Win 7 libraries - anyone using this feature

[JimKiler]

Is there a benefit? I already have a 1TB drive with a folder for music, movies, photos, etc. So i don't need to know where my files are cause there are where I put them. Is there a feature this has I might like or this this for non power users?

 

[Snapster]

Is there a benefit? I already have a 1TB drive with a folder for music, movies, photos, etc. So i don't need to know where my files are cause there are where I put them. Is there a feature this has I might like or this this for non power users?

It depends how you use them. If you added them as folders in a library any new application/game written for them can quickly query the library automatically and get a list of all your music / videos to play.

However, If you know where everything is and you manage your files explicitly then it's not much use to you.

 

[phoenix79]

I use them quite a bit. I have media spanned across multiple drives, eg. some videos, on drive D: others on E: or elsewhere, mp3's in an old mp3 folder. You can go to the properties of the each library and put in which folders you want it to show. So in the videos library I added my video locations and removed the default. Did the same with the other libraries and now its totally customized to my setup.

FYI: I keep all my user data on a second hard drive separate from the OS (My Documents, pictures, etc). This way if the OS gets hosed I can wipe that drive and all my stuff is saved. Added benefits being that an OS swap also doesn't require major headaches in restoring data

 

[NickelPlate]

One of the better new features IMO. I like the fact I can now keep my files wherever I want them and just point the libraries to those locations. Like Phoenix I keep all my stuff on a second hard internal drive just for storage. No more silly "My This" and "My That" folders.

 

[Modelworks]

I played around with them enough to understand their function when win7 was first released. I don't use explorer though for my files too many better alternatives:

Some of the free ones:
http://www.nomad-net.info/about
http://x-diesel.com/index.php
http://www.freecommander.com/
http://www.mucommander.com/