Windows 7 User / Documents and Settings folders

Question

I have a machine - Windows 7, nothing remarkable about the install but I have multiple drives in the machine.

I have a C:\users\username folder which seems to be current and is the one that all Windows properties point to.

However, I also have a f:\documents and settings\username folder (which was hidden) which is also current and up to date. If I edit anything from either, they seem to "replicate" or update each other

ie if I rename an icon on my desktop, it renames it in C:\users\username\desktop and f:\documents and settings\username\desktop. Likewise if I edit directly in one of those folders, it does the same to the other.

Any one got any ideas what might cause this? Problem I have is that I need to remove the f drive all together!

Answer 1

In Windows 7 and Vista, "Users" and "Documents and Settings" are aliases for one another, so you should expect things to change in one when changed in the other. For example, "C:\Users\me\Desktop" is the same as "C:\Documents and Settings\me\Desktop". But why is Documents and Settings on F:? What's on F: normally?

Answer 2

It's possible that your folder has been added to one of the default libraries. Open My Computer, make sure the navigation pane is open (the window on the left with favourites at the top) right click on 'Documents' and select properties. There may be a path to your 'f:' location...

Answer 3

This sounds like a Junction Point has been created to the location on disk represented by F:\documents and settings. This gives a pretty through description: http://schinagl.priv.at/nt/hardlinkshellext/hardlinkshellext.html

I have never seen a commercial application do this for a install but the likely cause is a older application written to use the "documents and settings" location created a Junction Point for the normal "users" folder for compatibility reasons (perhaps the app had hard coded "documents and settings" in it's path). There are several tools available (including above link) to determine if that is the case. If so it is harmless but obliviously a little weird if you like to keep stuff organized on your.

Answer 4

I would guess that something went wrong with the installation of XP Mode.

Did you install it manually?