INFO: My Documents Folder on Storage Cards Ignored in Pocket PC 2002 (319516)

SUMMARY

Applications that are included with Microsoft Pocket PC and Microsoft Pocket PC 2002, such as Notes, Pocket Word, and Pocket Excel, can store documents on a storage card. On Pocket PC, these applications do not enumerate files that are stored in the root of the storage card. Instead, these applications view files in the \My Documents folder. On Pocket PC 2002, the application enumerates files on the root of the storage card but ignores files in the \My Documents folder. This can cause confusion when a Pocket PC and a Pocket PC 2002 device share a storage card.

NOTE: This only affects the folder and file enumeration for Notes, Pocket Word, and Pocket Excel. All the files in the storage card can be viewed from the File Explorer application.

MORE INFORMATION

When you save a document on a storage card with Pocket PC, the application automatically creates a \My Documents folder. For example, if no folder is selected, the application creates the file in the \My Documents folder. Likewise, if the Business folder is selected, the file is stored in the \My Documents\Business folder.

When you save a document on a storage card with Pocket PC 2002, the application does not create a \My Documents folder. Instead, the application uses the root of the storage card. When you save a document in the Business folder, the application creates a \Business folder off the root of the storage card and stores the document in this folder. This is the planned design of the Pocket PC class of Windows CE devices for now and the future.

Applications on Pocket PC 2002 devices ignore a folder that is named \My Documents on a storage card. This is implemented internally by a hidden zero-length file that is named Ignore_my_docs and that is created when the storage card is first inserted or when the folder is created. The application ignores the \My Documents folder if the application finds the Ignore_my_docs file. Note that this file cannot be deleted. If you delete the file, Pocket PC 2002 immediately recreates the file.

The reason for this implementation is that Pocket PC users cannot find files that are placed on the root of the storage card when the user uses the card in a notebook computer. From within the applications, it appears that the file is never saved on the storage card. For Pocket PC 2002, the applications are changed to view files from the root of the storage card. Because Pocket PC 2002 has the Ignore_my_docs file, Pocket PC 2002 does not have a clutter folder list with files that are stored on the card that is used by the older Pocket PC device.