Topic 'Re: [WIN7] Mess with changing User Folders Location to non C:' in forum 'Microsoft Help' - dslreports.com

Re: [WIN7] Mess with changing User Folders Location to non C:

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 19:01:45 EDT

tim_k posted : I mapped "My Document" to my file server and I've run into a couple programs that won't install, games mostly. I'll get some error about the H: drive. For those programs I've been forced to create another user and not map it to the server.
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RIP my babies Buttons 1/15/94-2/9/07, Beamer 7/24/08, & Bows 12/17/94-10/11/09

Re: [WIN7] Mess with changing User Folders Location to non C:

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 18:32:59 EDT

mmainprize posted : The Symbolic link are the best way to handle this. Here are a few links.

Win7
»www.sevenforums.com/performance-···der.html

Win8
»www.windows7hacker.com/index.php···ry-hack/

Re: [WIN7] Mess with changing User Folders Location to non C:

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 22:38:11 EDT

OverBurn posted : I always set up my PC's with all my Data on a D: drive, either by partition with a single drive laptop or a 2nd drive with desktops.

Makes imaging the OS partition fast and small. I then backup my Data one to one on an external drive. This setup has served me well for a long time.

Re: [WIN7] Mess with changing User Folders Location to non C:

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 19:45:26 EDT

CylonRed posted : I guess I should be more surprised that I have yet to come across any. I have been using separate data and application partitions for years upon years.
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Brian

"It drops into your stomach like a Abrams's tank.... driven by Rosanne Barr..." A. Bourdain

Re: [WIN7] Mess with changing User Folders Location to non C:

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 18:52:33 EDT

Blackbird posted : +1. I've set every program that saves user data files (word processors, readers, spreadsheets, photo editors, etc) to save their files to subfolders within a single, separate "data" folder on a separate drive. It makes data backup much easier and faster. I've been doing this since back in Win98 days.
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“The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money.” A. de Tocqueville

Re: [WIN7] Mess with changing User Folders Location to non C:

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 18:07:55 EDT

BlitzenZeus posted : People can also redirect folders, and subst drives. I just found it easier to save what I needed on another drive, but there are some prigrams which might not give the option of other folders. Except for appdata which is automatic I saved nothing to my default profile structure. It's amazing how much crap is left as dead files in that folder structure from piss poor written programs, and just to mention it many leave so much crap in the temp folders they can get to be GBs in size. Adobe for example will error after it has filled the user temp files that it didn't cleanup, and the user has to fix this bs created by poorly written software.
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I distrust those people who know so well what god wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires- Susan B. Anthony
Yesterday we obeyed kings, and bent out necks before emperors. But today we kneel only to the truth- Kahlil G.

Re: [WIN7] Mess with changing User Folders Location to non C:

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 12:56:34 EDT

Kilroy posted : You'd be amazed at how many poorly coded/designed apps there are out there. The number that don't allow you to change the install directory is amazing.
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�Progress isn't made by early risers. It's made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something.� � Robert A. Heinlein

Re: [WIN7] Mess with changing User Folders Location to non C:

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 12:56:29 EDT

Kramer posted :

said by Hall:

Sounds like poorly-designed apps that are hard-coded to look at a location vs using something like "%USERDIR%" (not sure of exact variable name).

I agree, but these were major applications. I never had a problem doing it in XP, so I suspect it has something to do with the new name in WIN7 (maybe Vista too). I assume they were looking at %userprofile%\specific folder and hitting upon a junction point they could not deal with. In WIN8 they now renamed the document folder "My Documents", same for pictures, music, etc. which may because of the problems that were caused. I can't imagine any other reason for back-tracking to the XP names. I appreciate that for other reasons too.

For myself, I've never found a compelling reason to do it. Give me one disk drive and one partition plenty big enough and my life is simple and I am happy. Image the drive occasionally and back up your data regularly and redundantly.

Re: [WIN7] Mess with changing User Folders Location to non C:

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 12:41:58 EDT

Hall posted : Sounds like poorly-designed apps that are hard-coded to look at a location vs using something like "%USERDIR%" (not sure of exact variable name).

Re: [WIN7] Mess with changing User Folders Location to non C:

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 11:09:35 EDT

Kilroy posted : I've left them there and moved the data to a different drive and point the libraries to the new location. As Kramer said moving them whole sale seems to cause a ton of issues. The data that gets put in the default locations isn't normally that large and is usually fine.
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�Progress isn't made by early risers. It's made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something.� � Robert A. Heinlein

Re: [WIN7] Mess with changing User Folders Location to non C:

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 07:47:57 EDT

Kramer posted :

said by CylonRed:

Then you have something else going on as the default locations can be changed in the programs themselves so they are saved in the new location.

Nothing else going on. I wish I could be more specific, but programs wouldn't even install. I'm not talking about applications which under normal use save documents. Things like Quickbooks, Peachtree, etc... although I cannot remember the exact apps. Undo the location change and they install fine or an error message goes away. I wonder if it has something to do with the junction point. For instance in Windows 7, the default document location is x:\users\{username}\documents. MS created a "My Documents" junction point for older software, but I wonder if when you change the default document location, the junction point is modified? If not, maybe it needs to be.

FYI, In Windows 8 it appears as if MS has gone back to the "My Documents" storage location. Anyone know why there is a "My Documents" junction point in the same location, other than that is something the Microsoft upgrade forgot to remove?

Re: [WIN7] Mess with changing User Folders Location to non C:

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 06:23:47 EDT

CylonRed posted : Then you have something else going on as the default locations can be changed in the programs themselves so they are saved in the new location.
--
Brian

"It drops into your stomach like a Abrams's tank.... driven by Rosanne Barr..." A. Bourdain

Re: [WIN7] Mess with changing User Folders Location to non C:

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 23:55:25 EDT

Indy Sabre posted : Thanks for the replies.

The more I think about it I may just leave all as is (stock Win 7) and place my large MP3, Picture and Video folders on D: and not re-point the widows folders to them. I can then access them and share them separately as needed. I can then also keep them backed up using file sync backups like with synctoy to an external drive and my laptops.

Acronis TI would then just have to keep reasonable size images that would contain OS but also families "data" files so I don't have to back them up separately (as long as family keeps their files reasonably small). And besides everyone else may decide to keep more of their stuff on their laptops which I always offer to help them back up every few months.

All this is why I think most PCs and other devices will continue to move to user files being synced across multiple devices and BU'd somewhere (cloud or easily connected / accessed home NAS) separately from the OS and the O can be restored to last good state more easily.

Re: [WIN7] Mess with changing User Folders Location to non C:

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 22:55:02 EDT

Kramer posted :

said by OZO:

I move "My Documents" folder into drive D:. It's easy to move there and there are many reasons for that.. I'd recommend to do it.

I used to do it all the time, but now with Windows 7, I have run into a number of applications that do not like it. Every time I have done it, within an hour I run into some weird error with some app that flames out when you change the default folders.

Re: [WIN7] Mess with changing User Folders Location to non C:

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 22:45:57 EDT

OZO posted : I move "My Documents" folder into drive D:. It's easy to move there and there are many reasons for that.. I'd recommend to do it.
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Keep it simple, it'll become complex by itself...

[WIN7] Mess with changing User Folders Location to non C:

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 22:30:00 EDT

Indy Sabre posted : Ok setting up new family desktop. We will have 4 user accounts as you can imagine with everyone having their docs, pics, music and vids in their accounts I am thinking about changing the location of the these files to be on the D: or E: drive so they are not on the OS partition so OS can be imaged without all of the data files.

Looking here at Option 2 form here - »www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/18···ion.html

Here is a quick summary very close to what is in the link that i found in another tread here -

said by mmainprize:

Do this for each library Music, Pictures, Documents etc...
You have to create a new folder first, it don't have to be the same name as the old location folder.
I have also heard you should be able to just Drag and drop the My Documents folder to Move it. But i would just use the move button like explained below.

Go back to the default Library in Windows Explorer
Right click on the the respective "My" * folder for each Library section (eg., for Documents, right click on My Documents)
Click on Properties
Click on Location
Click on Move button
Select the respective folder from your D drive (eg., the new My Documents folder you just created)
Apply - Ok

Note: If you a part of a homegroup, then you will need to change the homegroup settings to no longer share the user folder (ex: My Music) that you want to move first by unchecking the folder and clicking on Save Changes.

Would you guys mess with this just to keep the Acronis TI image size of C: smaller or do you think this is a waste and asking for trouble. Of course the user data files would be backed up separately