Please explain difference between the two MYDocs in XP

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Flycaster

I pretty much know what I am doing, but I don't understand why there are
two My Documents in XP: One under C: and the other under Documents and
Settings. As far as I can see, one is a duplication of the other and I
tend to stick with the simple My Documents. I'dlike to know the roles
of these two. Thanks,
Adam
 
Flycaster said:
I pretty much know what I am doing, but I don't understand why there are
two My Documents in XP: One under C: and the other under Documents and
Settings. As far as I can see, one is a duplication of the other and I
tend to stick with the simple My Documents. I'dlike to know the roles
of these two. Thanks,
Adam
Click to expand...

OK, did a little research. From what I can tell, as I am the only one
using My Documents, I can redirect files to the My Documents under C:
and not utilize the one under Documents and Settings. Am I right? Just
hate to use up resources when I don't have to.
 
I think this may have occured becuase you upgraded from a non XP version of
Windows to XP. Therefore your documents used to be stored in c:\My
Documents, but now they will be stored in 'c:\docs and settings ...\My
Documents' and the installation would have copied the documents over. I
think you will find the two folders to be only the same for now!

Probably beter to use the XP standard because of user premissions etc.
c:\my documents will be accessable to all users.

Oliver
 
Flycaster said:
OK, did a little research. From what I can tell, as I am the only one
using My Documents, I can redirect files to the My Documents under C: and
not utilize the one under Documents and Settings. Am I right? Just hate
to use up resources when I don't have to.
Click to expand...

The My Documents folder exists in the root of Drive C: for Windows 9X. It
appears that your XP is an upgrade. Under XP there is a separate My
Documents folder for each user account that appears listed in the Documents
and Settings folder that's in the root of Drive C:. This is to keep things
separate for each account. Everyone has their own, and XP expects it to be
that way. Move the stuff out of the My Documents folder in the root of Drive
C: and into the one for your account (its shortcut is on your desktop; if
you don't see it then right-click a clear area of your desktop, choose
Properties, click the Desktop tab, click the Customize Desktop button, and
put a checkmark in each of the 4 items at the top -- My Documents is one of
them -- and then click OK and then click OK again). Now it and those others
you selected should appear on your desktop. Make sure whatever you put into
the one on your desktop doesn't show up in the one that's in the root of
drive C: (do a test) and *ONLY* if that's true then after you've moved stuff
out of the My Documents folder that is in the root of Drive C:, and into the
one on your desktop that is not in the root of Drive C:, you can delete the
one that is in the root of Drive C: since nothing will be in it and XP
doesn't normally use that one. I'm surprised that it exists in the root of
Drive C: or that anything is in it. I thought XP normally moves that stuff
automatically when the install is done and then deletes that folder during
the install of XP.

Winguy
 
Oli said:
I think this may have occured becuase you upgraded from a non XP version of
Windows to XP. Therefore your documents used to be stored in c:\My
Documents, but now they will be stored in 'c:\docs and settings ...\My
Documents' and the installation would have copied the documents over. I
think you will find the two folders to be only the same for now!

Probably beter to use the XP standard because of user premissions etc.
c:\my documents will be accessable to all users.

Oliver
Click to expand...
Thanks. As only my wife and I use the computer, I have no problem with
keeping everything in C:\MY Documents.
 
WinGuy said:
The My Documents folder exists in the root of Drive C: for Windows 9X. It
appears that your XP is an upgrade. Under XP there is a separate My
Documents folder for each user account that appears listed in the Documents
and Settings folder that's in the root of Drive C:. This is to keep things
separate for each account. Everyone has their own, and XP expects it to be
that way. Move the stuff out of the My Documents folder in the root of Drive
C: and into the one for your account (its shortcut is on your desktop; if
you don't see it then right-click a clear area of your desktop, choose
Properties, click the Desktop tab, click the Customize Desktop button, and
put a checkmark in each of the 4 items at the top -- My Documents is one of
them -- and then click OK and then click OK again). Now it and those others
you selected should appear on your desktop. Make sure whatever you put into
the one on your desktop doesn't show up in the one that's in the root of
drive C: (do a test) and *ONLY* if that's true then after you've moved stuff
out of the My Documents folder that is in the root of Drive C:, and into the
one on your desktop that is not in the root of Drive C:, you can delete the
one that is in the root of Drive C: since nothing will be in it and XP
doesn't normally use that one. I'm surprised that it exists in the root of
Drive C: or that anything is in it. I thought XP normally moves that stuff
automatically when the install is done and then deletes that folder during
the install of XP.

Winguy
Click to expand...
I think that My Docs also exits in the root C:\ of XP because when I
switched computers from Win98 to XP, I migrated all migratable (a new
word?) files/folders from 98 to XP. Bottom line of what you are telling
me is for me to put everything into the My Doc files under root C:\ into
Doc/Settings, and then delete the former, eh?
 
Flycaster said:
I think that My Docs also exits in the root C:\ of XP because when I
switched computers from Win98 to XP, I migrated all migratable (a new
word?) files/folders from 98 to XP. Bottom line of what you are telling
me is for me to put everything into the My Doc files under root C:\ into
Doc/Settings, and then delete the former, eh?
Click to expand...

I didn't see that before about the migration. Anyway, yes. Copy/paste or
move all files from "C:\My Documents" to the "C:\Documents and
Settings\{UserName}\My Documents" folder or, to avoid possibly putting them
in the wrong one, copy or move them to the My Documents folder that is on
your desktop after having performed the steps of my previous message if the
folder isn't already on your desktop. Then you can safely delete the "C:\My
Documents" folder.

What you put into YOUR "My Documents" folder won't be visible in the My
Documents folder of a different account. Unlike 98 & ME, accounts in XP
really are separate from each other and the only thing common to them is the
operating sytem (XP itself) and most of its own programs. If you want to
share things between different accounts, place them in the "Shared
Documents" folder. You'll see that folder if you scroll down the left pane
of Windows Explorer, you can right click that Shared Documents folder and
send it to the desktop as a shortcut. To run Windows Explorer, click Start |
All Programs | Accessories | Windows Explorer (but I think you already knew
that). That way you and your wife can have your own desktop, documents,
picture collections, Internet Explorer favorites, and so on, and just put
into Shared Documents anything that you both want to use from your separate
accounts. Much nicer than what you could do with 98 or ME. It's like you
both have your own computer, but can share things that you want to share
with other accounts Happy Holidays!

Winguy
 
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