I don't understand why Windows (ie Microsoft) insists on creating the default folders for so many personally important documents ("My Pictures", "My Documents", etc, etc.) in the Windows folder (C :/Windows) where they would be destroyed in the event of a forced clean install of Windows. Couldn't the OS set up a seperate default folder for these documents outside c:/Windows? I know, backup, backup, backup, but if you stopped 10 XP users on the street and ask them how often they backed up those document files, most of them would say never. Microsoft already goes to some lengths to hide folders etc to protect users from themselves, so there must be a good reason for the document placement. Perhaps someone can enlighten me.
Old Salt

huh? strange those folders are usually in C:\Documents and settings\[user name]\my documents
what windows are you using?
maybe you accidentaly pasted my documents into the windows folder? go check if it is also in the path I gave above

Thats where the defaults are on mine as well.

You could also use TweakUI to change where the default folders are located. Also if you make regular backups of those folders to cdr or dvd (at least weekly) you will have no problems if you have to do a reinstall your version of Windows.

TweakUI for Win XP

TweakUI 1.33 for the rest of the Microsoft OS's...

Yes, I did buy this box 2nd hand although I'm not sure why a former owner would want to make those kinds of changes. I should have spotted that immediately, but I am still much of a novice. Thanks much.

As long as I look like an idiot, I might as well continue to do so. I talked to the folks who sold me the refurbished machine and ask them why they moved stuff those folders into C:/Windows and I got the same reaction as from Stepes. "Huh? Those are in a different directory entirely!" Indeed they are. But why, then, would I make such a idiotic mistake and rant? Perhaps because the reason for my ire remains the same and valid. While the "My xxxx" folders are indeed indeed in C:\Documents and settings\[user name]\my documents, guess what? Those default folders for "My xxxx" have been wiped clean by the clean install of Windows, and that's why I assumed that those folders were part of the C:/windows directory tree. There were almost a thousand Ulead video files and MS Word files in those default directories and now they are gone. Furthermore, as I started the clean install, Windows Setup warned me that these folders would be would be wipe clean. I had them almost completely backed up, so I went ahead. To confuse and madden me further, the system added some nonsense letters to my name to create a new username and now there are two administrator folders. So, my point remains the same and my questions unanswered.

Why does Windows put these extremely important document folders in harm's way, especially in that they are not even in the Windows folder?

I can understand why they may want to wipe my settings and start anew, but the rest of the files too?

Where did you back up to Old salt?

I cant answer your question about why windows does what it does, but you can eliminate some of the problem in the future, by creating another partition, and moving the My documents folder to it. That way, whenever you store files, you can diret them to that partition. This makes it easier to back up your files and folders, and you can fix/repair windows without disturbing them, or losing them, (most of the time). Its best to do this right after a clean install, so you dont have fragments of stuff scattered about, and left behind in C: .