This PC - Add or Remove "Folders" in Windows 8.1

Brink · May 30, 2014

Hey Jon,

In 64-bit Windows the Wow6432Node key is what is used for the open, save as, etc... type dialogs. It's not there or needed for 32-bit Windows.

If you delete them, it'll remove the folders from This PC. If you like, use only the individual .reg files for the folders you want to remove instead.

jonrichco · May 31, 2014

Thanks Shawn. I much appreciate prompt reply. I just want to remove them from File Explorer, where they take up valuable space and are no use to me as such. However, it is essential that they stay in my user's folder as unfortunately some programs dump stuff in them that they and I need. eg, "C:\Users\Jon\Documents". Also I use a Desktop toolbar for opening desktop programs so need to preserve that in Users. I actually just want to hide them, not necessarily delete them. As mentioned I have already removed the folders with nothing useful in them (Downloads, Music, Pictures and Videos) through regedit. Jon

Brink · May 31, 2014

No worries, this will only remove them from "This PC", and not anywhere else.

They are only basically just shortcuts in "This PC".

jonrichco · May 31, 2014

Already done. Worked fine in regedit/right click/delete only in
-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\etc.
Did not need to delete the Wow6432Node entries.

Just a couple of suggestions: (i) maybe you could emphasize the fact that it only deletes the shortcuts at the top of your blog, and (ii) the reg files you provided did not work on my 64 8.1 system.

Brink · May 31, 2014

The tutorial does state that they are only removed from "This PC".

OPTION ONE is only for 32-bit. Did you use OPTION TWO in the tutorial for 64-bit?

jonrichco · May 31, 2014

The tutorial says "This PC - Add or Remove "Folders" in Windows 8.1 How Add or Remove Default "Folders" from This PC in Windows 8.1". This OK, but it needs to also explicitly say that it DOES NOT remove them also from Users. I did an experiement and deleted a desktop item in My PC, and it automatically deleted in Users. So this made me assume that if you delete My PC registry item, it will also delete in Users. Maybe worth a sentence to explain this - up to you.

I did (of course) use the 64 bit versions -eg, 64-bit_Remove_Documents_Folder_in_This_PC.reg. Neither this nor Desktop reg files worked in my system. Reviewing the reg files in Notepad, it is difficult to see what they are supposed to do. Still the concept is good.

What I actually followed to remove all the folders was Remove the ?Folders? From My Computer in Windows 8.1 - mywindows8.org

Brink · May 31, 2014

Not sure why it's not working for you since the .reg file does the same thing, but automatically for you. The only thing I can think of is that maybe not all the prompts to approve the merge were not approved??

jonrichco · May 31, 2014

Of course I accepted prompts! Looking at your .reg files, it is difficult to see what they do. I guess the minus sign is enough to tell it to remove the keys. Curious. Path is correct. I have now deleted the first set of keys. However, I note that the key for the Wow6432Node key is not correct.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

; Created by: Shawn Brink
; http://www.eightforums.com
; Tutorial: http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/28025-pc-add-remove-folders-windows-8-1-a.html

[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\{A8CDFF1C-4878-43be-B5FD-F8091C1C60D0}]

[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\{A8CDFF1C-4878-43be-B5FD-F8091C1C60D0}]

Brink · May 31, 2014

Yes, that's correct. The minus means that it deletes the {A8CDFF1C-4878-43be-B5FD-F8091C1C60D0} key at both those locations to remove the Documents folder from only This PC.

The key is correct at both locations. What makes you think it isn't? :huh:

Code:

[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\{A8CDFF1C-4878-43be-B5FD-F8091C1C60D0}]

[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\{A8CDFF1C-4878-43be-B5FD-F8091C1C60D0}]

jonrichco · Jun 1, 2014

These are the keys in my machine:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\
They are not the same as yours.
NameSpace
{1CF1260C-4DD0-4ebb-811F-33C572649FDE}
{374DE290-123F-4565-9164-39C4925E46713}
{3ADD1653-EB32-4cb0-1307-DFADABB5ACCA}
{40953C92-50DC-43bf-BE83-3742FED03C9C}
{BDEADFC0-C265-11DO-BCED-00A0C90AB5OF}

So not the same as in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace
Don't know why that would be
Jon

Brink · Jun 1, 2014

jonrichco said:
These are the keys in my machine:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace\
They are not the same as yours.
NameSpace
{1CF1260C-4DD0-4ebb-811F-33C572649FDE}
{374DE290-123F-4565-9164-39C4925E46713}
{3ADD1653-EB32-4cb0-1307-DFADABB5ACCA}
{40953C92-50DC-43bf-BE83-3742FED03C9C}
{BDEADFC0-C265-11DO-BCED-00A0C90AB5OF}

So not the same as in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace
Don't know why that would be
Jon

Jon,

The top 3 keys are correct, but the bottom two (below) must have been added by you or some program. They are not in the registry by default.

{40953C92-50DC-43bf-BE83-3742FED03C9C}
{BDEADFC0-C265-11DO-BCED-00A0C90AB5OF}

You are missing these below:

{A0953C92-50DC-43bf-BE83-3742FED03C9C}]
{A8CDFF1C-4878-43be-B5FD-F8091C1C60D0}]
{B4BFCC3A-DB2C-424C-B029-7FE99A87C641}

Please post a screenshot of your "This PC" window, and one showing the same registry locations below from your system.

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2598-screenshots-files-upload-post-eight-forums.html

weakpa2 · Jun 3, 2014

thanks admin.

HomerJ · Jun 14, 2014

Another question

Hi all,
I just discovered this forum last night and have already found heaps of useful, helpful information.

Brink; I used the reg_edit to remove all my shortcuts from "This PC" and it worked fine, except I still have three other items under "This PC" and I can't for the life of me work out why they're residing there, or if there's a way to change where they sit. I was hoping someone here could assist.

I recently downloaded SugarSync as my Cloud service (I'll look at removing the OneDrive folder from the shortcuts pane when I feel confident enough to follow that tutorial) but I have no idea why it's been placed under "This PC" and not near the OneDrive folder.

Also I have my WDTV Live Hub (connected to my router and TV) showing up in there, as well as under network. Any idea why this might be?

My OCD would love the "This PC" to contain the four PC drives, and for the network devices such as the WDTV and my wife's PC to be under Network where I assume they belong.

Just seems counter intuitive to me. Any advice appreciated.

Dave

Brink · Jun 15, 2014

Hello Dave, and welcome to Eight Forums.

Check in the right pane of each long GUID number subkey under the NameSpace key at both locations to see if one may have the name of the item you want to remove like below for RealPlayer Cloud in mine.

If it does, then you can delete the long GUID subkey to remove it.

Before doing this, you might consider creating a restore point. This way you could do a quick system restore to undo a mistakenly deleted wrong key.

HomerJ · Jun 15, 2014

Thank you

Thanks for the welcome. I see you're a night owl as well

I had a look in that location and did find an entry for SugarSync (I'll create a restore point and try to remove it later), but cannot see anything for my two network entries. Any thoughts on those?

Cheers,
Dave

Brink · Jun 15, 2014

Good news so far. Go ahead and post a screenshot showing the network locations highlighted in This PC. If it's where I think it is, it would be in a different location in the registry.

independent2100 · Jun 21, 2014

This PC Add or Remove

Hey Shawn!

The folders are back today after last night's updates. I found the reg file I saved and I applied it again. Time spent getting the problem fixed? About 15 seconds mostly navigating to the reg file.

Ann

Brink · Jun 21, 2014

Hey Ann. Just gotta love those resetting updates.

basher · Jul 23, 2014

So, this tutorial works for files explorer, but how about a dialog window, when you downloading files from the internet or saving files from programs, and when a mini window appears to show where to save files, "folders" exist in these windows. This tutorial doesnt work for those mini windows "save as", so how to remove it from there ?

Brink · Jul 23, 2014

basher said:
So, this tutorial works for files explorer, but how about a dialog window, when you downloading files from the internet or saving files from programs, and when a mini window appears to show where to save files, "folders" exist in these windows. This tutorial doesnt work for those mini windows "save as", so how to remove it from there ?

Hello Basher,

Yep, it will remove "Folders" from "This PC" in the small "Save as" type dialogs as well. Since you have a 64-bit Windows, you'll need to use OPTION TWO for it to work though. OPTION ONE will not work fully in a 64-bit Windows.

This PC - Add or Remove "Folders" in Windows 8.1

Add or Remove "Folders" from This PC in 32-bit Windows 8.1

Add or Remove "Folders" from This PC in 64-bit Windows 8.1

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