For all practical purposes Virtual Folders are, what are now known in Windows Vista as Search Folders . After all if you search for "Virtual Folders" in Help & Support the top result is "Saved search (definition)" . Virtual folders have had a rough ride during the Vista development cycle. With the demise of WinFS it was obvious that they would take the biggest casualty. However virtual folders still existed with much dignity in Windows Vista Beta1 (build 5112) and a few more...