Documents & Settings... + Other issues

A

AstaLaVista

Lost in Cyberspace
Vista Pro
So, little by little I am learning about the differences in XP and Vista. Well, one of them is that Vista no longer uses Documents & Settingsfolder, but a Users folders.

If this is true, why do I have a D&S folder under my Vista boot when I do a explore and why can't I open it if I am the administrator?

Not really killing me but it sure is bugging the heck out of me.

Thanks

While trying to help another member here, I noticed that there are some remmants of games and apps that I have recently deleted still on my registry. I use Tune Up Utilities 2008 and I thought this would have taken care of this junk but, apparently, I thought wrong... how do I get rid of the junk files in my registry w/o messing it up?
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
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    Intel Q9650 w/CM V8 Cooler...
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    EVGA 780i SLI FTW... Latest Bios & Drivers
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    Air Cooled... See CPU
    Keyboard
    Logitech G15
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    Logitech G7
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    Comcast 6MB Broadband
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    Linksys WRT54G router
Re: Documents & Settings...

Hi astalavista,

In vista you will find what look like folders for all the usual suspects from XP My documents Documents & settings and so on

These are not folders but what Microsoft calls Junctions (on other operating systems they are known as symbolic links)

They are basically a type of shortcut used to point programs looking for the old locations to the correct vista location

They are not editable even by the admin

You can create them yourself - do a search on "vista symbolic links" on MS site to get full info

If you type "mklink /? at a command prompt you will see some of the options available

hope this helps
 

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Hi AstaLaVista,

These 'folders' are not true folders in the normal sense of the word, rather they are there so that older applications will continue to work in Vista. When such a program needs to access this folder, the request is automatically redirected to the appropriate user folder. These 'folders' are also known as 'junctions', and the reason why they are not accessible is that thay don't actually exist - they are virtual.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dwarf Dwf/11/2012 r09/2013
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    Intel Core-i5-3570K 4-core @ 3.4GHz (Ivy Bridge) (OC 4.2GHz)
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    ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M
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Ahhhh, gotcha.

thanks

Now, any help on my other problem with the registry junk?
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Built
    CPU
    Intel Q9650 w/CM V8 Cooler...
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    EVGA 780i SLI FTW... Latest Bios & Drivers
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    Corsair Dominator 8GB (4 x 2GB) PC2-8500C5D
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    EVGA GTX260
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    Realtek High Def Onboard
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    Acer 22" LCD Widescreen
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    Air Cooled... See CPU
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    Logitech G15
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My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dwarf Dwf/11/2012 r09/2013
    CPU
    Intel Core-i5-3570K 4-core @ 3.4GHz (Ivy Bridge) (OC 4.2GHz)
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M
    Memory
    4 x 4GB DDR3-1600 Corsair Vengeance CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B (16GB)
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI GeForce GTX770 Gaming OC 2GB
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition on board solution (ALC 898)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic VA1912w Widescreen
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    OCZ Agility 3 120GB SATA III x2 (RAID 0)
    Samsung HD501LJ 500GB SATA II x2
    Hitachi HDS721010CLA332 1TB SATA II
    Iomega 1.5TB Ext USB 2.0
    WD 2.0TB Ext USB 3.0
    PSU
    XFX Pro Series 850W Semi-Modular
    Case
    Gigabyte IF233
    Cooling
    1 x 120mm Front Inlet 1 x 120mm Rear Exhaust
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Comfort Curve Keyboard 3000 (USB)
    Mouse
    Microsoft Comfort Mouse 3000 for Business (USB)
    Internet Speed
    NetGear DG834Gv3 ADSL Modem/Router (Ethernet) ~4.0 Mb/s (O2)
    Other Info
    Optical Drive: HL-DT-ST BD-RE BH10LS30 SATA Bluray
    Lexmark S305 Printer/Scanner/Copier (USB)
    WEI Score: 8.1/8.1/8.5/8.5/8.25
    Asus Eee PC 1011PX Netbook (Windows 7 x86 Starter)
Always review what the registry cleaner has to say, do not use automatic settings as this can kill your computer.
Always back up the registry before editing.
If in doubt dont make any changes, a slow computer is better than a dead one.
 

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    288 / 4000
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    Creative Inspire 7.1 T7900 Speakers
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I did use CCleaner last night and it told me it fixed a few problems with the registry but, it did not get rid of the remmants of the games/apps I had uninstalled a few days ago... I am at a loss with this issue.

I know I could go into the registry and manually clean it but it is going to take me a long time to do so and, even after that, how do I really know that all the pertinent files belonging to those games/apps were removed?

The more I use the PC the more careful I am with installing games or craps but still, there are times when you need to do so and not being able to totally get rid of it by uninstalling them is ticking me off.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Built
    CPU
    Intel Q9650 w/CM V8 Cooler...
    Motherboard
    EVGA 780i SLI FTW... Latest Bios & Drivers
    Memory
    Corsair Dominator 8GB (4 x 2GB) PC2-8500C5D
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GTX260
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Def Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer 22" LCD Widescreen
    Screen Resolution
    1680 x 1050
    Hard Drives
    WD Velociraptor 160GB
    Samsung Sata 750GB
    Maxtor External 160GB
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750w Silencer
    Case
    Thermaltake Speedo Advance
    Cooling
    Air Cooled... See CPU
    Keyboard
    Logitech G15
    Mouse
    Logitech G7
    Internet Speed
    Comcast 6MB Broadband
    Other Info
    Linksys WRT54G router
AstaLaVista said:
I know I could go into the registry and manually clean it but it is going to take me a long time to do so and, even after that, how do I really know that all the pertinent files belonging to those games/apps were removed?
Click to expand...

Hi ALV,

dont bother with Registry Cleaners...Vista`s registry is only loaded on disk and never into memory so there`s no use using a registry cleaner to remove 1K (about 6000 Entry's) of junk considering theirs no performance increase in doing so plus the dangers associated with just one incorrectly removed entry can be too high (happens very regular with registry cleaners) My advice is dont believe their marketing crap and avoid them altogether because saving 1K of diskspace just doesn't outweigh the risks ;)

Steven
 

My Computer

System One

Rats, part of my stress relief routine is running the Tune Up utility 1-Click Manintenance.

Oh well, I'm sure I am going to find something else to do... is just that is killing me inside knowing those pesky things are there, taunting me, mocking me... ya know! :D
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Built
    CPU
    Intel Q9650 w/CM V8 Cooler...
    Motherboard
    EVGA 780i SLI FTW... Latest Bios & Drivers
    Memory
    Corsair Dominator 8GB (4 x 2GB) PC2-8500C5D
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GTX260
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Def Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer 22" LCD Widescreen
    Screen Resolution
    1680 x 1050
    Hard Drives
    WD Velociraptor 160GB
    Samsung Sata 750GB
    Maxtor External 160GB
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750w Silencer
    Case
    Thermaltake Speedo Advance
    Cooling
    Air Cooled... See CPU
    Keyboard
    Logitech G15
    Mouse
    Logitech G7
    Internet Speed
    Comcast 6MB Broadband
    Other Info
    Linksys WRT54G router
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