How can I view libraries as folders?

[rickypanecatyl]

On one hand I'm so frustrated with Windows 7 I want to return to XP. At the same time I have to assume it must be better/improved and the problem is I don't know how to use it!

Current issue - I'm trying to organize pictures, videos and documents. Under the pictures LIBRARY it brings up nearly every single folder on my computer - way too complicated and way too much info to sort.

On the old pictures "FOLDER" it only brought up only the folders of pictures I saved under "my pictures." Clever that!

I'm thinking what the new system is doing is it must include every single file folder that has a picture - so my music that is classified as "music" in my brain - IF it happens to come with a small album cover or something (Which I don't care about - I just tried deleting all those pics so it would "sort correctly!") it must also be included in the pictures LIBRARY. If one single document of the many in a single file contains an imbedded JPEG I'm guessing that also is now included in my picture LIBRARIES.
So with XP when I needed to look thru my documents - I clicked on "MY documents" and only the folders I saved under my documents came up.
With Windows 7 I get all of that + all the pictures, all the videos and lots of other stuff!
Is there a simple way to simplify things again?
I don't want to get rid of music - it's just I only want to see it when I click on the music library and not when I click on pictures, documents, video etc library...

 

[13thmonkey]

right click on the library and you can add and remove folders from the library.

All the library is is a pointer to folders that you have declared to be of a certain type, so removing it from a library leaves the folder in place just not pointed to by the library. Hence a folder can appear in several libraries.

I'm not sure how you ended up where you ended up, did you import from a previous installation? or update a previous installation? on a clean install it makes more sense.

 

[rickypanecatyl]

Thanks for the response! It was really tough to figure out still as I think my system must be different. For all the other complete techno dummies out there like me, I'll write exactly what I did to get what I wanted.

Starting from the desktop with nothing opened:

1. I left clicked clicked the "Blue (+ other colors) circle in the bottom left hand corner.
2. I left clicked my user account name in the very top right of the box that came up.
3. I left clicked "Libraries" in the middle, left side of the new box that popped up.

That brought up a new box with a list of places on my computer on the left side and on the right side my 4 "Libraries" - Documents, Music, Pictures, Videos.

4. I double clicked the "Documents" libraries and then clicked the box to expand it to full screen so I could see better.

Towards the top of the screen it says in large green colored font: "Documents library." Underneath that in smaller font it says, "Inludes: 4 locations". The "4 locations" part is in blue font and left clicking on that brings up another box that has a list of all the places that I had documents saved in. The top listing was "My Documents" (This must be the FOLDER "My Documents as contrasted with the LIBRARY "My Documents.")
Underneath that, were other places My Documents were stored - places I don't want to be bothered to see when I'm looking for "My Documents". Those other places were things like MY Music - which I'm assuming some of my music folders must have a document inside as well as a album cover picture which made it qualify for "My Pictures" as well.

5. From here I just highlighted the folders I don't want to see and then press "Remove" then "OK"

 

[Thor Hakonsson]

I find Libraries useless and a bit annoying. The simple solution is to not use them but Microsoft in their wisdom have made the Start Menu shortcuts default to Libraries. This can be changed with a small registry edit that I can give you, so that they work like XP.

The simplest solution is to "Customize" the Start Menu to, "Don't display this item" and create your own Desktop shortcuts to your user My Pictures, My Documents etc, folders. Empty the Libraries by right clicking on each of the 4 in turn and "Remove" all folders in them and don't use them again.

Let me know if you want the registry edits.

 

[rickypanecatyl]

Thor - that'd be great! In risk in using them?

 

[Thor Hakonsson]

Thor - that'd be great! In risk in using them?

I have done this editing without any problem but it is entirely at your own risk. It only changes the default action of the Start Menu short cuts. The Libraries are still there and it will be over to you to ensure that files, photos etc. are not saved into Libraries but to where you want them to go. Sometimes this is a default location that you can set or you will have to navigate to your preferred location. Libraries can be removed altogether but this is more complex and difficult to restore. I have copied the .reg files as 8 separate files so you can do one at a time if you wish. Files 1 to 4 are to change the default action to User folders and 5 to 8 are to restore the default settings back to Libraries again if you wish to do so.

Copy and paste the code between the -------- lines and the ====== lines into Notepad for each file and "Save as" using the file name with the .reg extension above each set of codes. Save the 8 files to a secure location.

Create a Restore point for safety before making any changes so you can restore your system if things don't go as planned. Double click each .reg file you wish to use and agree to any UAC Windows warnings. Do them one at a time to be sure things are happening correctly. Do NOT try and edit the registry manually using the code in the files below as this requires slightly different codes will not work.

After any .reg files have been installed you must Log Off and Log yourself on again to set the registry changes. After running files 1 to 4 your Start Menu shortcuts will open to your User folders instead of Libraries. Of course, whether the shortcuts are showing or not depends on your "Customization" settings in Right click Start Menu button | Properties | Start Menu tab | Customize...


4 Registry edits to change Start Menu links to open user folders:

Start_Menu_Documents_Open_to_Users.reg (This is the file name. Copy and paste the text below between ------ and ===== for each file into Notepad and save the files using the names above each. The same applies for all the 8 files)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{7b0db17d-9cd2-4a93-9733-46cc89022e7c}]
"ParsingName"="::{59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c5-5595fe6b30ee}\\{FDD39AD0-238F-46AF-ADB4-6C85480369C7}"
======================================================


Start_Menu_Pictures_Open_to_Users.reg
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{A990AE9F-A03B-4e80-94BC-9912D7504104}]
"ParsingName"="::{59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c5-5595fe6b30ee}\\{33E28130-4E1E-4676-835A-98395C3BC3BB}"
========================================================


Start_Menu_Music_Open_to_Users.reg
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{2112AB0A-C86A-4ffe-A368-0DE96E47012E}]
"ParsingName"="::{59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c5-5595fe6b30ee}\\{4BD8D571-6D19-48D3-BE97-422220080E43}"
=======================================================


Start_Menu_Videos_Open_to_Users.reg
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{491E922F-5643-4af4-A7EB-4E7A138D8174}]
"ParsingName"="::{59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c5-5595fe6b30ee}\\{18989B1D-99B5-455B-841C-AB7C74E4DDFC}"
============================================================



4 Registry edits to revert Start Menu links to default Libraries


Default_Start_Menu_Documents_Open_to_Library.reg
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{7b0db17d-9cd2-4a93-9733-46cc89022e7c}]
"ParsingName"="::{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}\\{7b0db17d-9cd2-4a93-9733-46cc89022e7c}"
=============================================================


Default_Start_Menu_Pictures_Open_to_Library.reg
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{A990AE9F-A03B-4e80-94BC-9912D7504104}]
"ParsingName"="::{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}\\{A990AE9F-A03B-4e80-94BC-9912D7504104}"
==============================================================


Default_Start_Menu_Music_Open_to_Library.reg
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{2112AB0A-C86A-4ffe-A368-0DE96E47012E}]
"ParsingName"="::{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}\\{2112AB0A-C86A-4ffe-A368-0DE96E47012E}"
===============================================================


Default_Start_Menu_Videos_Open_to_Library.reg
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{491E922F-5643-4af4-A7EB-4E7A138D8174}]
"ParsingName"="::{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}\\{491E922F-5643-4af4-A7EB-4E7A138D8174}"
===============================================================