📎 AI Summary:
The thread discusses the purpose and functionality of Windows libraries, with initial confusion about whether they are folders or links to files. Participants clarify that libraries are collections of links pointing to data files rather than the files themselves, with warnings from experienced users about deleting library folders causing system instability and data loss. Ultimately, the original poster decides to ignore the libraries to avoid potential issues, expressing appreciation for the insights shared.
BudVitoff

BudVitoff

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Thread Author #1
Without getting too deep into the various features of libraries, I'd like to know their basic purpose. I have found them just getting in my way, but I'm afraid that deleting items in them will actually delete the same items where they really belong, if that makes any sense.
 

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BIGBEARJEDI
Well, you can try that, Bud, but in my experience with W7-W10; deleting library folders, assuming you can do so, is messing with the apps portion of the windows kernel in the OS itself. System instability often results, even using the many hundreds of hacks I've seen around on the Internet, YouTube, etc. Inevitably, when a Customer brings me in computer that has 1 or all 4 of the system library folders removed or renamed, I gave up repairing those long ago.:wound: Even, if you repair it, some people tell you they only have 1 computer with locations in the libraries but as Norway mentioned they can be linked to multiple locations on other home devices in your home network, such as tablets, laptops, smartphones, kindles, etc. not to...
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patcooke

patcooke

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#2
That's because it's not copy of it but a link to it. Deleting the link will not delete the file.
 

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Neemobeer

Neemobeer

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#3
You basically have two types of code compilation static and dynamic. By dynamically linking to libraries you reduce the static executable and don't have to recompile the entire code base for a change to library. This can also reduce updates etc.
 

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patcooke

patcooke

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#4
I think the OP is talking about libraries of user data files (pics etc) rather than dll's etc.
 

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Neemobeer

Neemobeer

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#5
Programmer brain, I see library my mind always goes to dll
 

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ussnorway

ussnorway

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#6
the point of them is to make network storage work... systems today have files stored outside the C drive (or outside the system itself) and they allow you to keep all your docs under one spot, even thou they are in several folders spread out in different places
 

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BudVitoff

BudVitoff

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Thread Author #7
So all of the libraries just contain links (or pointers, as I used to call them). So if I just consider all of them to be a distracting PITA, I can delete them all without hurting any live data?
 

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BIGBEARJEDI

BIGBEARJEDI

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#8
Well, you can try that, Bud, but in my experience with W7-W10; deleting library folders, assuming you can do so, is messing with the apps portion of the windows kernel in the OS itself. System instability often results, even using the many hundreds of hacks I've seen around on the Internet, YouTube, etc. Inevitably, when a Customer brings me in computer that has 1 or all 4 of the system library folders removed or renamed, I gave up repairing those long ago.:wound: Even, if you repair it, some people tell you they only have 1 computer with locations in the libraries but as Norway mentioned they can be linked to multiple locations on other home devices in your home network, such as tablets, laptops, smartphones, kindles, etc. not to mention domain-network locations outside of your home such as your work (via VPN) or University networks. When people do work on their home computers, they often will intermix their home and business uses, and never learn to separate those functions onto different computers. :headache:

So, if for example one of my friends who is a professional photographer and years ago he attempted to delete all his library folders (for whatever weird reason), his W7 became useless, as he could no longer access secure network folders where he "dropboxed" his photos for possible publication, and received contract and model release forms and that sort of stuff back from his publishers. He had to rebuild his entire PC from scratch, and then reconnect to those server folder locations and in several instances it took him days of phone calls to his publishers Tech Support or IT people to reconstruct all those links.:waah: If people only had there PCs for 6 months before tossing them in the trash, this wouldn't be a problem, but people fill up their computers with all kinds of stuff both personal and work and then start to try and streamline then because they think they are getting too much "junk" on them or it's slowing down their performance etc. etc. when you have 5 years or even 10 years of your life on a computer and start tweaking it, it can cause havoc and not in any small inconvenient way if you know what I mean.

My 2 cents.
<<<BIGBEARJEDI>>>
 

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BudVitoff

BudVitoff

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Thread Author #9
Okay, Bear, you've convinced me. Although our "network" is composed only of a USB external drive as one of two backup destinations, along with a printer wired to the router, I'm sure that we can feel comfortable just ignoring the libraries and worrying about more important things. Thanks for the advice.

And Neemobeer, once more your response finds a home out in left field somewhere, but this old programmer actually understood what you said, although it's been awhile since I talked like that. I particularly got a kick out of your response to a concern I had one time about iTunes. You said that you had absolutely no experience with iTunes, but then followed up with some advice on the subject. Keep up the entertaining work! :-)
 

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