Disabling XP Pro Features

December 15, 2003 3:59 PM

Windows XP Pro: Is there any way to permanently disable My Music and My Pictures? (aka "Microsoft Tries to Be Helpful and Fails Spectacularly, as Always") [more inside]
posted by lychee to Computers & Internet (8 answers total)

I don't know if you can permanently disable it, but with TweakUI for XP, you can change the location of the folders. I pointed My Pictures to the Pictures folder on a different drive. Same with My Music and My Video.
posted by riffola at 4:04 PM on December 15, 2003

Not sure about Windows XP Pro but, in Win2k, I just open the Registry Editor (Start > Run > regedit.exe) and search for "My Music" and "My Pictures", and delete all references to them. Closing RegEdit and deleting the folders in question seems to solve the problem.

Sometimes, they'll be re-enabled (as annoying things often are) upon a Windows Update or other application install, but I just repeat the above process to identical effect.
posted by Danelope at 4:05 PM on December 15, 2003

Response by poster: Holy crap, y'all are speedy. Anyways, the "more inside": Every time I start Photoshop or load a CD, bam! My Pictures or My Music pops up in My Documents. Also, when I open Adobe Acrobat, a folder named Adobe appears under My Documents. I want these folders gone.

Thanks riffola for the quick response. I have TweakUI, and if I can't find a better solution, I'll eventually have to go with your suggestion. But there's something about this certain "feature" that really rankles, so I want to find something permanent.

Danelope, I'll try to see if that works, but I think these folders get reactivated by Photoshop or a similar action, so I don't know if that reg edit will be a permanent solution.

Thanks y'all!
posted by lychee at 4:12 PM on December 15, 2003

Tried marking the folders hidden?
posted by kindall at 4:22 PM on December 15, 2003

Also grab XTeq XSetup, a freeware super-tweaker. Through it, you can get rid of the folders.

You might right-click the folder and see if there's a removal option, too.
posted by five fresh fish at 4:51 PM on December 15, 2003

and for pete's sake, backup your registry before you go around deleting things because some guy on the internet said to. no offense to danelope, but the registry is not to be taken lightly.
posted by Hackworth at 8:31 PM on December 15, 2003

No offense taken, Hackworth.

Backing up your registry on a regular basis is wise, whether or not you're modifying it. That said, most Shell Folders (and particularly ones created by third-party applications) are rather non-vital to system operation.

five fresh fish's suggestion of XTeq XSetup may indeed be the preferrable method. I have the utility in question, but haven't used it in a while, and forgot that it supports My * settings.
posted by Danelope at 8:41 PM on December 15, 2003

Response by poster: Thanks all, I've downloaded XTeq XSetup and will see if it works.
posted by lychee at 4:24 AM on December 16, 2003