"My Documents" Folder Duplication

[Bud]

Some time in the last 4 or five months (I think) a new folder appeared under
My Computer. It's called Buds PC's Documents. It holds all the same folders
and files as "My Documents" does. Under properties it shows this folder name
to be "My Documents" yet the folder name showing up in Windows Explorer is
Buds PC's Documents. If I delete a file in it the file is deletes the same
file in "My Documents". Bottomline is I know this folder is a duplication of
"My Documents". Whereas I would like to delete it I know if I do I will
delete the "My Documents Folder".

Can someone tell me where this came from and how to get rid of it?

 

[Malke]

Re: "My Documents" Folder Duplication

Bud wrote:

> Some time in the last 4 or five months (I think) a new folder appeared
> under
> My Computer. It's called Buds PC's Documents. It holds all the same
> folders
> and files as "My Documents" does. Under properties it shows this folder
> name to be "My Documents" yet the folder name showing up in Windows
> Explorer is
> Buds PC's Documents. If I delete a file in it the file is deletes the
> same
> file in "My Documents". Bottomline is I know this folder is a duplication
> of
> "My Documents". Whereas I would like to delete it I know if I do I will
> delete the "My Documents Folder".
>
> Can someone tell me where this came from and how to get rid of it?

It isn't a duplication. It's just a shortcut to your real My Documents. So
you don't want - or need - to get rid of it.

Malke
--
MS-MVP
Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic!
FAQ - http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/#FAQ

 

[Bud]

Re: "My Documents" Folder Duplication

Malke, how did it get there? I know it wasn't there before. Things just
appearing like that, that come from no where, drives me nuts.

 

[Malke]

Re: "My Documents" Folder Duplication

Bud wrote:

> Malke, how did it get there? I know it wasn't there before. Things just
> appearing like that, that come from no where, drives me nuts.

I have no idea how it got there. You probably changed the way you view
things. I know it always shows on all my Windows machines and on my
clients' machines. Perhaps you just never noticed it.

In any case, I wouldn't worry about it.

Malke
--
MS-MVP
Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic!
FAQ - http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/#FAQ

 

[Bud]

Re: "My Documents" Folder Duplication

Malke, thanks.

If anyone out there has more input I would love to hear it.

 

[Twayne]

Re: "My Documents" Folder Duplication

> Some time in the last 4 or five months (I think) a new folder
> appeared under My Computer. It's called Buds PC's Documents. It
> holds all the same folders and files as "My Documents" does. Under
> properties it shows this folder name to be "My Documents" yet the
> folder name showing up in Windows Explorer is Buds PC's Documents.
> If I delete a file in it the file is deletes the same file in "My
> Documents". Bottomline is I know this folder is a duplication of "My
> Documents". Whereas I would like to delete it I know if I do I will
> delete the "My Documents Folder".
>
> Can someone tell me where this came from and how to get rid of it?

Just a long shot:
Have you made any changes to users accounts or created/deleted any of
them? There is a way for that to happen. It's also possible there is a
desktop.ini file messed up that's causing the wrong name to be shown, or
one exists where it shouldn't; not sure.

HTH

 

[Gord Dibben]

Re: "My Documents" Folder Duplication

More input..................same as what Malke said.


Gord

On Sat, 4 Oct 2008 14:38:01 -0700, Bud <Bud@discussions.microsoft.com>
wrote:

>Malke, thanks.
>
>If anyone out there has more input I would love to hear it.

 

[Patrick Keenan]

Re: "My Documents" Folder Duplication

"Bud" <Bud@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:ED16132C-2C67-48A9-8F2D-6364018261DA@microsoft.com...
> Some time in the last 4 or five months (I think) a new folder appeared
> under
> My Computer. It's called Buds PC's Documents. It holds all the same
> folders
> and files as "My Documents" does. Under properties it shows this folder
> name
> to be "My Documents" yet the folder name showing up in Windows Explorer is
> Buds PC's Documents. If I delete a file in it the file is deletes the
> same
> file in "My Documents".

That's because it IS the same file and folder structure. It is *not* a
duplicate or copy It is the original.

> Bottomline is I know this folder is a duplication of
> "My Documents".

Sorry, but you don't know this; you misunderstand it. It is another
*view*, not another *copy*.

> Whereas I would like to delete it I know if I do I will
> delete the "My Documents Folder".

Yep.

> Can someone tell me where this came from and how to get rid of it?

It's not a duplicate. It IS the original folder, with a name that reflects
the account name. That name is provided by the OS, the original folder name
remains constant on the disk. It's to help you identify which folder you
are in when there are multiple accounts.

You can prove this to yourself easily. Place a text marker file, with a
distinctive name, in the My Documents folder. For example, "Test
Marker.txt". The contents don't matter.

Now open a command prompt and issue these two commands:

cd \
dir /s "test marker.txt"

This will return *one* copy of the file, in a folder named "C:\Documents and
Settings\<Account Name>\My Documents\Test Marker.txt". However, you will
see that folder named two ways depending on where you're looking from.

So, what you're seeing is just another view of the drive. It's not a
duplicate, and should not be deleted unless you really want to lose those
files.

HTH
-pk

 

[Jim]

Re: "My Documents" Folder Duplication


"Bud" <Bud@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:ED16132C-2C67-48A9-8F2D-6364018261DA@microsoft.com...
> Some time in the last 4 or five months (I think) a new folder appeared
> under
> My Computer. It's called Buds PC's Documents. It holds all the same
> folders
> and files as "My Documents" does. Under properties it shows this folder
> name
> to be "My Documents" yet the folder name showing up in Windows Explorer is
> Buds PC's Documents. If I delete a file in it the file is deletes the
> same
> file in "My Documents". Bottomline is I know this folder is a duplication
> of
> "My Documents". Whereas I would like to delete it I know if I do I will
> delete the "My Documents Folder".
>
> Can someone tell me where this came from and how to get rid of it?

Aren't these icon merely two shortcuts to the same folder tree? It is
rather easy to determine if this is the case.

And, if so, there is nothing to worry about.

As for how it happened, I don't know. But, you can be sure that it didn't
happen by accident.

Jim

 

[olfart]

Re: "My Documents" Folder Duplication


"Jim" <j.n@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
news:ufHCygwJJHA.3764@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>
> "Bud" <Bud@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:ED16132C-2C67-48A9-8F2D-6364018261DA@microsoft.com...
>> Some time in the last 4 or five months (I think) a new folder appeared
>> under
>> My Computer. It's called Buds PC's Documents. It holds all the same
>> folders
>> and files as "My Documents" does. Under properties it shows this folder
>> name
>> to be "My Documents" yet the folder name showing up in Windows Explorer
>> is
>> Buds PC's Documents. If I delete a file in it the file is deletes the
>> same
>> file in "My Documents". Bottomline is I know this folder is a
>> duplication of
>> "My Documents". Whereas I would like to delete it I know if I do I will
>> delete the "My Documents Folder".
>>
>> Can someone tell me where this came from and how to get rid of it?
>
> Aren't these icon merely two shortcuts to the same folder tree? It is
> rather easy to determine if this is the case.
>
> And, if so, there is nothing to worry about.
>
> As for how it happened, I don't know. But, you can be sure that it didn't
> happen by accident.
>
> Jim
right click on th icon and check Properties
That will tell you if it's a shortcut or not. If it is then check Target and
that will tell you what it goes to.

 

[Bud]

RE: "My Documents" Folder Duplication

Sorry to take so long to get back to this thread. Judging from what most of
you wrote the second folder is a duplication of my documents because that's
the way it should be so I'll accept it even though I know it wasn't there
before.

Patrick, I did try the command prompt idea and it only returned one hit so
that verifies what you said would happen.

Anyhow, thanks to everyone for your input. It's appreciated.