Retaining custom libraries when reinstalling the OS

Let's see how badly I can mangle this post to the limits of
understandability.

I do not store my data on the C:\ drive as most people do. I have it in
numerous other physical locations/partitions.

The default libraries that are created by Win7 (Documents, Pictures,
Music, Videos) obviously categorize your files by general file types.
It seems to me, MS has "assumed" users will not have a folder with mixed
types of files. I.E., a user's folder will not contain both documents
and images, for example.

This seems to boil down to the age old question of how a user chooses to
store their data, by file type or by project. I'm the "store by
project" type. For better or for worse. LOL

Needless to say, I won't be using the default libraries. I'll be
creating custom libraries, containing what I want in the way of
individual files in each library, and a mix of file types.

I want to protect the contents of my custom libraries, retaining those
libraries should a system reinstall be needed.

Let's say your Libraries look some thing like this, in Explorer...

Libraries
Documents
My Documents
Public Documents
Music
My Music
Public Music
Pictures
My Pictures
Public Pictures
Test ------- Custom library and contents
Folder 1
Folder 2
Folder 3
Video
My Video
Public Video

If, for some reason, I have to do a complete, clean reinstall of the OS,
my Test library is history, toast, gone, etc. LOL And if that
library has 50 folders of various files, I certainly will not be looking
forward to rebuilding it.

The contents of these libraries (a list of shortcuts to the actual
files, not the files themselves) appear to be stored in XML files at
this location:
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Li braries on the C:\ drive.

What I want to do is tell Windows to store those XML files in a
different location, similar to redirecting My Documents ET. AL. to a
different location. After a clean reinstall of the OS, I can simply
point Windows to these new locations, and my tediously built libraries
are back. :-)

Is there a way to do this?

Granted, I could achieve much the same effect with system images and
backups, but I'm also thinking about those folks that, for whatever
reason, do not have a backup system in place and could make good use of
the Libraries feature if they knew they could retain those contents.

In experimenting to find a solution, I've learned Windows treats the 4
default libraries differently than user created libraries, but that's
probably a different topic. G



--
Ken

Mac OS X 10.8.5
Firefox 23.0
Thunderbird 17.0.8
LibreOffice 4.1.0.4

Ken Springer wrote:
Let's see how badly I can mangle this post to the limits of
understandability.

I do not store my data on the C:\ drive as most people do. I have it in
numerous other physical locations/partitions.

The default libraries that are created by Win7 (Documents, Pictures,
Music, Videos) obviously categorize your files by general file types. It
seems to me, MS has "assumed" users will not have a folder with mixed
types of files. I.E., a user's folder will not contain both documents
and images, for example.

This seems to boil down to the age old question of how a user chooses to
store their data, by file type or by project. I'm the "store by
project" type. For better or for worse. LOL

Needless to say, I won't be using the default libraries. I'll be
creating custom libraries, containing what I want in the way of
individual files in each library, and a mix of file types.

I want to protect the contents of my custom libraries, retaining those
libraries should a system reinstall be needed.

Let's say your Libraries look some thing like this, in Explorer...

Libraries
Documents
My Documents
Public Documents
Music
My Music
Public Music
Pictures
My Pictures
Public Pictures
Test ------- Custom library and
contents
Folder 1
Folder 2
Folder 3
Video
My Video
Public Video

If, for some reason, I have to do a complete, clean reinstall of the OS,
my Test library is history, toast, gone, etc. LOL And if that
library has 50 folders of various files, I certainly will not be looking
forward to rebuilding it.

The contents of these libraries (a list of shortcuts to the actual
files, not the files themselves) appear to be stored in XML files at
this location: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Li braries
on the C:\ drive.

What I want to do is tell Windows to store those XML files in a
different location, similar to redirecting My Documents ET. AL. to a
different location. After a clean reinstall of the OS, I can simply
point Windows to these new locations, and my tediously built libraries
are back. :-)

Is there a way to do this?

Granted, I could achieve much the same effect with system images and
backups, but I'm also thinking about those folks that, for whatever
reason, do not have a backup system in place and could make good use of
the Libraries feature if they knew they could retain those contents.

In experimenting to find a solution, I've learned Windows treats the 4
default libraries differently than user created libraries, but that's
probably a different topic. G




I think I understand this fully. That's down to your having written it well.

I store by project as well, and I've not met any problem with it.

I'd always go for restore from backup, but I think I've found out how to
save a library schema for creating in a fresh environment;
http://superuser.com/questions/65246...u-back-them-up
(number 8 answer)
http://zornsoftware.codenature.info/...rary-tool.html
(the Tool referred to above)

Ed

Ken Springer wrote:
Let's see how badly I can mangle this post to the limits of
understandability.

I do not store my data on the C:\ drive as most people do. I have it in
numerous other physical locations/partitions.

The default libraries that are created by Win7 (Documents, Pictures,
Music, Videos) obviously categorize your files by general file types. It
seems to me, MS has "assumed" users will not have a folder with mixed
types of files. I.E., a user's folder will not contain both documents
and images, for example.

This seems to boil down to the age old question of how a user chooses to
store their data, by file type or by project. I'm the "store by
project" type. For better or for worse. LOL

Needless to say, I won't be using the default libraries. I'll be
creating custom libraries, containing what I want in the way of
individual files in each library, and a mix of file types.

I want to protect the contents of my custom libraries, retaining those
libraries should a system reinstall be needed.

Let's say your Libraries look some thing like this, in Explorer...

Libraries
Documents
My Documents
Public Documents
Music
My Music
Public Music
Pictures
My Pictures
Public Pictures
Test ------- Custom library and contents
Folder 1
Folder 2
Folder 3
Video
My Video
Public Video

If, for some reason, I have to do a complete, clean reinstall of the OS,
my Test library is history, toast, gone, etc. LOL And if that
library has 50 folders of various files, I certainly will not be looking
forward to rebuilding it.

The contents of these libraries (a list of shortcuts to the actual
files, not the files themselves) appear to be stored in XML files at
this location: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Li braries
on the C:\ drive.

What I want to do is tell Windows to store those XML files in a
different location, similar to redirecting My Documents ET. AL. to a
different location. After a clean reinstall of the OS, I can simply
point Windows to these new locations, and my tediously built libraries
are back. :-)

Is there a way to do this?

Granted, I could achieve much the same effect with system images and
backups, but I'm also thinking about those folks that, for whatever
reason, do not have a backup system in place and could make good use of
the Libraries feature if they knew they could retain those contents.

In experimenting to find a solution, I've learned Windows treats the 4
default libraries differently than user created libraries, but that's
probably a different topic. G

According to this, there's a tool for that.

http://www.ghacks.net/2010/02/08/win...-library-tool/

"Backup library configuration, such that a saved set of libraries can
be instantly restored at any point (like after a re-install of the OS
or for transfer between multiple computers)."

http://zornsoftware.codenature.info/

Paul

On Tue, 01 Oct 2013 08:26:14 -0400, Paul wrote:

Ken Springer wrote:
Let's see how badly I can mangle this post to the limits of
understandability.

[problem description snipped]

According to this, there's a tool for that.

http://www.ghacks.net/2010/02/08/win...-library-tool/

"Backup library configuration, such that a saved set of libraries can
be instantly restored at any point (like after a re-install of the OS
or for transfer between multiple computers)."

http://zornsoftware.codenature.info/

Here's an example of why I like this group. If a person can state a
problem clearly, someone generally has a solution.


--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com
Shikata ga nai...

On 01/10/2013 12:46:07, Ken Springer wrote:

but I'm also thinking about those folks that, for whatever reason, do not
have a backup system in place and could make good use of the Libraries
feature if they knew they could retain those contents.

If they knew how to retain the contents then surely whatever they do to
achieve that is a 'backup' :-)


--
mick

Stan Brown wrote:
On Tue, 01 Oct 2013 08:26:14 -0400, Paul wrote:
Ken Springer wrote:
Let's see how badly I can mangle this post to the limits of
understandability.

[problem description snipped]
According to this, there's a tool for that.

http://www.ghacks.net/2010/02/08/win...-library-tool/

"Backup library configuration, such that a saved set of libraries can
be instantly restored at any point (like after a re-install of the OS
or for transfer between multiple computers)."

http://zornsoftware.codenature.info/

Here's an example of why I like this group. If a person can state a
problem clearly, someone generally has a solution.

I don't know if it works, or how practical it is, but
it's better than fiddling around in the registry or something :-)

We know the actual information is stored in a .library-ms file
(definition of library contents), but I'm guessing a bit more glue
is in the registry as well.

Paul

On 10/1/13 6:26 AM, Paul wrote:
Ken Springer wrote:

snip

According to this, there's a tool for that.

http://www.ghacks.net/2010/02/08/win...-library-tool/

"Backup library configuration, such that a saved set of libraries can
be instantly restored at any point (like after a re-install of the OS
or for transfer between multiple computers)."

http://zornsoftware.codenature.info/

Paul

Ed and Paul,

Well, I should have known... Someone writes a tool to basically do what
I want! LOL It automates, apparently, what I was considering doing
manually.

Thanks to both of you for the link.

I see pluses in this tool that I hadn't yet considered. I.E., I may
possibly be able to add an external drive that is attached to my Mac to
my Win 7 library. While most folks won't need this, it could be a boon
to me, and I need to explore this program. As you've probably read in
other library related posts, I found the library function to be truly
disappointing until I found a workaround to get what I want/expected
from a "library".

I'm still hoping someone has an answer that is part of the operating
system itself, without having to edit the registry or some other manual
modification of files. That way, for those who never bother to take the
time to learn much about their computer, the library data can be easily
saved without any 3rd party tools. But, I have my doubts it can be
done. :-(


--
Ken

Mac OS X 10.8.5
Firefox 23.0
Thunderbird 17.0.8
LibreOffice 4.1.0.4

On 10/1/13 6:57 AM, Stan Brown wrote:
On Tue, 01 Oct 2013 08:26:14 -0400, Paul wrote:

Ken Springer wrote:
Let's see how badly I can mangle this post to the limits of
understandability.

[problem description snipped]

According to this, there's a tool for that.

http://www.ghacks.net/2010/02/08/win...-library-tool/

"Backup library configuration, such that a saved set of libraries can
be instantly restored at any point (like after a re-install of the OS
or for transfer between multiple computers)."

http://zornsoftware.codenature.info/

Here's an example of why I like this group. If a person can state a
problem clearly, someone generally has a solution.


Stan, thanks for the writing compliment. I've written numerous
instruction sheets over the years, and getting something on paper that
almost everyone understands is not an easy task.


--
Ken

Mac OS X 10.8.5
Firefox 23.0
Thunderbird 17.0.8
LibreOffice 4.1.0.4

On 10/1/13 7:11 AM, mick wrote:
On 01/10/2013 12:46:07, Ken Springer wrote:

but I'm also thinking about those folks that, for whatever reason, do not
have a backup system in place and could make good use of the Libraries
feature if they knew they could retain those contents.

If they knew how to retain the contents then surely whatever they do to
achieve that is a 'backup' :-)

True, it would be a backup. LOL The problem is, they don't know how to
retain those contents, most likely due to computer ignorance and the
fact the library structure files are hidden files.


--
Ken

Mac OS X 10.8.5
Firefox 23.0
Thunderbird 17.0.8
LibreOffice 4.1.0.4

On 01/10/2013 15:59, Paul wrote:
Stan Brown wrote:
On Tue, 01 Oct 2013 08:26:14 -0400, Paul wrote:
Ken Springer wrote:
Let's see how badly I can mangle this post to the limits of
understandability.

[problem description snipped]
According to this, there's a tool for that.

http://www.ghacks.net/2010/02/08/win...-library-tool/

"Backup library configuration, such that a saved set of libraries
can
be instantly restored at any point (like after a re-install of
the OS
or for transfer between multiple computers)."

http://zornsoftware.codenature.info/

Here's an example of why I like this group. If a person can state a
problem clearly, someone generally has a solution.

I don't know if it works, or how practical it is, but
it's better than fiddling around in the registry or something :-)

We know the actual information is stored in a .library-ms file
(definition of library contents), but I'm guessing a bit more glue
is in the registry as well.

Paul

This looks great. I'm gonna find out!

Fokke

On 01/10/2013 21:52, Fokke Nauta wrote:
On 01/10/2013 15:59, Paul wrote:
Stan Brown wrote:
On Tue, 01 Oct 2013 08:26:14 -0400, Paul wrote:
Ken Springer wrote:
Let's see how badly I can mangle this post to the limits of
understandability.

[problem description snipped]
According to this, there's a tool for that.

http://www.ghacks.net/2010/02/08/win...-library-tool/

"Backup library configuration, such that a saved set of libraries
can
be instantly restored at any point (like after a re-install of
the OS
or for transfer between multiple computers)."

http://zornsoftware.codenature.info/

Here's an example of why I like this group. If a person can state a
problem clearly, someone generally has a solution.

I don't know if it works, or how practical it is, but
it's better than fiddling around in the registry or something :-)

We know the actual information is stored in a .library-ms file
(definition of library contents), but I'm guessing a bit more glue
is in the registry as well.

Paul

This looks great. I'm gonna find out!

Fokke

This is great! I now can add network shares to my libraries!

Fokke

On Tue, 01 Oct 2013 08:41:00 -0600, Ken Springer wrote:

On 10/1/13 6:57 AM, Stan Brown wrote:
On Tue, 01 Oct 2013 08:26:14 -0400, Paul wrote:

Ken Springer wrote:
Let's see how badly I can mangle this post to the limits of
understandability.

[problem description snipped]

According to this, there's a tool for that.

http://www.ghacks.net/2010/02/08/win...-library-tool/

"Backup library configuration, such that a saved set of libraries can
be instantly restored at any point (like after a re-install of the OS
or for transfer between multiple computers)."

http://zornsoftware.codenature.info/

Here's an example of why I like this group. If a person can state a
problem clearly, someone generally has a solution.


Stan, thanks for the writing compliment. I've written numerous
instruction sheets over the years, and getting something on paper that
almost everyone understands is not an easy task.

Don't I know it. A great part of both my jobs is writing on
technical subjects (software and statistics, respectively).

--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com
Shikata ga nai...

On 01/10/2013 8:26 AM, Paul wrote:
According to this, there's a tool for that.

http://www.ghacks.net/2010/02/08/win...-library-tool/

"Backup library configuration, such that a saved set of libraries can
be instantly restored at any point (like after a re-install of the OS
or for transfer between multiple computers)."

http://zornsoftware.codenature.info/

Paul

Very good find!

Yousuf Khan