Vista - Dealing with programs that want the XP file system

I've just "upgraded" (I'm putting into quotes until I see something I like;
so far I've been spending my time figuring out how to turn off endless
permission notices and digging up a replacement for Tweak UI) to Vista.

I have a backup program that backs up specific folders, such as, for
example, c:\documents and settings\Charles\My Documents. So now it's saying
the folder is no longer available. Which of course it isn't, because Vista
has inexplicably changed where they keep your documents.

So the question is, is there any way to avoid having to manually change
every single entry I have in every piece of software I have that points to
c:\documents and settings\Charles\My Documents? Because there are quite a
few of them and it would be shocking, if not surprising, for Microsoft to
just leave its users hanging.

Shocking? Not at all.

But right now I am experiencing the same problem with many of my programs
and have been spending a good deal of my first 2 days with Xbox doing exactly
what you mentioned. Some of them I had to reinstall and just change the
directory, but be careful and don't uninstall first - because you never know
what CD-ROMs will install and what won't. Just try to reinstall over the old
one if it lets you.

"Charles" wrote:

> I've just "upgraded" (I'm putting into quotes until I see something I like;
> so far I've been spending my time figuring out how to turn off endless
> permission notices and digging up a replacement for Tweak UI) to Vista.
>
> I have a backup program that backs up specific folders, such as, for
> example, c:\documents and settings\Charles\My Documents. So now it's saying
> the folder is no longer available. Which of course it isn't, because Vista
> has inexplicably changed where they keep your documents.
>
> So the question is, is there any way to avoid having to manually change
> every single entry I have in every piece of software I have that points to
> c:\documents and settings\Charles\My Documents? Because there are quite a
> few of them and it would be shocking, if not surprising, for Microsoft to
> just leave its users hanging.

If you are not concerned with someone else using your account, under Control
Panel/User Accounts click on "Turn User Account Control on or off" and
uncheck the UAC box. That stops the "endless" permission notices.

"Charles" <Charles@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:84416C79-DF6C-4AF8-8117-B14AC3691FB6@microsoft.com...
> I've just "upgraded" (I'm putting into quotes until I see something I
> like;
> so far I've been spending my time figuring out how to turn off endless
> permission notices and digging up a replacement for Tweak UI) to Vista.
>
> I have a backup program that backs up specific folders, such as, for
> example, c:\documents and settings\Charles\My Documents. So now it's
> saying
> the folder is no longer available. Which of course it isn't, because
> Vista
> has inexplicably changed where they keep your documents.
>
> So the question is, is there any way to avoid having to manually change
> every single entry I have in every piece of software I have that points to
> c:\documents and settings\Charles\My Documents? Because there are quite a
> few of them and it would be shocking, if not surprising, for Microsoft to
> just leave its users hanging.

The old nomenclature in XP(documents and settings etc) are only junctions in
Vista.

Thus if you have a backup program written for a prior o/s that looks for the
old nomenclature you will have to modify it to point to the new Vista
locations
C:\Users\{your username}\Documents etc.

See this site for What's Changed in Vista(scroll down to folders)
http://www.jimmah.com/vista/vistanew.aspx


"Charles" <Charles@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:84416C79-DF6C-4AF8-8117-B14AC3691FB6@microsoft.com...
> So the question is, is there any way to avoid having to manually change
> every single entry I have in every piece of software I have that points to
> c:\documents and settings\Charles\My Documents? Because there are quite a
> few of them and it would be shocking, if not surprising, for Microsoft to
> just leave its users hanging.

Unfortunately turning off UAC breaks some programs.
My antivirus wouldn't update automatically until I turned it back on.
As a geek, I think MS reaslly missed the mark with this thing they call
Vista.
Vista looks like it was designed by AOL, they threw in some eye candy & made
it for beginners; to protect them from themselves.
That worked for AOL for a while, but now they have to give their service
away...
I'm using Vista because I will have to support it, but that doesn't make me
like it!

"tct" <tct@usa.com> wrote in message
news:2C0C983C-CA1C-4F7B-9F91-B03ED223FAE8@microsoft.com...
> If you are not concerned with someone else using your account, under
> Control Panel/User Accounts click on "Turn User Account Control on or off"
> and uncheck the UAC box. That stops the "endless" permission notices.
>
> "Charles" <Charles@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:84416C79-DF6C-4AF8-8117-B14AC3691FB6@microsoft.com...
>> I've just "upgraded" (I'm putting into quotes until I see something I
>> like;
>> so far I've been spending my time figuring out how to turn off endless
>> permission notices and digging up a replacement for Tweak UI) to Vista.
>>
>> I have a backup program that backs up specific folders, such as, for
>> example, c:\documents and settings\Charles\My Documents. So now it's
>> saying
>> the folder is no longer available. Which of course it isn't, because
>> Vista
>> has inexplicably changed where they keep your documents.
>>
>> So the question is, is there any way to avoid having to manually change
>> every single entry I have in every piece of software I have that points
>> to
>> c:\documents and settings\Charles\My Documents? Because there are quite
>> a
>> few of them and it would be shocking, if not surprising, for Microsoft to
>> just leave its users hanging.
>

Turning UAC off, and unchecking windows defender in startup did not stop any
of my programs from working, including AVAST, the anti-virus.

Stop spreading lies to try and stop people altering security to suit
themselves, not microsoft.

"Not Me" wrote:

> Unfortunately turning off UAC breaks some programs.
> My antivirus wouldn't update automatically until I turned it back on.
> As a geek, I think MS reaslly missed the mark with this thing they call
> Vista.
> Vista looks like it was designed by AOL, they threw in some eye candy & made
> it for beginners; to protect them from themselves.
> That worked for AOL for a while, but now they have to give their service
> away...
> I'm using Vista because I will have to support it, but that doesn't make me
> like it!
>
> "tct" <tct@usa.com> wrote in message
> news:2C0C983C-CA1C-4F7B-9F91-B03ED223FAE8@microsoft.com...
> > If you are not concerned with someone else using your account, under
> > Control Panel/User Accounts click on "Turn User Account Control on or off"
> > and uncheck the UAC box. That stops the "endless" permission notices.
> >
> > "Charles" <Charles@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> > news:84416C79-DF6C-4AF8-8117-B14AC3691FB6@microsoft.com...
> >> I've just "upgraded" (I'm putting into quotes until I see something I
> >> like;
> >> so far I've been spending my time figuring out how to turn off endless
> >> permission notices and digging up a replacement for Tweak UI) to Vista.
> >>
> >> I have a backup program that backs up specific folders, such as, for
> >> example, c:\documents and settings\Charles\My Documents. So now it's
> >> saying
> >> the folder is no longer available. Which of course it isn't, because
> >> Vista
> >> has inexplicably changed where they keep your documents.
> >>
> >> So the question is, is there any way to avoid having to manually change
> >> every single entry I have in every piece of software I have that points
> >> to
> >> c:\documents and settings\Charles\My Documents? Because there are quite
> >> a
> >> few of them and it would be shocking, if not surprising, for Microsoft to
> >> just leave its users hanging.
> >
>
>
>

"Mick" <Mick@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:62619E8B-A9A3-4189-92CB-A42B1824E69F@microsoft.com...
> Turning UAC off, and unchecking windows defender in startup did not stop
> any
> of my programs from working, including AVAST, the anti-virus.
>
> Stop spreading lies to try and stop people altering security to suit
> themselves, not microsoft.
>

That happened to me as well when I turned off UAC. One program blew-up
without UAC being enabled right in the boot and logon process. So, I enabled
UAC and went on about my business.

"Charles" <Charles@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:84416C79-DF6C-4AF8-8117-B14AC3691FB6@microsoft.com...
> I've just "upgraded" (I'm putting into quotes until I see something I
> like;
> so far I've been spending my time figuring out how to turn off endless
> permission notices and digging up a replacement for Tweak UI) to Vista.
>
> I have a backup program that backs up specific folders, such as, for
> example, c:\documents and settings\Charles\My Documents. So now it's
> saying
> the folder is no longer available. Which of course it isn't, because
> Vista
> has inexplicably changed where they keep your documents.
>
> So the question is, is there any way to avoid having to manually change
> every single entry I have in every piece of software I have that points to
> c:\documents and settings\Charles\My Documents? Because there are quite a
> few of them and it would be shocking, if not surprising, for Microsoft to
> just leave its users hanging.

Weirdly, all the ones that use the my documents folder for games, such as
GTA3 and C&C Generals etc. They all seem to have found their own way unto
the /users/ folder by themselves......

"Cy!on" <James@DONTmourby.USETHISco.BITuk> wrote in message
newsF2CEDE6-261E-4371-8BE0-3257E1F3014D@microsoft.com...

>
> Weirdly, all the ones that use the my documents folder for games, such as
> GTA3 and C&C Generals etc. They all seem to have found their own way unto
> the /users/ folder by themselves......

The programs are properly coded to ask the system where the user profile is
before trying to access it. It's very simple to determine programmatically
where the user profile is. Unfortunately some legacy programs didn't do
this. Even in XP if you moved the user profile it broke some programs or
poorly written scripts.

--
Kerry Brown
Microsoft MVP - Shell/User
http://www.vistahelp.ca

Hi, Charles.

If you just want to gripe, go ahead. It's your right.

But, if you want an answer to your question, then just click Start | Help
and Support, and type "Documents and Settings" into the Search Box. You
should find that the answer is "No", you don't have to manually change all
those settings; Vista takes care of that for you, unless you have
"hardwired" your backup program to work only with the old system.

The "permissions" notices and questions from UAC are a nuisance for the
first week or so of using Vista, as we are installing apps and drivers and
customizing Vista to suit ourselves. The Indexing that is going on mostly -
but not always - in the background can be a distraction and occasional
interruption, too. And there is the learning curve that we encounter with
any new operating system, of course. But, after that first week, most users
are happy with Vista.

My advice: Give it a week, then see how you feel. During that week, don't
just pound the keyboard and gripe. Read the Help files and other
documentation and experiment with the new ways of doing things. Then let us
know what you think of Vista.

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
rc@grandecom.net
Microsoft Windows MVP
(Running Windows Live Mail desktop beta in Vista Ultimate x64)

"Charles" <Charles@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:84416C79-DF6C-4AF8-8117-B14AC3691FB6@microsoft.com...
> I've just "upgraded" (I'm putting into quotes until I see something I
> like;
> so far I've been spending my time figuring out how to turn off endless
> permission notices and digging up a replacement for Tweak UI) to Vista.
>
> I have a backup program that backs up specific folders, such as, for
> example, c:\documents and settings\Charles\My Documents. So now it's
> saying
> the folder is no longer available. Which of course it isn't, because
> Vista
> has inexplicably changed where they keep your documents.
>
> So the question is, is there any way to avoid having to manually change
> every single entry I have in every piece of software I have that points to
> c:\documents and settings\Charles\My Documents? Because there are quite a
> few of them and it would be shocking, if not surprising, for Microsoft to
> just leave its users hanging.