how Windows works with these Users Personal Folders ?

Hi there,
I've been searching but I can't find a solution to my problem. Let me explain to you :)

It's a long story about folders, french names and english names... Here are screenshots from my computer (french). To explain my problem, I will use the example of the Music folder. The french name is Musique. I am on 1607.

1. Initial situation (everything is fine) :
Here is a view of the user folder :

The path of the Musique folder :
And the "real path" of the Musique folder :

2. Now, I try to change names to see what happens :
I use the "Rename" function from the context menu. The result :



As expected, the real path doesn't change, just the displayed path.
So there are two names for this kind of folders :
- the displayed name (Musique)
- the real name (Music)

3. Here comes cmd :
Great. We go back to normal and we copy a file (C:\testfile.txt) in the music folder.

I use the real name because %UserProfile%\Musique\ doesn't exist !

The result :



Gasp ! Where is my sweet displayed name ? And the music icon ?
Moreover, the link in "Quick access" and "This computer" is dead.

4. A solution :
OK... OK... I'm going to fix it... Right click, properties... Yes ! A "location" tab.

So I change the location to C:\Users\Govi\Music, then OK, validate etc. And...
Everything is back to normal !

5. Not satisfied :
Okay so I can come back to normal by creating again a Music folder and by doing a redirection from Musique to Music. What a boring stuff..! Can't I do it via command lines ?

So, I copy my file :
Then I try to rename the folder :
The result :



Nooooo. Of course it hasn't worked... And I created a new "Musique" folder, but not a User Personal Folder : a standard folder. Indeed, there is no more the "Location" tab in properties :


6. My question :
Can anyone help me to understand how Windows works with theese Users Personal Folders ? And how can I manipulate them (without breaking them !) with command lines or registry tweaks ?

Thank you for reading my story, and thank you for your help ! :)

Govi

Govi59 said:

I think the solution is near...

Core of Windows is always in English. Whatever language your Windows is, the system files and folders, native Windows applications and libraries always have English names.

What File Explorer shows when you open your user folder is not folders. They are links to folders, these links using localized names. Musique you will see in your user folder in File Explorer, Musiikki in my Finnish Windows or Musik in Swedish Windows are just localized, translated links (kind of shortcuts) to folder Music.

The same with all user folders. Your French Windows shows a link Bureau in File Explorer, my Finnish Windows shows the same link named as Työpöytä, a German user sees that link named as Arbeitsplatz. All them are links to a folder Desktop.

This is of course as it should be. It would simply be too much to translate all of Windows, when this simple solution works: the core of Windows, its folder names, native application names, libraries and so on all have English names. The GUI, user interface like File Explorer then uses localized, translated names as links to offer a user experience in user's own language. Keeping the actual file, folder, application and library names same in all language versions of Windows is there to make Windows easier to use for you in French or for me in Finnish.

An example: Let's say a media player app searches playable music files in %userprofile%\Music folder by default. If this folder would have a different name in French, the makers of said application would need to add code to make the app search music in %userprofile%\Music and %userprofile%\Musique folders. If the app would also be made available in Swedish market, they would need add code to make app search music in %userprofile%\Music, %userprofile%\Musique and %userprofile%\Musik folders.

For each country and Windows language, an individual setting would be needed. That would be both extremely stupid and impractical.

The same with for instance folder Program Files. In all language versions of Windows the folder name is in English. When I install a program, the coders only need to define install location as C:\Program Files, regardless of the language of my Windows. It would be plain stupid if installer would need to know the localized name of that folder in every language. The program will be installed in Program Files folder, yet when I open File Explorer in my Finnish Windows it shows me that it's in Ohjelmatiedostot which is the localized, translated link to Program Files folder shown to me.

This applies to all native Windows applications, too. In Swedish Windows I can search for an application Anteckningar, or in Finnish Windows application Muistio. These both are just localized links to an application with an English name notepad.exe in all language versions of Windows. Using localized links to these apps a user can search and see them in Start in his / her local language.

You should never change names of Windows system files and folders, nor should you change names of the localized names (links).

Kari

The solution is of course to use correct command syntax.

By default Xcopy resets file and folder attributes. Adding switch /K to Xcopy command, those attributes will be kept.

This command would reset the name and shortcut of the link %userprofile%\Musique, setting the name to Music and changing the link's custom icon to a generic folder icon:

Code:

xcopy X:Music\*.* %userprofile%\Music

This command would not reset the name and shortcut of the link %userprofile%\Musique, keeping the link's localized name Musique and its original icon:

Code:

xcopy X:Music\*.* %userprofile%\Music /K

Kari