Steve, Thanks for the answer. It is always appreciated to receive an answer
when one tries to understand.
I save all my user files in dedicated disks other than C which I reserve for
systems. When one looks under Explorer for old and duplicate USER CREATED
files (Word, Excel, camera shots, whatnot) candidates for deletion and one
finds under "C" the same folder name, same file name, same size, same icon,
same type (does not say "pointer") on a disk where one does not want to have
UserFiles, then one is justified to believe that this is an extra copy saved
there because some of the hundreds options that Office or else gives has
been ticked or unticked for extra saves. You gave the correct word
"pointers" and that clears it all. Would not hurt if it were called that
way, just like "shortcuts" are also identified as "shortcuts". If these are
really required by Windows, as a moronic user, I find that it is stored in a
place that does not allude to it "systems" nature viz: "Documents" /
"UserName", no warning, unlike when one gets into Windows directory. If
users are not to touch those, why not stick it under the Windows directory,
one knows that it is not a user place. Another moronic concern probably.
There was actually a systems crash (system was running during a storm, bolt
came down the telephone line, UPS destroyed as well but probably saved the
HW) and rather than repair/ restore a full job was done, in a reputable shop
used to supply PCs (to the tune of hundreds) to my US employer (design and
manufactures microchips BTW). The original C Disk (still OK apparently) was
used as an external disk (after complete reformat) and a new disk (out of
the box) was used for C. I was not told of any hickup in the Windows
installation process. How superfluous directories came in beats me.
I suspect though that it may have come from having restored to C (the new
one), once windows had been installed, some "old C" files that had been
saved to yet another external disk under the "File and Settings Transfer
Wizard" some time before the crash in the expectation of getting a new PC.
This was at a time when some user files were stored on C.
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Since you lack a number of other accounts that one would normally find, I
suspect your system has not been updated with the current service packs and
hot fixes.
installed it on the two other PCs, this one was next in turn.
No, that the master Admin account needed when total control over the system after a BIG screw-up.
authority to change accounts settings, me in this instance.
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I don't worry about Candy, I have read a number of his answers. Experts'
experts of his caliber have a hard time getting down to the normal crowd.