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2 Programs Folders?

#1 User is offline   wako944 

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Posted 06 August 2008 - 11:19 PM

I run Vista 64-bit and I seem to have two (2) "Programs" folder (places where you store your start up menu folders and icons). Is this normal?
The first location is : "%systemdrive%\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs"
and the second is : "%systemdrive%\Users\%UserProfile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs"
It seems that when they have duplicates of the same file, they simply merge and appear as one.

This post has been edited by wako944: 06 August 2008 - 11:20 PM

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#2 User is offline   ab30494 

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Posted 07 August 2008 - 12:19 AM

the 1st one might be the main one, and the second one might be for ur user. That a wild guess, but i thinking thats what it might be

This post has been edited by ab30494: 07 August 2008 - 12:22 AM

#3 User is offline   wako944 

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Posted 07 August 2008 - 12:21 AM

Not Program Files, but rather Program folders. These folders determine the things you see in your "Start -> All Programs"
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#4 User is offline   usasma 

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Posted 07 August 2008 - 06:57 AM

The first one is the generic one that's used to create profiles when you create a new account
The other one is the actual profile that loads when you log on as that user.
- John
**If you need a more detailed explanation, please ask for it. I have the Knack. **

#5 User is offline   wako944 

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Posted 07 August 2008 - 10:52 AM

I see, that makes a lot of sense (I'm so stupid). I guess I don't have to touch any of these files. But, if I did feel like it, would deleting the duplicates cause any trouble (in the User's Program Folder)?

EDIT: I'm also seeing this Administrative Tools folder in both of the Program folders, but they aren't showing up in the Start Menu, what is this?

This post has been edited by wako944: 07 August 2008 - 10:54 AM

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#6 User is offline   usasma 

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Posted 10 August 2008 - 07:03 PM

Nope, not stupid. You just haven't worked with this stuff very much. It's sorta like riding a bike - you keep trying until you don't fall off any more! :huh:

In Windows your desktop is actually made up of 2 separate desktops - there's the Public profile (which is used for all users), and there's the Default User (a copy of which becomes yours once the account is created). So, when you're viewing the icons on your desktop, you'll see the stuff for both of them. This comes in handy if you want certain programs to run in all profiles, and some programs only to run in your profile.

If you enable the viewing of Hidden files in Windows Explorer, you'll see 2 desktop.ini folders on your desktop - one is for the Public profile, and one is for your profile).

There's lot's more to the different aspects of the file system that you can discover by browsing around the directory structure. Just be careful that you don't delete something that you'll need!
- John
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