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Windows 10 User Manual: What is "This PC" feature in File Explorer capable of?

Anonymous
2020-08-17T20:59:33+00:00

Does Microsoft provide any information to help users of Windows 10 understand how to use it and how it works? I'm just looking for one small amount of information that, it seems, everybody that writes articles about Windows 10 never really goes into any reasonable depth. I'd love to find some reasonably complete user documentation. Come on Microsoft, you must have written something.

For example I'm wondering how the item "This PC", which appears in the File Explorer, works? It seems to aggregate several things into a single area much like the Windows 7 "Library" did and similar to the "Quick Access" feature does. These are three "features" that do similar things but each has differences. It would be useful to me if I could see all the ins and outs of these features so that I can decide how to organized my many hard drives in the most efficient fashion for my video editing tasks.

Almost every disk drive connected to my computer has a folder named "media" in the root. This makes it easier to reconnect all of a video editing project's assets when I have to move files around. All I have to do is tell the editing application then drive number and then it find the "media" folder and the rest of the path to the asset files is the same.

One problem with the "Quick Access" feature is that it shows only the name of the folder, "media". If I have five disks with the same folder name then the "Quick Access" is no longer quick. I was hoping that the "This PC" feature would merge all the folders with the same name appear as if they were on one drive and show me all the subfolders regardless of which drive they are on.

Anybody have any suggestions?

Thanks,

Rob:-]

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Files, folders, and storage

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  1. Anonymous
    2020-08-18T00:30:10+00:00

    This PC, which corresponds to My Computer in earlier versions of Windows, as well as Quick Access, which replaced Favorites, and Libraries, which are a special form of saved search, are all virtual folders in the Shell Namespace.

    You've already discovered the limitations of Quick Access that are the subject of countless threads -- the inabilty to rename shortcuts that point to identically named folders in different locations.  No one has found a workaround to that so it's best ignored.

    This PC shows connected drives, devices, network locations, and the currently logged on user's folders. While you can add custom loctions to the folders section through registry manipualtion, it's far easier to add shortcuts and/or folders to the Network Locations section. 

    The Text Files folder shortcut & New Folder folder were cfreated in the Network Shortcuts folder. To access this folder, click in the Address bar of Explorer & type :

    shell:NetHood

    Another option would be to create a custom Library of all your various Media folders from your collection of drives. If Libraries isn't  currnetly visible in the Navigation Pane, right-click in the pane and check Show Libraries.

    If either of these options sound good, I'm happy to proivide more info if needed.

    Keith

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  2. Anonymous
    2020-08-18T02:06:56+00:00

    No, sadly,  iknow of no comprehensive source. Technical forums really are your best bet.

    Keith

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  3. Anonymous
    2020-08-18T01:46:36+00:00

    Hi Keith,

    Thanks for the quick response.

    Do you have any idea where I can find a comprehensive document that describes things like this? I'd love to be able to locate this kind of information so I can find the answers for myself.

    Thanks again,

    Rob:-]

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