Query Re Accessing My Files Vista Ultimate

[Get started with Google Groups]

Hi everyone
I seem to be having a problem accessing files that are on other hard
drives.
I have 4 hard drives set up, but when I try to point to say, the My
Documents folder with the user folder, I cant seem to access these
files, cannot even preview simple jpegs

I've played around a tiny bit with the permissions, and the shared
folders, yet it seems to still not be working, is there a simple way
to read a hard drive, other than the primary hard drive, so one can
simple click & access as if it were the C drive, this seems to be the
case with sub directories and I wont even get started about the 2
networked machines

Any help very much appreciated
Kind Regards

Natalie

 

[Mike Brannigan]

Hi everyone
I seem to be having a problem accessing files that are on other hard
drives.
I have 4 hard drives set up, but when I try to point to say, the My
Documents folder with the user folder, I cant seem to access these
files, cannot even preview simple jpegs

I've played around a tiny bit with the permissions, and the shared
folders, yet it seems to still not be working, is there a simple way
to read a hard drive, other than the primary hard drive, so one can
simple click & access as if it were the C drive, this seems to be the
case with sub directories and I wont even get started about the 2
networked machines

Any help very much appreciated
Kind Regards

Natalie

Natalie,

The only reason you can see My Documents is tat you have turned on the view
of Hidden and System files.
Does the fact that it is Hidden not give you a clue as to if you are
supposed to be using it?
There are number of hidden "folders" that you are now seeing that are not
actually folders but are links (actually reparse points) to the real
locations that you are supposed to now use under Windows Vista.
If you open an administrative command prompt and go into your Documents
(C:\Users\<username>\Documents) folder in and run dir /a and you will
see the ones that are real folders and the ones that are other things and
what they point to.

So basically do not attempt to mess with or even use the hidden folders and
use the ones you see on daily basis such as Pictures and Documents and
forget about the old My ... folders - the reparse points are there to
provide applications with backward compatibility if they cannot make the
proper calls to find the new real location of your documents etc.[/QUOTE]

 

[DP]

Mike:
I don't have an answer for Natalie, but I think you may have led her astray.

If she was really looking at a Vista system file, would it be called "MY
Documents"? MS left the MY back in the XP dust.

I think what may be happening is that she is looking at the My Documents
folder from an earlier install of Windows that did not get wiped out. Or
maybe she's dual booting and is looking at the My Documents folder for the
other (non-Vista) installation of Windows.

She did say she was seeing these on the other drives she was trying to
access. She has four drives.

Anyway, I can't solve the problem of the original post, but I think I've at
least clarified it. Natalie, if you're still there, tell us if I was close.

Natalie,

The only reason you can see My Documents is tat you have turned on the
view of Hidden and System files.
Does the fact that it is Hidden not give you a clue as to if you are
supposed to be using it?
There are number of hidden "folders" that you are now seeing that are not
actually folders but are links (actually reparse points) to the real
locations that you are supposed to now use under Windows Vista.
If you open an administrative command prompt and go into your Documents
(C:\Users\<username>\Documents) folder in and run dir /a and you will
see the ones that are real folders and the ones that are other things and
what they point to.

So basically do not attempt to mess with or even use the hidden folders
and use the ones you see on daily basis such as Pictures and Documents and
forget about the old My ... folders - the reparse points are there to
provide applications with backward compatibility if they cannot make the
proper calls to find the new real location of your documents etc.

[/QUOTE]