Why so many My Docs?

[Joan]

Thanks to this ng I have found solutions and answers to many questions
across time, it is a great resource .
Here are a few more questions:

- If I am the sole user and administrator( owner) of my XP SPF2 desktop
computer, can I get rid of the various user folders (All Users, Default
user, Owner)? Delete them? Are there any risks in doing so?

- Does the answer apply also to XP Professional Media Center, which I have
in my laptop?

- How can I make My Computer be expanded to show all drives when I open
Windows Explorer?

Thanks, Joan

 

[Malke]

Thanks to this ng I have found solutions and answers to many questions
across time, it is a great resource .
Here are a few more questions:

- If I am the sole user and administrator( owner) of my XP SPF2 desktop
computer, can I get rid of the various user folders (All Users, Default
user, Owner)? Delete them? Are there any risks in doing so?

- Does the answer apply also to XP Professional Media Center, which I have
in my laptop?

- How can I make My Computer be expanded to show all drives when I open
Windows Explorer?

Let's take one thing at a time. I'd like you to explain more precisely
what you mean by your last question. As for your first two questions,
you need to understand the file hierarchy of XP. Below you will find a
simple explanation of it. It is applicable to all versions of XP.

*****
XP is a multi-user operating system, no matter if only one person is
using it. In all multi-user operating systems - NT, Win2k, XP, Unix,
Linux, Mac OS X - there is the one built-in account that is "god" on the
system. In Windows terminology, that is "Administrator". In the *nix
world, it is "root". This is a necessary account and is not normally
used in everyday work. You cannot delete the built-in Administrator
account nor would you ever want to.

Here is the explanation of what you really have:

My Computer - represents your entire computer, showing drives and shared
folders. Shared Folders are folders where you can put files you wish to
share with other users on the system. You don't need to use these
folders if you don't want to, but leave them alone!

[some name] C:\ - your first hard drive, usually the system drive.

Document and Settings - The "container" for all user settings. Each user
will have [username] Documents, Music, Videos, My Pictures.

Administrator - Built-in account - Leave alone! Do not use! Do not worry
about it!

All Users - Section where items common to all users go. In a multi-user
operating system, users have separate accounts. This is the place where
if you want to share files with all the other users on the system you
would put those files. You don't ever have to use those folders but they
need to be there. This is where programs you install that are meant to
be installed for all users put settings. All the "Shared Documents" type
of folders you see at the root of C:\ are shortcuts to the shared
folders in here. Leave them alone!

Default Users - This is the template from which new user accounts are
made. You will never put anything in any of those folders but they are
needed to create new users. In Linux we use "skel" ("skeleton" - get
it?). In Windows, the less-colorful term "Default User" is used. Leave
it alone!

[OEM] Administrator or Owner - This is the generic user created by the
OEM when installing the operating system. After all, the OEM doesn't
know who is going to buy the computer. If you aren't using this OEM user
account, you can delete it from the User Accounts applet in Control
Panel. It is not the same account as "Administrator". If you don't have
an OEM machine (HP, Dell, Sony, etc.) you may not have this user account.

My Network Places - This is a graphical representation of other
computers on the network and any shared network resources. If you don't
have other computers, you can remove the Network Places icon from the
Desktop using the Control Panel Display>Desktop>Customize Desktop
function. Leave the folder alone!
*****

Malke

 

[Patrick Keenan]

Thanks to this ng I have found solutions and answers to many questions
across time, it is a great resource .
Here are a few more questions:

- If I am the sole user and administrator( owner) of my XP SPF2 desktop
computer, can I get rid of the various user folders (All Users, Default
user, Owner)? Delete them? Are there any risks in doing so?

You cannot or should not remove the All Users or Default Users folder
structures. These are system folders; the Default User is used basically
as a template for creating new accounts, and by itself takes very little
space. All Users similarly uses little space, and mostly holds things like
shortcuts to programs that will be available to every user account on the
system.

There should also be an Administrator account which you must not delete (and
shouldn't be able to delete) or disable, and should not use for regular
tasks. Keep it for emergency system maintenance.

The Owner account was created by whoever installed your system, probably in
the original image. If you aren't actually using that account, yes, you
can delete that one. But first, be certain that there is *no* data in it
that you actually wanted to keep.

- Does the answer apply also to XP Professional Media Center, which I have
in my laptop?

Yes. This applies to all XP versions. In XP Home, Adminstrator is only
available in Safe Mode.

HTH
-pk

 

[Joan]

Malke, I really appreciate your detailed description of the function of User
folders in the XP OS. I see now that I must let all these folders "be" for
their purpose and allow Windows to do its intelligent thing. Thanks for
that.

Actually the reason My Docs was initially in this email subject was because
I found in my XP Home desktop that I had ended up having two My Pictures
folders in two separate locations with each folder being different from the
other. I had not realized it until I failed to find photos I was looking for
in the one accessed from the desktop shortcut whose path is: C:\Documents
and Settings\Owner\My Docs\My Pics. The other location is in Desktop\My
Docs\My Pics. It seems when I save edited photos automatically through
Photoshop My Pics in the Owner User folder comes up for saving files and
when I myself select a Picture folder for saving I go to the one in
Desktop\My Docs\My Pics since it is faster to access than having to open
drive C and follow up to target it there. That realization led me to inquire
about User folders. The Owner User folder is the one where all relevant data
is in my PC, but its path is longer to reach.

- I'd like to able to set it up so when saving from applications only one
My Pics folder comes up as an option. How do I do that?
- In my laptop, XP Pro media Center, there are two user folders besides the
ones you mention, that I wonder what they are.

1. BB443B11-7D12-45 and lots more numbers, with a Temp subfolder
2. 1st name~1~last name with a LOCAL~ subfolder
Are these important also?

Sorry about the lengthy post but I couldn't make it any shorter. I am
definitely learning.

Joan

Thanks to this ng I have found solutions and answers to many questions
across time, it is a great resource .
Here are a few more questions:

- If I am the sole user and administrator( owner) of my XP SPF2 desktop
computer, can I get rid of the various user folders (All Users, Default
user, Owner)? Delete them? Are there any risks in doing so?

- Does the answer apply also to XP Professional Media Center, which I
have in my laptop?

- How can I make My Computer be expanded to show all drives when I open
Windows Explorer?

Let's take one thing at a time. I'd like you to explain more precisely
what you mean by your last question. As for your first two questions, you
need to understand the file hierarchy of XP. Below you will find a simple
explanation of it. It is applicable to all versions of XP.

*****
XP is a multi-user operating system, no matter if only one person is using
it. In all multi-user operating systems - NT, Win2k, XP, Unix, Linux, Mac
OS X - there is the one built-in account that is "god" on the system. In
Windows terminology, that is "Administrator". In the *nix world, it is
"root". This is a necessary account and is not normally used in everyday
work. You cannot delete the built-in Administrator account nor would you
ever want to.

Here is the explanation of what you really have:

My Computer - represents your entire computer, showing drives and shared
folders. Shared Folders are folders where you can put files you wish to
share with other users on the system. You don't need to use these folders
if you don't want to, but leave them alone!

[some name] C:\ - your first hard drive, usually the system drive.

Document and Settings - The "container" for all user settings. Each user
will have [username] Documents, Music, Videos, My Pictures.

Administrator - Built-in account - Leave alone! Do not use! Do not worry
about it!

All Users - Section where items common to all users go. In a multi-user
operating system, users have separate accounts. This is the place where if
you want to share files with all the other users on the system you would
put those files. You don't ever have to use those folders but they need to
be there. This is where programs you install that are meant to be
installed for all users put settings. All the "Shared Documents" type of
folders you see at the root of C:\ are shortcuts to the shared folders in
here. Leave them alone!

Default Users - This is the template from which new user accounts are
made. You will never put anything in any of those folders but they are
needed to create new users. In Linux we use "skel" ("skeleton" - get it?).
In Windows, the less-colorful term "Default User" is used. Leave it alone!

[OEM] Administrator or Owner - This is the generic user created by the OEM
when installing the operating system. After all, the OEM doesn't know who
is going to buy the computer. If you aren't using this OEM user account,
you can delete it from the User Accounts applet in Control Panel. It is
not the same account as "Administrator". If you don't have an OEM machine
(HP, Dell, Sony, etc.) you may not have this user account.

My Network Places - This is a graphical representation of other computers
on the network and any shared network resources. If you don't have other
computers, you can remove the Network Places icon from the Desktop using
the Control Panel Display>Desktop>Customize Desktop function. Leave the
folder alone!
*****

Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User

 

[Joan]

Thanks Patrick for your input, very to the point. Yes, the Owner folder
accnt was installed by a technician and it is my main account as described
in the post above. It is very useful to learn the Administrator in XP Home
can only be seen in safe mode, since I see it in my Pro version and that the
extra user folders take up little space.

Regards, Joan

..

 

[Malke]

Actually the reason My Docs was initially in this email subject was because
I found in my XP Home desktop that I had ended up having two My Pictures
folders in two separate locations with each folder being different from the
other. I had not realized it until I failed to find photos I was looking for
in the one accessed from the desktop shortcut whose path is: C:\Documents
and Settings\Owner\My Docs\My Pics. The other location is in Desktop\My
Docs\My Pics. It seems when I save edited photos automatically through
Photoshop My Pics in the Owner User folder comes up for saving files and
when I myself select a Picture folder for saving I go to the one in
Desktop\My Docs\My Pics since it is faster to access than having to open
drive C and follow up to target it there. That realization led me to inquire
about User folders. The Owner User folder is the one where all relevant data
is in my PC, but its path is longer to reach.

- I'd like to able to set it up so when saving from applications only one
My Pics folder comes up as an option. How do I do that?
- In my laptop, XP Pro media Center, there are two user folders besides the
ones you mention, that I wonder what they are.

You've apparently made an extra pictures folder in the Desktop
directory. I would copy those pictures to a different location and then
delete it and its shortcut.

Put the copied files either in the "real" My Pictures folder or simply
make a new "Pictures" folder in the My Documents folder and create a
shortcut to it by right-clicking the folder and dragging it to your
Desktop. Release the right mouse button and you will get a context menu.
Choose "Create Shortcut".

The correct path to the "real" My Pictures directory is here:

C:\Documents and Settings\your-user-account\My Documents\My Pictures
(assumes your operating system is on the C:\ drive)

In many programs you can choose the default directory for saving files
from that program's preferences. Even if you can't, most programs will
remember the last place you saved and default to that until you change
the location again.


Malke