I hate the "Libraries" bring back "My Computer"

[sbrads]

I thought that Libraries could be handy and started to use them last week, putting all my photos and music from other internal drives into them. A BIG problem I found was that my Win7 Backup shot up in size to a ridiculous figure. I already have a backup system in place for data, so this was a bad move and I'm going to have to look into how to sort it out. A warning might have been appreciated, I don't remember seeing any.

 

[seekermeister]

I admit that I have not read this thread in detail, so I may have missed the point, because a person can move any library to another partition or drive, so it would seem that would eliminate the loss of data due to a corrupted OS. I have not tried moving them to external drives, so I don't know if that entails any certain issues or not. The only thing that I think was a problem was when I attempted to use the built-in backup feature, it kept freezing part of the way through, and I have a feeling that was due to the dislocation of the libraries. I solved that by using a different backup utility.

I have never expected any Windows OS to always meet my expectations, or perhaps I should say "hopes", nor do I expect that any version in the future ever will, so I only think in terms of comparison to what I have had in the past, and by that measure, W7 does quite well. Instead of thinking about any negative aspects of the changes, I simply try to adapt, and after doing so, I'm usually happy with things as they are.

 

[sbrads]

Enough's enough of Libraries, it's clunky and a deadly slow way of working as it confuses me trying work out where files REALLY are (I'm easily confused). When I kept getting asked to open something when I was trying to save that was the point when I gave up.

I've taken all my folders out of Libraries and reverted to a simple My Docs etc. folder structure with an xxcopy 64 bit DOS type backup of data to another drive which is a blindingly fast method, double click on a shortcut and any new files are added to the backup folder in literally a second if there isn't much and as quick as your drives can manage if there's a lot. Libraries could be a good idea if it were more logical or if someone could point out a real advantage and a good workflow to use it effectively.

 

[MacGyvr]

Enough's enough of Libraries, it's clunky and a deadly slow way of working as it confuses me trying work out where files REALLY are (I'm easily confused). When I kept getting asked to open something when I was trying to save that was the point when I gave up.

I've taken all my folders out of Libraries and reverted to a simple My Docs etc. folder structure with an xxcopy 64 bit DOS type backup of data to another drive which is a blindingly fast method, double click on a shortcut and any new files are added to the backup folder in literally a second if there isn't much and as quick as your drives can manage if there's a lot. Libraries could be a good idea if it were more logical or if someone could point out a real advantage and a good workflow to use it effectively.

Why does it matter where the files "really" are???

 

[Capella]

Enough's enough of Libraries, it's clunky and a deadly slow way of working as it confuses me trying work out where files REALLY are (I'm easily confused). When I kept getting asked to open something when I was trying to save that was the point when I gave up.

I've taken all my folders out of Libraries and reverted to a simple My Docs etc. folder structure with an xxcopy 64 bit DOS type backup of data to another drive which is a blindingly fast method, double click on a shortcut and any new files are added to the backup folder in literally a second if there isn't much and as quick as your drives can manage if there's a lot. Libraries could be a good idea if it were more logical or if someone could point out a real advantage and a good workflow to use it effectively.

you know, in libraries, there is a default save location. That means, if you saved a document to the document library, it doesn't actually save to the library. It saves it to your default save location (you my document folder). This is why it is so awesome because you see all your documents from various folders but saving them causes them to be clumped in one good location. You can also change the default save folder
Cheers~!

 

[Muad Dib]

You can exclude or include any folder you want from library's. It's the best thing since sliced bread in my book.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/585-library-include-folder.html

But you can't include a folder but exclude a folder that is contained within that folder. Say I wanted to include all of the 'Pictures' folder, but exclude a folder contained within that pictures folder. Windows does not allow for that behaviour.
I think that is the behaviour that the OP was asking for, when he said 'Nothing. Except I personally don't want everything in a library.'

Include a folder but exclude one of its subfolders? And you can do that with the "My Computer" old Explorer view? How? Sounds like he needs to move that subfolder to anothet location, in which case it would not be in the Library view either.

The Library feature solves a problem that existed since Win 3.1, a single view of multiple folders on multiple devices that is user configurable. It also enables easy searching of the same.

If you don't like it don't use it. Plop a My Computer shortcut on the desktop or in the Taskbar and be done with it.

 

[Muad Dib]

Enough's enough of Libraries, it's clunky and a deadly slow way of working as it confuses me trying work out where files REALLY are (I'm easily confused). When I kept getting asked to open something when I was trying to save that was the point when I gave up.

I've taken all my folders out of Libraries and reverted to a simple My Docs etc. folder structure with an xxcopy 64 bit DOS type backup of data to another drive which is a blindingly fast method, double click on a shortcut and any new files are added to the backup folder in literally a second if there isn't much and as quick as your drives can manage if there's a lot. Libraries could be a good idea if it were more logical or if someone could point out a real advantage and a good workflow to use it effectively.

Change your ARRANGE BY setting to FOLDER... no, better stay with what makes you comfortable.

 

[garysgold]

A ton of tutorials here. http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/257-windows-7-tutorial-index-2.html#post1075

 

[unifex]

Why does it matter where the files "really" are???

Well, suppose the data is spread across several hard drives, including external drives. One day I want to take some of the files with me. Would be quite useful to know, which external drive are they on, right? Especially if "taking them with me" basically means slipping the external drive into my bag.

Now, more to the point of the thread, I do not understand people's frustration with libraries. I understand that some people do not like using them. I have only recently started using them myself. I found them to be useful for the multitude of photos on my computer, but at the same time they don't help me with my work at all.

But, the good thing about them - libraries are not real files, just links, so if you don't like them - don't use them, that's all there is to it! If you are so frustrated with the extra line in the navigation pane, then use Brink's tutorial and remove it.

If you are frustrated that explorer opens in libraries by default, then simply point your shortcut to %windir%\explorer.exe /n,/e, E:\home or whatever your favorite folder (instead of E:\home) - it will automatically go there when you click on the shortcut.

Organizing your data is your personal task. Everybody has their favorite way of doing this, there are no universal recipes - it all depends on what data, how much data, how do you like accessing your data, etc. Libraries is just one of the new ways to do this. Nobody forces you to use them.

 

[Grimmjow]

Well, suppose the data is spread across several hard drives, including external drives. One day I want to take some of the files with me. Would be quite useful to know, which external drive are they on, right? Especially if "taking them with me" basically means slipping the external drive into my bag.

Well...We can see where our files are with one or two clicks...

Libraries are handy shortcut to our files, that's my opinion

 

[seekermeister]

Another factor in finding the location of files is an organized set of partitions. I like to create dedicated partitions for each group of data types. That way I can find what I want either by manually navigating to it with a file manager, or via the libraries that I have linked to them. I have tried to use drive letters that suggests the contents of each, and I can use the same partition in whatever OS that I'm booted to. So far as I can see, the libraries are just another tool to simplify managing the system.

 

[sbrads]

So, if I have 100Gb+ of data on various non C: drives in several folders, and then put them into Libraries - how do I stop my system backup growing enormously, because that's what happened after I started using libraries and yet the files aren't really there.

 

[seekermeister]

Don't move the data to the library locations, move the library location to the data. Open the user account link at the top right of the Start Menu to display a window with all of the libraries. Then with each of them that you choose (leave the ones marked as shortcuts alone), right click a library and go to Properties>Location tab>Move button and navigate to the location where you have that data located, then click the Select Folder button, and if it asks whether to merge the data from the original library location to the new, select yes.

Obviously, this only works well if you already have the data grouped into a good file directory or via dedicated partitions.

EDIT: One word of caution, doing this may cause a problem using the built in backup feature, and you may need to use a third party backup program for that function instead.

 

[garysgold]

Hello seeker,

Those are not libraries that your moving, those are personal folders, some of which are automatically included in their respective libraries. It will have the effect of causing all the files in those locations to become indexed and it will also move those folders from the user folder to where you store your files.

 

[seekermeister]

Okay, then define "Library" please.

 

[Muad Dib]

Okay, then define "Library" please.

A collection of folder shortcuts that can be manipulated in SOME respects as a single entity.

​

 

[garysgold]

Much like a music library in WMP. It collects data about what is in particular folders and makes it all available in one place. If you have some music on your internal disks and some on your external disk, you can bring it all together in a library without actually moving any of it.

There are 11 tutorials that pretty well explain it here. http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/257-windows-7-tutorial-index-2.html#post1075

 

[Mitsubishiman]

Return of the OP

Hello - I am the OP, I have tried using the "Libraries" function on the outside chance that it is just me having difficulty learning a new system, I have been playing with it for a couple of months and I have determined that it is a complete waste of my time and resources, it appears to be an advantage for individuals that store data in multiple locations and is a good way to group those locations into a central location for easier access, I can understand a need for that except for one minor issue that I have, my music is all in one location M:\Music, my photos are all in one location P:\Pictures, my videos are all in one location V:\Videos, my letters and assorted documents are in one location X:\Data and my backups are in one location Z:\Backups, therefore I have absolutely nothing to organize because it already is organized, the use of the libraries function is a redundant step, so I have enabled the “My Computer” shortcut icon and the system works the way I prefer to see it, my drives are one click away, I only have one additional question, all of the Microsoft programs are linked to the “Libraries” so when I use the insert or save function the Libraries window pops up and I still have to search to find my drives, if I disable the “Libraries” function by the regedit method as posted Libraries Folder - Add or Remove from Navigation Pane
Will this remove the “Libraries” function altogether, which I have made my new goal in life - because I absolutely hate it and if I cannot get rid of it I will uninstall W7 and purchase a copy of XP Pro, because unlike most PC users the only thing I use my C:\ for is the OS and the programs (which are backed up elsewhere) and a format of the HD and a new installation with programs is only about a 3 hour process and I have wasted much more than that on W7, BTW I am 53 years old, I am a Licensed Professional Land Surveyor and I have been using Windows OS Systems daily since 1993, and I was around for the Windows ME disaster and the Vista disaster, the real problem I have is; M$ has not learned from those fiascos or listened to the dedicated users as to their workflow, instead they insist on trying to save face on the previous disaster when in fact they have created problems where they did not exist in the first place.

 

[pezzonovante]

Libraries are awesome. They have simplified file management extremely well. Kudos to Microsoft for this great feature.

 

[arkhi]

I don't get it. Why are some people giving vague and more complex explanations that it actually is (talking to library furies)? I mean, it's basically a shortcut that links to multiple files and folders instead of 1.

[Which is basically what Muad Dib said. Sorry Muad Dib XP]