Desktop - Why are There 2??

[C and A Bredt]

I am the only user on my Vista Home Premium system. When I click Documents
in the Start Menu, there are two Desktops - one at the top of folders and
one under my Username. I am trying to figure out why there are 2 Desktops.

 

[Malke]

I am the only user on my Vista Home Premium system. When I click Documents
in the Start Menu, there are two Desktops - one at the top of folders and
one under my Username. I am trying to figure out why there are 2 Desktops.

There aren't two Desktops for your user account, only one. There are just
two shortcuts to it. I can't answer why the Vista graphical user interface
designers thought that would be A Good Thing.

Malke

 

[C and A Bredt]

There is one Desktop for my User Account, but there also seems to be a
Global Desktop that is at the top of Folders when I opem Documents. CB

 

[Gordon]

There is one Desktop for my User Account, but there also seems to be a
Global Desktop that is at the top of Folders when I opem Documents. CB

Yes I have two. Does it matter?

 

[Malke]

There is one Desktop for my User Account, but there also seems to be a
Global Desktop that is at the top of Folders when I opem Documents. CB

Perhaps you are thinking about the Public folders. Basically, there is the
main Users directory and each user account will have its personal folders
(Documents, Downloads, Music, etc.) under that. Ex.:

C:\Users\your-username\Documents

In addition to the directories for each user, there is a Default User (think
of this as a template used when new user accounts are created) and folders
that apply to All Users on the system. These are called "Public folders" in
Vista and "All Users" in XP.

This sort of file hierarchy is common to all true multi-user operating
systems - NT, Win2K, XP, Vista, Mac OS X, Linux, Unix, etc.

So to repeat my first post to you: you do not have two of everything. You
have one of everything and possibly multiple shortcuts. This is normal.

Did you have some sort of problem with this or were you just not sure what
you were seeing?

Malke

 

[C and A Bredt]

Perhaps you are thinking about the Public folders. Basically, there is the
main Users directory and each user account will have its personal folders
(Documents, Downloads, Music, etc.) under that. Ex.:

C:\Users\your-username\Documents

In addition to the directories for each user, there is a Default User
(think
of this as a template used when new user accounts are created) and folders
that apply to All Users on the system. These are called "Public folders"
in
Vista and "All Users" in XP.

This sort of file hierarchy is common to all true multi-user operating
systems - NT, Win2K, XP, Vista, Mac OS X, Linux, Unix, etc.

So to repeat my first post to you: you do not have two of everything. You
have one of everything and possibly multiple shortcuts. This is normal.

Did you have some sort of problem with this or were you just not sure what
you were seeing?

Malke
--
MS-MVP
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
Don't Panic!

Perhaps I am not making myself clear. I am the only user on my system
besides the Public User whose folders are empty except for Sample Music and
Sample Pictures.

When I click Start, Username and look on the left side of the screen where
Folders are displayed there is a folder called "Desktop" ABOVE my Username
folder. It contains these folders: Username, Public, Computer, Network,
Control Panel, Recycle Bin and my own folders that I have on my desktop. It
also contains all of the files and shortcuts that are actually on my
desktop.

BELOW my Username is Contacts, Desktop, Documents, etc. It also contains
folders and files and shortcuts that are actually on my desktop, BUT not all
of them.

So - the problem is that when I want to backup the files and folders and
shortcuts that are on my desktop, I have to do it from the topmost Desktop
and be careful not to include Recycle Bin, Computer, etc.

Of course I can do that, but I'd like to understand why there are 2 Desktops

 

[Malke]

C and A Bredt wrote:

Perhaps I am not making myself clear. I am the only user on my system
besides the Public User whose folders are empty except for Sample Music
and Sample Pictures.

When I click Start, Username and look on the left side of the screen where
Folders are displayed there is a folder called "Desktop" ABOVE my Username
folder. It contains these folders: Username, Public, Computer, Network,
Control Panel, Recycle Bin and my own folders that I have on my desktop.
It also contains all of the files and shortcuts that are actually on my
desktop.

BELOW my Username is Contacts, Desktop, Documents, etc. It also contains
folders and files and shortcuts that are actually on my desktop, BUT not
all of them.

So - the problem is that when I want to backup the files and folders and
shortcuts that are on my desktop, I have to do it from the topmost Desktop
and be careful not to include Recycle Bin, Computer, etc.

Of course I can do that, but I'd like to understand why there are 2
Desktops

There are not two Desktops. Don't use those shortcuts when you want to back
up if they are confusing. Put an icon leading to your user account on the
Desktop (if there isn't one there already) and double-click it when you
want to see everything that is under that account. And yes, there is a
Desktop directory under your user account because each user has their own
Desktop. If you are still confused about what you are seeing, have a
knowledgeable friend or family member (someone who really *is*
knowledgeable and not just saying he is) come over to help you. I just
don't know what else I can tell you.

Malke

 

[C and A Bredt]

Yes I have two. Does it matter?

Thank you, thank you for verifying that it is not just me. In XP there was
an All Users Desktop foldert that applied to all users. Maybe the top one is
like that.

It matters because I don't understand why a shortcut that I create on my
actual computer desktop sometimes goes into both folders and sometimes just
into the topmost/global one.

CB