Windows 7 / Getting Started

Creating Additional Libraries

Users can create additional libraries to organize their work better. To create a new library, follow these steps:

  1. Click the New Library button on the toolbar and type a name for your new library. This will create a new library that has no library locations and is configured for general content (mixed file types).
  2. Right-click the new library you created and select Properties to open the properties sheet for the new library.
  3. Include one or more folders in your new library as needed using the procedure outlined in the section titled "Adding Nonindexed Remote Locations to a Library" earlier in this tutorial.
  4. Select the Optimize This Library For option and select the type of file content that you plan on storing in your library.

Users can also create a new library and include an indexed folder in the library in a single step by right-clicking the folder or network share in Windows Explorer, selecting Include In Library, and then selecting Create New Library.

Customizing Libraries

By opening the properties sheet for a library, the following library attributes can be modified:

  • Library name
  • Library locations
  • Default save location
  • Type of file content for which the library is optimized
  • Visibility of the library in navigation pane
  • Whether the library is shared (only in HomeGroup scenarios)

Libraries can be customized further by editing their Library Description files, which are Extensible Markup Language (XML) files with the file extension .library-ms that are stored in the %Appdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Libraries folder.

Viewing Libraries

When a library is displayed in the navigation pane of Windows Explorer, selecting the library node will display all of the files in all configured locations. This allows users to view the contents of both local folders and remote shares from a single place, making it easier for them to browse for specific files they want.

Users can include more folders in a library or remove existing ones by clicking Locations (next to Includes) beneath the library name. Doing this opens a dialog box displaying a list of configured locations.

Typing text in the Search box when a library is selected in Windows Explorer will result in searching the entire library and all its locations for the specified text.

[Previous] [Contents] [Next]

In this tutorial:

  1. Managing Users and User Data
  2. Understanding User Profiles in Windows 7
  3. Types of User Profiles
  4. User Profile Namespace
  5. User Profile Namespace in Windows XP
  6. User Profile Namespace in Windows Vista and Windows 7
  7. Application Compatibility Issue
  8. Disabling Known Folders
  9. Windows 7 Understanding Libraries
  10. Working with Libraries
  11. Including Indexed Folders in a Library
  12. Adding Nonindexed Remote Locations to a Library
  13. Creating Additional Libraries
  14. Managing Libraries
  15. Implementing Corporate Roaming
  16. Understanding Roaming User Profiles and Folder Redirection
  17. Understanding Roaming User Profiles in Earlier Versions of Windows
  18. Understanding Folder Redirection in Earlier Versions of Windows
  19. Enhancements to Roaming User Profiles and Folder Redirection Previously Introduced in Windows Vista
  20. Additional Enhancements to Roaming User Profiles and Folder Redirection Introduced in Windows 7
  21. Improved First Logon Performance With Folder Redirection
  22. Implementing Folder Redirection
  23. Configuring the Redirection Method
  24. Configuring Target Folder Location
  25. Configuring Redirection Options
  26. Configuring Policy Removal Options
  27. Folder Redirection and Sync Center
  28. Considerations for Mixed Environments
  29. Additional Group Policy Settings for Folder Redirection
  30. Troubleshooting Folder Redirection
  31. Implementing Roaming User Profiles
  32. Creating a Default Network Profile
  33. Configuring a User Account to Use a Roaming Profile
  34. Implementing Mandatory Profiles
  35. Implementing Super-Mandatory Profiles
  36. Managing User Profiles Using Group Policy
  37. Working with Offline Files
  38. Enhancements to Offline Files Introduced Previously in Windows Vista
  39. Additional Enhancements to Offline Files Introduced in Windows 7
  40. Understanding Offline File Sync
  41. Modes of Operation in Offline Files
  42. Managing Offline Files
  43. Managing Offline Files Using Windows Explorer
  44. Managing Offline Files Using the Offline Files Control Panel
  45. Managing Offline Files Using Sync Center
  46. Configuring Offline Files on the Server
  47. Managing Offline Files Using Group Policy
  48. Offline Files Policy Settings Introduced in Windows Vista
  49. Additional Offline Files Policy Settings for Windows 7