managing photos with Photo Library

I use an iPhone 5S, iPad 4, and Windows 7 laptop. I implemented Photo Library on both IOS devices. I am confused as to how to manage the photos on my PC. I need access to them for reports, etc.from my PC

1. Is there anyway to access photos on the PC without transferring them to an album or shared folder? Which is best?
2. If I inadvertently create an shared folder or album, can I delete it from the IOS device without deleting it from the Library? Can I delete photos from the PC user folder, ie: C:\Users\{name}\Pictures\iCloud Photos\Shared
3. My Photos is turn on in my iCloud control dialog box. Yet, under my iCloud Photos icon, it says that iCloud Photos is not enabled. What gives?
4. In my iCloud control dialog box/photos/options, I have "My Photo Stream" checked, yet my "photo stream" folder is empty? What gives?