R
Richard B2017
My computer has two internal hard drives, a SSD for the operating system (Windows 10) and a larger hard drive for storage of files. What is the best and safest way to change the location of the User Data Folders to the larger drive? Before buying this computer I was told it was easy to do, but now I'm reading that it can damage the operating system and make it impossible to run updates, etc. Any help is greatly appreciated.
The following response was provided several years ago, but applies to partitioning the hard drive. That is not the situation I am writing about.
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What you want to do is an excellent idea and it's easy to do. In fact, it's supported by Microsoft. A few details and then you're on your way. (And remember - in Windows there's usually more than one way to accomplish a task)
1- You can't move every folder in your user profile to a separate partition. Some folders need to stay in C: Here are the folders you can safely move, and they're the only ones you really need to move: Contacts, Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Favorites, Music, Pictures and Video
2- Before you start, setup blank folders for the above in the new partition. Think about how you want to do this. For example, do you want each of your folders to be a sub-folder of the root folder? Or do you want to create a separate folder for each user account and make the new folders as subfolders of the user account folder?
3- Each folder is moved the same way:
a) Right-click on the folder and from the context menu select Properties
b) Go to the Location tab
c) In the text box, type the path of the new folder. (No mistakes!)
d) Click on the Move button.
Two things will happen: 1) Windows will move all the contents from the old folder to the new folder and 2) Windows will mark the new folder as the default save location for your Documents, Music, Videos, etc. as the case may be.
That's it. You're done. This works beautifully. But - there's always a but - there are some details you should know.
4- You may still see these folders in your C: drive, even after everything's been moved. Not to worry. Windows (re)creates those folders for old and poorly written software that is hard coded to look in the C: drive. This will almost never be an issue.
5- If you go to Settings > System > Storage and look under Save Locations you'll notice that - holy cripes - all folders at still set to save to the C: drive. Again, not to worry. This is merely an interface problem. Everything will be saved by default to the new partition.
And finally:
6- The new folders (in the new drive) may inherit their file access permissions from the root of the new drive. This might be just fine for you. But if it's not - if you want to change the file access permissions - then for all that is holy do extensive research on this before you begin. File access permissions are very, very complicated.
Now that your computer is setup the smart way, keep the brilliance coming by backing up your system partition and your data partition separately. That way, if you have to restore your system partition you won't affect your data. Genius!
Continue reading...
The following response was provided several years ago, but applies to partitioning the hard drive. That is not the situation I am writing about.
---------
What you want to do is an excellent idea and it's easy to do. In fact, it's supported by Microsoft. A few details and then you're on your way. (And remember - in Windows there's usually more than one way to accomplish a task)
1- You can't move every folder in your user profile to a separate partition. Some folders need to stay in C: Here are the folders you can safely move, and they're the only ones you really need to move: Contacts, Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Favorites, Music, Pictures and Video
2- Before you start, setup blank folders for the above in the new partition. Think about how you want to do this. For example, do you want each of your folders to be a sub-folder of the root folder? Or do you want to create a separate folder for each user account and make the new folders as subfolders of the user account folder?
3- Each folder is moved the same way:
a) Right-click on the folder and from the context menu select Properties
b) Go to the Location tab
c) In the text box, type the path of the new folder. (No mistakes!)
d) Click on the Move button.
Two things will happen: 1) Windows will move all the contents from the old folder to the new folder and 2) Windows will mark the new folder as the default save location for your Documents, Music, Videos, etc. as the case may be.
That's it. You're done. This works beautifully. But - there's always a but - there are some details you should know.
4- You may still see these folders in your C: drive, even after everything's been moved. Not to worry. Windows (re)creates those folders for old and poorly written software that is hard coded to look in the C: drive. This will almost never be an issue.
5- If you go to Settings > System > Storage and look under Save Locations you'll notice that - holy cripes - all folders at still set to save to the C: drive. Again, not to worry. This is merely an interface problem. Everything will be saved by default to the new partition.
And finally:
6- The new folders (in the new drive) may inherit their file access permissions from the root of the new drive. This might be just fine for you. But if it's not - if you want to change the file access permissions - then for all that is holy do extensive research on this before you begin. File access permissions are very, very complicated.
Now that your computer is setup the smart way, keep the brilliance coming by backing up your system partition and your data partition separately. That way, if you have to restore your system partition you won't affect your data. Genius!
Continue reading...