95 I developed and refined an organizational system for my files that I kept using through Windows 98, Windows 2000 Pro, XP, and now Windows 7. My files are organized by collections of file types in partitions, then major folders, and then subfolders. In other words, they are all collected in known locations to start with; I don't need a "Library" to offer me a lot of shortcuts to files when I know already exactly where to find them.

For someone who is young, or new to computers, perhaps Libraries may serve them in some useful way, but I've been dealing with this stuff for over 30 years and have developed an organizational system that is second-nature for me. Libraries offer me nothing of any benefit whatsoever, and I have removed them.

My Documents folder is just that, "Documents", not "My Documents". I have a shortcut on my desktop to that Documents folder, and it opens to the actual file location, not to a bunch of shortcuts. My Pictures are on a partition named "Pictures", categoriezed into folders which contain the actual image files.

What I'm getting at is that if one is familiar with the use of computers as a tool, and over the years has developed something that works well for them, why on earth try to force a change in habits in order to comply with a so-called "better idea" conjured up by a bunch of young software engineers who haven't even been alive as long as you have been working?

If you see some benefit to you in using Libraries, by all means go for it, but do it for yourself, not for Microsoft. Believe me, Windows 7 is indeed flexible enough to completely ignore "Libraries" if that's what you want to do.

 

[boohbah]

I've been using Windows 7 for over two years, now, and I have yet to find any use at all for the "Libraries" feature. Over the course of Windows 3.11 and Windows 95 I developed and refined an organizational system for my files that I kept using through Windows 98, Windows 2000 Pro, XP, and now Windows 7. My files are organized by collections of file types in partitions, then major folders, and then subfolders. In other words, they are all collected in known locations to start with; I don't need a "Library" to offer me a lot of shortcuts to files when I know already exactly where to find them.

For someone who is young, or new to computers, perhaps Libraries may serve them in some useful way, but I've been dealing with this stuff for over 30 years and have developed an organizational system that is second-nature for me. Libraries offer me nothing of any benefit whatsoever, and I have removed them.

My Documents folder is just that, "Documents", not "My Documents". I have a shortcut on my desktop to that Documents folder, and it opens to the actual file location, not to a bunch of shortcuts. My Pictures are on a partition named "Pictures", categoriezed into folders which contain the actual image files.

What I'm getting at is that if one is familiar with the use of computers as a tool, and over the years has developed something that works well for them, why on earth try to force a change in habits in order to comply with a so-called "better idea" conjured up by a bunch of young software engineers who haven't even been alive as long as you have been working?

If you see some benefit to you in using Libraries, by all means go for it, but do it for yourself, not for Microsoft. Believe me, Windows 7 is indeed flexible enough to completely ignore "Libraries" if that's what you want to do.

sounds similar to my set up, but having music folders on three externals and an internal hard drive then using the library to gather all the folders together in one click, well two clicks is handy. and yes i have set up my folders in the first place and so i know where they are but again i can see them all at a glance via a library.