Windows 8 duplicating files

Ronnie E

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When I save files in My Documents in Windows 8, why do they also appear under Documents, so that I have duplicate files? At first I thought I did something wrong, so I deleted the files and started over, but when I save a file or folder under My Documents, it also shows up under Documents. Why?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
What kind of a setup is that. There are no 'My Documents". Where do they come from. Are you talking about the library ??
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
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    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
Under Libraries, there are Documents, My Documents, and Public Documents. At least in my version of Windows 8.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
Hmm, I don't have My Documents - just Documents and Public Documents. Did you upgrade from XP with an upgrade version ??
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
    Hard Drives
    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
I copied a folder from My Documents in Windows XP onto a CD, and copied it from the CD to Documents (I thought) under Libraries in Windows 8. But what resulted is the folder being under Documents and the same folder under My Documents. I don't see the point of the duplication and I don't want it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
Just save the data from that My Documents folder temporarily to some other folder - e.g. Videos. Then delete it and put the data into the proper Documents folder.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
    Hard Drives
    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
That won't work. If I move the folder from My Documents to Video, the folder under Documents also disappears, so I have nothing under Documents or My Documents either one. If I move the folder from Documents to Video, the folder under My Documents disappears too. I cannot get rid of the duplication.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
I don't understand this. Lets say you have Folder1 in both. Then you copy Folder1 (from either Docs) to Videos. Now you should have it 3 times. If you delete it in one of the Docs, you should still have it in Videos. Then you could delete My Documents and restore the stuff from Videos to Documents. Is that not doable ??
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
    Hard Drives
    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
Time for bed, I'll experiment tomorrow and get back to you. But I don't see how My Documents can be deleted. It is part of Documents. To quote from "Windows 8 for Dummies" (p. 96), "Double-click the Navigation Pane's Documents library, and you'll see that library's two folders: My Documents and Public Documents." I don't think you can simply delete part of Windows 8.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
I don't think user files (pictures, music etc.)are "duplicated", they just appear at multiple places, a right click/properties will tell you exact location for them. Those are only kinds of files you can safely transfer anywhere.
 

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I am going to assume that files that are put into Documents are all listed there, and then Documents also breaks them down into My Documents and Public Documents. Each file therefore appears twice, and you can't delete or move the repeat without deleting or moving that file altogether from Documents. This is not stated anywhere in my Dummies book, but it is obviously what happens.

I assume you folks have some files under Documents in Windows 8. Are they not listed twice (in Documents and in My Documents) like mine are? If not, then this is inexplicable.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
If you have the My Documents folder included as one of the folders in the "Documents" library you would see the same documents listed under My Docs and Documents since a library is just a way to organize and display one or more related folders in one easy to view location. The actual files aren't being duplicated.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
Can you copy the files to another place not move.

I think nobody here has 'My Documents'. You imported that from your XP system - right.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
    Hard Drives
    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
OwnerWindow.jpg
My owner window contains an icon for 'My Documents', and I bought this Lenovo with Windows 8 installed.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba Satellite C55t Series
    CPU
    Intel
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    IE & Firefox
Can you copy the files to another place not move.

Yes, and maybe I can create a place from them outside of Libraries/Documents. Haven't tried yet.

I think nobody here has 'My Documents'. You imported that from your XP system - right.

To quote again from "Windows 8 for Dummies" (p. 96), "Double-click the Navigation Pane's Documents library, and you'll see that library's two folders: My Documents and Public Documents."
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
On my computer, the contents of Libraries/Documents and 'My Documents' are the same. So I don't think they are duplicated; It's just another way of looking at the same thing.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba Satellite C55t Series
    CPU
    Intel
    Browser
    IE & Firefox
I created a new library for the files. But I couldn't move them there without creating a My Documents folder. So I did that and moved them, and it's the same thing. In the new library, they're listed twice.

My beef with this is that I am saving intellectual properties that will eventually go to my heir with this computer. Maybe she will be well versed by then in Windows 8 or whatever exists at that time. But if she just looked in the library now, seeing the files listed twice, she would wonder if they're the same, if one list is revisions, or what. I just see it as an unnecessary pain in the butt.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
Yes, and maybe I can create a place from them outside of Libraries/Documents. Haven't tried yet.
I think you should do that and then delete the surplus folder. Then copy the files back to the remaining folder.


To quote again from "Windows 8 for Dummies" (p. 96), "Double-click the Navigation Pane's Documents library, and you'll see that library's two folders: My Documents and Public Documents."
That is correct. But you have 3 documents folders.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
    Hard Drives
    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
A library isn't an actual folder. Here is an explanation from Microsoft about what a Library is. The page is talking about Windows 7 but the same concept applies to Windows 8 Libraries.

Libraries - Microsoft Windows
That is correct. A library is just an index of folders.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
    Hard Drives
    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
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