Thread: Discover how Libraries in Windows 7 can keep files . organised, no matter where they

Folders are fundamental to keeping things organised in Windows. There are even built-in folders such as Music and Video, intended to store particular types of file.


But in reality many of us leave files scattered all over the hard disk, meaning tracking down specific files can be a pain. Windows 7 introduces a feature called Libraries that can be used to gain quick access to files regardless of where they are stored. For example, a Library called Images can be used to display not just the contents ofthe traditional Pictures folder, but also any other folder containing images. Here's how to get started.

Documents, Music, Pictures and Videos. At first glance, these seem the same as the default storage folders built into Windows XP and Vista. However, there is an important difference: each Library is acts as a 'container' linked to one or more physical folders that can be located anywhere. Open Computer from the Start menu and the existing Libraries are listed in the left-hand navigation pane. If this panel is not visible, click the Organize button and select Layout followed by Navigation pane.

A dialogue box appears listing the folders that are included in this Library. Additional folders can be added to an existing Library by clicking the Include a folder button, navigating through the contents of the hard drive and clicking the Include folder button when a relevant folder is selected. Each Library can contain a maximum of 50 folders.

Similar process. Again, right-click an existing Library and select Properties before selecting a folder from the Library locations panel at the centre of the dialogue box. Click the Remove button and the folder will be deleted from the Library. Be aware that no confirmation message will be displayed, so take care to select the correct folder. When folders are removed from a Library, the folder itself remains intact.

Libraries a can serve as locations to save new files, but Windows needs to know which folder within a Library it should actually use. From the Properties dialogue box of an existing Library, choose a folder from the Library locations panel and click the Set save location button. The folder that has been selected as the default save location is marked with a tick.

It is possible to tell Windows 7 what kind of files a particular Library is likely to contain. From a Library's Properties dialogue box, open the dropdown menu labelled 'Optimize this library for' to choose the type offile that will be stored in the Library. From now on, sorting and display options relevant to the content type will be made available when viewing the Library.

A particular folder from a Library, expand the Library in question in the navigation pane and select the' Remove location from Library' option. This will not affect the folder itself, but will merely remove it from the Library. Any folder can be added to a Library by right-clicking, pointing to Include in Library and then selecting the relevant Library. Alternatively, create a new Library by selecting Create new Library.

Navigation pane can be used to expand a Library Uust click the small white arrow and the included folders will be displayed). In this way, it is possible to select individual folders within a Library. However, the default save folder (set in Step 4) will be used if the Library itselfis used as a save location.

A Library simply right-click its entry in the navigation pane and select the Delete option from the pop*up menu. Remember, a Library is merely a catalogue so, when one is removed, no files or folders are deleted, but the Library itself disappears.

Restored if required. However, the four default Libraries are treated slightly differently: ifany one of these is deleted it will need to be restored using a different technique. If Documents, Music, Pictures or Videos has been deleted, simply right-click the Libraries entry in the left-hand navigation pane a:Jd select the 'Restore default Libraries' option from the menu .•