Duplicate Folders in Windows Explorer.

[Guest]

I have 3 incidents of "My Documents" in my file explorer. Why?. The first is
under Desktop (can't be deleted). Second, on C drive and third, at the bottom
of the nav tree (can't be deleted). All 3 are identical and all 3 list the
size of the files and they aren't shortcuts. There are other cases of
dupllicity as well and I am wondering if there is a "switch" to throw that
prevents these duplicates. Thank you.

BTW Bill, please bring back File Manager as the name for the utility we use
to manage folders and files in Windows. With XP I don't know if it is called
Windows Explorer, File Explorer or My Computer.

 

[Guest]

That is normal in XP - by design. You can hide the desktop folder under
Display Properties > Desktop tab>customize Desktop.

 

[Sharon F]

I have 3 incidents of "My Documents" in my file explorer. Why?. The first is
under Desktop (can't be deleted). Second, on C drive and third, at the bottom
of the nav tree (can't be deleted). All 3 are identical and all 3 list the
size of the files and they aren't shortcuts. There are other cases of
dupllicity as well and I am wondering if there is a "switch" to throw that
prevents these duplicates. Thank you.

BTW Bill, please bring back File Manager as the name for the utility we use
to manage folders and files in Windows. With XP I don't know if it is called
Windows Explorer, File Explorer or My Computer.

Three different representations of the same My Documents folder - no
duplicate files involved. While these three different routes to the same
target are provided for convenience's sake, the seeming multiples sure
cause a lot of questions to the newsgroups.

Windows Explorer and My Computer is a similar situation: two different
visual presentations of the same executable file.

 

[Ken Blake]

In

I have 3 incidents of "My Documents" in my file explorer. Why?. The first is
under Desktop (can't be deleted). Second, on C drive and third, at the bottom
of the nav tree (can't be deleted). All 3 are identical and all 3 list the
size of the files and they aren't shortcuts. There are other cases of
dupllicity as well and I am wondering if there is a "switch" to throw that
prevents these duplicates. Thank you.

Just three ways to get to the same place. There are actually no
duplicates.

BTW Bill, please bring back File Manager as the name for the utility
we use to manage folders and files in Windows. With XP I don't know
if it is called Windows Explorer, File Explorer or My Computer.

First, there's no program called "File Explorer." There is both
"Windows explorer" and "My Computer," but they are actually the
same program--just two slightly different ways of looking at the
same data. Click the folders button on the toolbar to toggle back
and forth between the "My Computer" view and the "Windows
Explorer" view.

Personally, I would hate to see the name "File Manager"
reintroduced. Whether the name should have ever been replaced is
beside the point, as far as I'm concerned. Introducing that name
now would do nothing but add confusion.

 

[Guest]

The point is there are two exact same folders in Windows Explorer. I find
it annoying, not conveinient. I inquired about this unecessary duplication
myself when I first used XP. A very nice MVP, Rick "Nutcase" Rogers advised
me it was by design for conveince. He further advised me that Tweak UI
would hide one of the folders. I do not use Tweak UI so I did not pass this
information along.

 

[Sharon F]

The point is there are two exact same folders in Windows Explorer.

One folder - different representations.

I find
it annoying, not conveinient.

I'm right there with you but that's how it is. Different folks have
different work habits. They may use only one of those access routes, may
favor a different one than I use or they may use different ones at
different times.

I inquired about this unecessary duplication
myself when I first used XP. A very nice MVP, Rick "Nutcase" Rogers advised
me it was by design for conveince.

No@Spam, we pretty much replied the same thing to rlloyd - these folders
are there by design (that nice Nutcase/Mr. Rogers did not steer you wrong)
and are different representations of the same object.

There are several hierarchies represented in Explorer. One starts at the
desktop since the user starts every task from there. The folder is shown
again within the file tree of the partition and one more time within the
the "My Computer" hierarchy. If you use the "By Groups" option, it will
show up again in the "Files stored on this Computer" section.

He further advised me that Tweak UI
would hide one of the folders. I do not use Tweak UI so I did not pass this
information along.

Correct again. It will hide the one shown in the "Files stored on this
Computer" group.

 

[David Candy]

Explorer, whatever you want to call it, IS NOT A FILE MANAGER, it is a namespace browser.

9 Years ago (August 1995) we moved into an object world. You can keep pretending it's a file manager and you can continue being confused.

Some, but not all files or folders, are part of the namespace. What do you care what files are anyway. You only need to think about objects. A MAC has never shown all files as they are also object based. In fact in Longhorn you documents won't even be files at all but database entries. It is none of your business. Just use your computer.