directory structure -- files appear in multiple places?

[dane]

I've noticed in XP that in explorer the same files can
appear in multiple places. For example under desktop "my
documents" then under desktop "user name" then under my
computer, local disk, documents and settings, "user
name". Are two of these three places just references to
the actual physical file location? When I search for a
file the search actually returns results in all three
places as if three copies exist?

 

[Doug Knox MS-MVP]

They're all references to the same physical location, and XP treats them as
if they weren't all the same place, for display purposes anyway .