Using OS/software to "tag" multiple media/file types

[The111]

The first time I was introduced to Gmail's "label" system years ago I was blown away by the concept. Rather than have to put each email in only one folder, I could now have every email in as many "folders" at once as I wanted... basically "tags" is another way of saying it.

Immediately I wanted the same kind of functionality for my mp3 folders. Granted, I can actually mod my mp3 tags to achieve the desired result here, but that's not what I want (and it won't work with my other files). I want it to be a feature of the file system, not of the files themselves. Eventually I came to realize it would be a nice functionality to have for all my other media files (videos), and heck just about every document and other file type I archive on my drives. Regardless of whether or not the files themselves have a "tag" of some sort inherent.

Before Vista came out I heard that it was supposed to have this functionality (files able to belong to multiple folders at one time) but of course it didn't. I then heard that Win7 may have it instead, but I haven't found out if that is true or not. Assuming it isn't... are there any 3rd party filing systems that allow me to accomplish this?

 

[vshah]

you may be able to do something similar by saving a search as a folder in vista, and "tagging" the filenames in the directory it searches

 

[BlueWeasel]

I'd love to find something like this as well.

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

Windows 7 has this functionality in what they are calling "libraries". The libraries in Windows 7 aren't folders that contain the files so much as they are just folders that contain pointers to folders. But you can share the libraries, and those shares will go directly to the file.

The Windows 7 article on Anandtech (main site) talks about them quite a bit and has some good info. Plus it's a damn good read anyway if you are interested at all in Windows 7.

 

[Nothinman]

This is something that would be fairly easy to do with NTFS ADs but AFAIK noone's done it because it's semi-worthless without Explorer support.