Solved How to MAP Win 8 Docs, Music, etc. to second HDD?

Hello,

After losing my Metro tiles to an error, and not being able to restore or refresh my PC, I decided to purge and re-install. I have several HDD's in my computer, and would like to learn how to map documents, music, etc. to my D:\ drive by default, to save room on C:\ for Windows and programs.

I've heard of doing this before, and I *think* it is done by RegEdit, but I'm not familiar enough to know more than that.

Thanks!

To move individual user folders to another location manually and separately for each user, see this tutorial on our sister site the Windows Seven Forums: User Folders - Change Default Location - Windows 7 Help Forums

To completely relocate the main user profile folder and everything it contains, see this tutorial: http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/4275-user-profiles-relocate-another-partition-disk.html

Kari

Hello Silverhand,

In addition, if you like, you could also do so using libraries. This way you don't have to worry about moving profiles or messing with mlink.

• Create a new folder for each one on your D: drive.
• Move the files from your folders on C: to the corresponding new folders on D: .
• Include the new folders into the correct libraries.
• If you like, you can also set the new folders to be the default save to locations for each library as well.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

Brink / Shawn;

While I appreciate the suggestion, I'd like to have the entire user profile set up on the second HDD in order to save drive activity on the primary, and libraries don't completely move these settings to the secondary drive. They figuratively shadow it, then use that to create a shortcut to the new location. I'm actually looking for the method of moving the entire user profile.

BTW, thanks for the links, Kari. I think you found what I'm looking for. If so, I will mark this topic as solved when I try the tutorial.... If it does what I need.

Wow. This is beyond my knowledge. I'm sure Kari's tutorial is what I want to do, but I'm not understanding enough of the material to achieve what I want from it. *Rolls eyes.* I'm not lazy, but does somebody have a script that can do this for me? LOL

I don't mean to be rude, but since this is a very technical operation I would suggest that if you don't understand the material enough to accomplish it... then you probably shouldn't be doing it.. since you won't know how to deal with any problems that can arise from moving the folder to a different drive. Then you'll be in a situation where you can't recover your profile, and be stuck.

The reason it's difficult to do this is because there's a huge risk for corrupting your system, and you should have the knowledge to fix it if you do. And you should completely understand the consequences of making this change before you make it.

Silverhand,

If you test out the library option I posted above, you would actually have your files saved in the new folder you created on your D: drive.

Adding them to a library just lets you be able to access them in both locations, and a library will make it easier to share the files in a library with a homegroup if you should like to.

When you set the default save location of the library to be the new folder on D: , then anything you save to the library will actually be saved to the new folder on D: .

Using this method, you don't have to worry about breaking your user profile, or having to move them back or lose anything if you should ever have to clean install of Windows. The new folders on D: will still be there with all your files.

Figured it out! So, Because I lost my OS to attempting to compress files to save drive space, and messing it up (Oops), I had to do an OS re-install. When the install was completed, I was able to right-click on the shortcuts to the respective items; Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, and Videos, and changing the drive letter indicated in the Location tab to D:\Users\Name\...

Yup! Oh, and if you're already running your docs on C:\ when you re-map your items, it will ask if you want to MOVE your files to the newly mapped location. Just select Yes and you're ready to go!