# Windows 10 help: Directory with all top-level HDD directories? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 30, 2017, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-help-directory-with-all-top-level-hdd-directories/790211 "2017-06-30T17:36:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Weisshund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba8739/32.png) [@Weisshund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weisshund)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2017, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-help-directory-with-all-top-level-hdd-directories/790211/21 "2017-07-03T18:31:19Z")
Did not see it suggested Why not make a library called **My Stuff i can never find** And then add the appropriate folders to that library That is what the library feature is for ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2017, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-help-directory-with-all-top-level-hdd-directories/790211/22 "2017-07-03T21:08:51Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > Windows search works very well for me. Well, obviously you had the foresight to not name your folders things that overlap with Self-Storage companies. 😉 > [@](#): > > Are you sure all your drives have been indexed? When you go to Indexing Options, does it say “Indexing complete”? It does. > [@Reply](#): > > Windows search has some stupid algorithm. It’s not an indexing problem, it’s a problem of what it chooses to float to the top. If you type “public” and then choose “filters” in the upper right and “folders”, it’ll be right there… but that’s a lot of extra steps. Yeah, this is the thing. But it’s several additional clicks. So, not a great solution. And, honestly, search isn’t always the best answer anyway. I don’t always remember if I named my tax records dir Financial, Money, or Tax Stuff, but when it’s one of a few things in Documents, I can pick it out of the lineup fast enough. > [@scr4](#): > > Try going to the “Cortana & Search settings” and unchecking the “History View”, that seems to have the same effect now. It doesn’t seem to for me. Whatever. Search isn’t a good solution for me. The library thing is. ---
**Author:** ![Weisshund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba8739/32.png) [@Weisshund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weisshund)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2017, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-help-directory-with-all-top-level-hdd-directories/790211/23 "2017-07-03T21:33:18Z")
click start click computer left side tool panel right click Library pick NEW \> Library Give it a name Right click new library, left click properties click INCLUDE FOLDER to your hearts content 😃 ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2017, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-help-directory-with-all-top-level-hdd-directories/790211/24 "2017-07-03T23:00:58Z")
> [@Weisshund](#): > > click start > click computer > left side tool panel right click Library > pick NEW \> Library > Give it a name > > Right click new library, left click properties > click INCLUDE FOLDER to your hearts content > > 😃 Did you read the thread? This was suggested way above _and_ I already tried it and reported that it (mostly) worked. ---
**Author:** ![Weisshund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba8739/32.png) [@Weisshund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weisshund)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2017, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-help-directory-with-all-top-level-hdd-directories/790211/25 "2017-07-03T23:25:18Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > Did you read the thread? This was suggested way above _and_ I already tried it and reported that it (mostly) worked. Ok. If you add just the drives themselves, you will get all top level folders in same window or is that what you did already? ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2017, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-help-directory-with-all-top-level-hdd-directories/790211/26 "2017-07-04T02:57:44Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > Whatever. Search isn’t a good solution for me. The library thing is. I getcha. I feel bad for the Search team, though, lol. They must’ve spent months making a good, fast, all-indexing system to rival Spotlight on the Mac. Now you can finally find anything on your Windows PC with a few keystrokes, less than a second later. And then the Bing team comes along and goes “Noooooo, forget that, the users don’t care. They need to see that BING is better than Google! They don’t need their folders. Give them Bing! More Bing! More Cortana! Hide their stuff below the internet search. They don’t need to know their own files. Give them more Bing!” Sigh. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2017, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-help-directory-with-all-top-level-hdd-directories/790211/27 "2017-07-05T16:23:49Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > I getcha. I feel bad for the Search team, though, lol. They must’ve spent months making a good, fast, all-indexing system to rival Spotlight on the Mac. Now you can finally find anything on your Windows PC with a few keystrokes, less than a second later. > > And then the Bing team comes along and goes “Noooooo, forget that, the users don’t care. They need to see that BING is better than Google! They don’t need their folders. Give them Bing! More Bing! More Cortana! Hide their stuff below the internet search. They don’t need to know their own files. Give them more Bing!” > > Sigh. Yep. That is sad. One more potentially good product crudded up by a desire to win other platforms. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2017, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-help-directory-with-all-top-level-hdd-directories/790211/28 "2017-07-06T01:24:02Z")
It’s easy to avoid the internet search component, though. Just open Windows Explorer, select This PC so it will search all your drives, and use the search feature in Explorer. You still get all the great indexing and search results, without any of the extraneous web crap. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-help-directory-with-all-top-level-hdd-directories/790211.md?page=1)