Overview - Windows folder locations

I'm trying to merge the windows folder locations for my documents, my pictures, my videos, favorites, and application data and the other really interesting stuff into one place where I can get at it, mostly in an effort to help myself, but also to help others. This was merged from my memory, knowedge of my own XP system and strucure of windows 98/me/2000/vista/7, and also verified from other sources as linked at the bottom.

command

98/ME: C:\Windows\Command

NT:

2000: --------------

XP: ---------------

Vista/7/8: -----------

My Music

98/ME: C:\My Documents\My Music

NT: c:\WINNT\Profiles\<username>\My Documents\My Music

2000: C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\My Documents\My Music OR C:\winnt\Profiles\<username>\My Documents\My Music

XP: C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\My Documents\My Music

Vista/7/8: C:\Users\<username>\Music OR %PUBLIC%\Music=c:\Users\Public\Music

My Documents

98/ME: C:\My Documents

NT: c:\WINNT\Profiles\<username>\My Documents

2000: C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\My Documents OR C:\winnt\Profiles\<username>\My Documents

XP: C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\My Documents

Vista/7/8: C:\Users\<username>\Documents OR %PUBLIC%\Documents=c:\Users\Public\Documents

My Pictures

98/ME: c:\My Documents\My Pictures

NT: c:\WINNT\Profiles\<username>\My Documents\My Pictures

2000: C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\My Documents\My Pictures OR C:\winnt\Profiles\<username>\My Documents\My Pictures

XP: C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\My Documents\My Pictures

Vista/7/8: C:\Users\<username>\Pictures OR %PUBLIC%\Pictures=c:\Users\Public\Pictures

My Videos

98/ME: C:\My Documents\My Videos

NT:

2000:

XP: C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\My Documents\My Videos

Vista/7/8: %USERPROFILE%\Videos=C:\Users\<username>\Videos OR %PUBLIC%\Videos=c:\Users\Public\Videos

Application Data

98/ME:

NT: c:\WINNT\Profiles\<username>\Application Data

2000: C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data OR C:\winnt\Profiles\<username>\Application Data

XP: C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data

Vista/7/8: %APPDATA%=C:\Users\<username>\AppData

Start Menu

98/ME: C:\Windows\Start Menu

NT: c:\WINNT\Profiles\<username>\Start Menu

2000: C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Start Menu OR C:\winnt\Profiles\<username>\Start Menu

XP: C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Start Menu or C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu

Vista/7/8: C:\Users\<username>\Start Menu

Desktop

98/ME: C:\Windows\Desktop

NT: C:\WINNT\Profiles\<username>\Desktop

2000: C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Desktop OR C:\winnt\Profiles\<username>\Desktop

XP: C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Desktop

Vista/7/8: C:\Users\<username>\Desktop

Favorites

98/ME: C:\Windows\Favorites

NT: C:\WINNT\Profiles\<username>\Favorites

2000: C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Favorites OR C:\winnt\Profiles\<username>\Favorites

XP: C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Favorites

Vista/7/8: C:\Users\<username>\Favorites

windows files

98/ME: C:\Windows

NT: C:\Winnt\System32

2000: C:\winnt\System32

XP: C:\Windows\System32

Vista/7/8: C:\Windows\system32

temporary burn folder

98/ME: ---------

NT: ---------

2000: ---------

XP: C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\CD Burning

Vista/7/8: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Burn\Burn or %LOCALAPPDATA%\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Burn\Temporary Burn Folder = c:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Burn\Burn or C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Burn\Temporary Burn Folder (hidden, system folder see article)

Startup folder

98/ME: c:\windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

NT: c:\Profiles\<username>\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

2000: C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Start Menu\Programs\Startup OR C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

XP: C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Start Menu\Programs\Startup OR C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

Vista/7/8: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup=c:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup OR %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup=c:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

NOTE TO SELF

GOING FROM MEMORY AND OTHER SOURCES.
- NOTATE NT4 folders.
- VERIFY 8 (based on vista code so I think I'm right).
- WAITING FOR COPYRIGHT PERMISSION ON windows std file locations (no response)
- THESE FOLDER LOCATIONS ARE ONLY GOOD FOR US ENGLISH LANGUAGE.

user profile basics in NT, Windows Standard File Locations, vista move my pictures to different location (lists all vista locations), User Profile Storage in Windows 2000, KnownFolderID, microsoft kb 886549 - You receive an "Error 1606" error message when you try to install or remove a Microsoft program (lists special folder locations), , , , ,

Environment Variables

with this section, I have not verified the environment variables on other OS's. these are from Windows XP Sp3.

%LOCALAPPDATA%=%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\=c:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\ on XP it's C:\Documents and Settings\Username\Local Settings\Application Data

%USERPROFILE%=C:\Users\<username;gt;

%ProgramData%=C:\ProgramData

%Public%=c:\Users\Public

%ALLUSERSPROFILE%=c:\Users\Public

%APPDATA%=c:\Users\<username>Application Data

%PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE%=x86/???? (WINDOWS NT AND UP)

%CommonProgramFiles%=C:\Program Files\Common Files (WINDOWS NT AND UP)

%ALLUSERSPROFILE%=C:\Documents and Settings\All Users (WINDOWS NT AND UP)

%COMPUTERNAME%=<computername> (WINDOWS NT AND UP)

%ComSpec%=C:\WINDOWS\system32\cmd.exe (WINDOWS NT AND UP)

%HOMEDRIVE%=C: (WINDOWS NT AND UP)

%HOMEPATH%=\Documents and Settings\<username> (WINDOWS NT AND UP)

%LOGONSERVER%=<computername> (WINDOWS NT AND UP)

%NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS%=2 (WINDOWS NT AND UP, fill in your number of processors, yours will probably be different than this)

%OS%=Windows_NT (WINDOWS NT AND UP, maybe 9x too. on xp it reports Windows_NT.)

%PROCESSOR_IDENTIFIER%=x86 Family 15 Model 3 Stepping 4, GenuineIntel (WINDOWS NT AND UP, puts your proc id in, yours will be different than this.)

%PROCESSOR_LEVEL%=15 (WINDOWS NT AND UP)

%PROCESSOR_REVISION%=0304 (WINDOWS NT AND UP)

%ProgramFiles%=C:\Program Files (WINDOWS NT AND UP)

%PROMPT%=$P$G (WINDOWS NT AND UP, $P is the path, $G is a greater than sign.)

%SystemDrive%=C: (WINDOWS NT AND UP)

%SystemRoot%=C:\WINDOWS (WINDOWS NT AND UP)

%TEMP%=C:\DOCUME~1\JIMMIC~1\LOCALS~1\Temp (WINDOWS NT AND UP, will be customized to your username)

%TMP%=C:\DOCUME~1\JIMMIC~1\LOCALS~1\Temp (WINDOWS NT AND UP, will be customized to your username)

%USERDOMAIN%=<computername> (WINDOWS NT AND UP)

%USERNAME%=Jim Michaels (WINDOWS NT AND UP)

%USERPROFILE%=C:\Documents and Settings\Jim Michaels (WINDOWS NT AND UP)

%windir%=C:\WINDOWS (WINDOWS NT AND UP)

%PATHEXT%=.COM;.EXE;.BAT;.CMD;.VBS;.VBE;.JS;.JSE;.WSF;.WSH (WINDOWS NT AND UP)