Windows 7 - Change the location of the 'Users' folder.

PixelChef

PixelChef

PixelChef

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Hi,

Recently reinstalled windows 7 and lost a few game saves which were within the Users folder (App Data > Roaming, etc), which I didn't think to back up.

I would like to move my Users folder to a different hard drive and make it the default so that I never lose this data again. I have searched the web and found a few solutions but there seems to be mixed views on them all, some people saying it didn't work etc.

Can someone reccomend the best method please?
 
You should be able to use symbolic links to store data on a different Hdd as if it was on your c: drive. Google it for an in depth method to do this.
 
Leave 'users' where it is, and move the folders within.
Then go to the folder you wish to relocate such as MY Videos, My pictures, My whatever, and right click it, choose location, and specific the exact location you want for it.
Let windows do the move.
That way the system knows where it is meant to be.

Steam files etc will all save to the correct location under the my documents on your alternative drive.
 
If you really want to do it, The safest way is to do it with Sysprep and an xml file. It hasn't failed me yet (Unless I was an idiot) If it does break however, It'll need a reinstall of windows.
 
RHS said:
You should be able to use symbolic links to store data on a different Hdd as if it was on your c: drive. Google it for an in depth method to do this.
Click to expand...

ok, I thought that would be the best method, I saw this guide: http://lifehacker.com/5467758/move-the-users-directory-in-windows-7

Thanks

Hikari Kisugi said:
Leave 'users' where it is, and move the folders within.
Then go to the folder you wish to relocate such as MY Videos, My pictures, My whatever, and right click it, choose location, and specific the exact location you want for it.
Let windows do the move.
That way the system knows where it is meant to be.

Steam files etc will all save to the correct location under the my documents on your alternative drive.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately this does not work for the Appdata folder which is the one I want to move. I've done this already for my documents, pictures etc.

In an ideal world all of my game save files would be in the same place (i.e. Steam directory or my documents), but unfortunately this isn't the case. Some games save the data to Appdata.

UnworthyBean said:
If you really want to do it, The safest way is to do it with Sysprep and an xml file. It hasn't failed me yet (Unless I was an idiot) If it does break however, It'll need a reinstall of windows.
Click to expand...

I shall have a look into this method thank you.
 
When it comes to Folder Redirection within Windows 7, you can move each individual App Data folder (Local, LocalLow, and Roaming) to an alternate location by using Windows Explorer to access the App Data folder and then right click on any of the respective folders to access the Properties window. Within the properties window of the Local, LocalLow and Roaming folders, you should see a Location Tab. Within the location tab, you will see an option to move the folder to a separate specified location. After you type in the desired location, remember to click the “Apply” button and then “OK”. More on Folder redirection in both Windows 7 and Windows 8 can be found on the TechNet site here.

Jessica
Windows Outreach Team – IT Pro
The Springboard Series on TechNet
 
winoutreach5 said:
When it comes to Folder Redirection within Windows 7, you can move each individual App Data folder (Local, LocalLow, and Roaming) to an alternate location by using Windows Explorer to access the App Data folder and then right click on any of the respective folders to access the Properties window. Within the properties window of the Local, LocalLow and Roaming folders, you should see a Location Tab. Within the location tab, you will see an option to move the folder to a separate specified location. After you type in the desired location, remember to click the “Apply” button and then “OK”. More on Folder redirection in both Windows 7 and Windows 8 can be found on the TechNet site here.

Jessica
Windows Outreach Team – IT Pro
The Springboard Series on TechNet
Click to expand...

Hi,

Thanks, didn't try that. However I've just tried to move the Local folder to another drive using this method and during the copy process after I click apply, it gets stuck on the file "UsrClass.dat", it says that it is open in System.

I've tried closing all programs but it still won't move, any ideas?
 
I think you will find that "UserClass.dat" is the Registry root data file for the directory. Look the directory path up in the registry and I believe it will point to the directory you are looking at. Any alterations to this would have to be done under sysprep as Administrator. The only issue with this is that you create a very specialised windows installl where you would have to have your wits about you to remember everything you have done.

One method is to write a OEM install setup for everything you want. But just remember one thing. No drive is failure proof. So to write your admin setup you would have to tread very carefully and backup as often as possible.
 
You might want to check out this TechNet forums thread for additional insight on moving the local directory. Jeffa123 is correct in stating that the usrclass.dat is a system specific file. In my own lab, I tested moving the local folder to a secondary hard drive and rebooted the system after I updated the target directory (changed from C: to D:) in the properties tab. Upon reboot, my new local folder resided on my D: and the usrclass.dat file now also resided within the new directory.

Another thought you might want to consider is just moving the roaming directory to an external hard drive and set a routine backup for the remaining contents of your app data folder.

Aside from the suggestions listed in this response and my previous one, you will want to consider provision an install using an unattend file to specify Folder Locations. This method would require you to reformat your system. More about the process can be found in this TechNet forums thread.

Keep us posted!

Jessica
Windows Outreach Team – IT Pro
The Springboard Series on TechNet
 
I've been using this method since 7 came out and it works great, I got it from a windows mod forum ages ago, Best of all you can do this at any point in time, No reformat needed. -

[FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif]The [/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif]Users[/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif] folder is the default folder/directory name for the Windows [/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif]ProfilesDirectory[/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif], and by default it is stored in[/FONT][FONT=consolas, dejavu mono, bitstream vera mono, lucida console, monospace]%SystemDrive%[/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif]. Typically this is your C:\ drive (unless you installed Windows on a different drive), so it looks like[/FONT][FONT=consolas, dejavu mono, bitstream vera mono, lucida console, monospace]C:\User\[/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif]. We’re going to move it to the [/FONT][FONT=consolas, dejavu mono, bitstream vera mono, lucida console, monospace]D:[/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif] drive.[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif]First, as always, backup your files and create a restore point just in case something goes wrong. Once you’ve done that go through the following:[/FONT]

  1. [FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif]Create a temporary admin user [/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif]temp-admin[/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif].[/FONT]
  2. [FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif]Log out from your current user and log back in as the [/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif]temp-admin[/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif] user. [/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif](Don’t just switch users, actually log-out and then back in.)[/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif]. If you encounter any files in your original user account that are still [/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif]in use[/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif], try restarting the computer.[/FONT]
  3. [FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif]Create a [/FONT][FONT=consolas, dejavu mono, bitstream vera mono, lucida console, monospace]D:\Users\[/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif] folder.[/FONT]
  4. [FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif]Move every folder except [/FONT][FONT=consolas, dejavu mono, bitstream vera mono, lucida console, monospace]Public[/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif] and [/FONT][FONT=consolas, dejavu mono, bitstream vera mono, lucida console, monospace]temp-admin[/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif] from [/FONT][FONT=consolas, dejavu mono, bitstream vera mono, lucida console, monospace]C:\User\[/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif] to [/FONT][FONT=consolas, dejavu mono, bitstream vera mono, lucida console, monospace]D:\User\[/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif]. [/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif]Make sure you include all the hidden folders too.[/FONT]
  5. [FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif]Copy the [/FONT][FONT=consolas, dejavu mono, bitstream vera mono, lucida console, monospace]Public[/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif] folder from [/FONT][FONT=consolas, dejavu mono, bitstream vera mono, lucida console, monospace]C:\User\[/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif] to [/FONT][FONT=consolas, dejavu mono, bitstream vera mono, lucida console, monospace]D:\User\[/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif].[/FONT]
  6. [FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif]Open the Registry Editor and go to [/FONT][FONT=consolas, dejavu mono, bitstream vera mono, lucida console, monospace]HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList[/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif].[/FONT]
  7. [FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif]Replace [/FONT][FONT=consolas, dejavu mono, bitstream vera mono, lucida console, monospace]%SystemDrive%[/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif] to [/FONT][FONT=consolas, dejavu mono, bitstream vera mono, lucida console, monospace]D:[/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif] in the [/FONT][FONT=consolas, dejavu mono, bitstream vera mono, lucida console, monospace]Default[/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif], [/FONT][FONT=consolas, dejavu mono, bitstream vera mono, lucida console, monospace]ProfilesDirectory[/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif], and [/FONT][FONT=consolas, dejavu mono, bitstream vera mono, lucida console, monospace]Public[/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif] keys.[/FONT]
  8. [FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif]Expand the ProfileList tree-node to show all the profiles, and go through these replacing [/FONT][FONT=consolas, dejavu mono, bitstream vera mono, lucida console, monospace]C:[/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif] to [/FONT][FONT=consolas, dejavu mono, bitstream vera mono, lucida console, monospace]D:[/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif] in any[/FONT][FONT=consolas, dejavu mono, bitstream vera mono, lucida console, monospace]ProfileImagePath[/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif] that points to [/FONT][FONT=consolas, dejavu mono, bitstream vera mono, lucida console, monospace]C:\Users\...[/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif]. There should be one of these for each user account.[/FONT]
  9. [FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif]Restart your computer and log in as your normal Admin user.[/FONT]
  10. [FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif]The [/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif]Users[/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif] folder is now in the desired location. You can delete the [/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif]temp-admin[/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif] user.[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif]Update:[/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif] If you encounter the [/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif]user profile service failed the logon[/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif] error when you try to log in using an account created after moving the [/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif]ProfilesDirectory[/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif], it is because you didn’t include the [/FONT][FONT=consolas, dejavu mono, bitstream vera mono, lucida console, monospace]Default[/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif] folder when moving folders from C:\Users\ to D:\Users\. This folder is used as a template for creating profiles for new accounts. Make sure it exists in your new [/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif]ProfilesDirectory[/FONT][FONT=verdana, dejavu sans, bitstream vera sans, sans-serif].[/FONT]
Click to expand...
 
Like any Admin based handling it is much like using SYSprep. You create a temporary Admin account to handle general integration. The only problem is that you have to have all the thins you are going to do (so you know how to do it again) notorised. This is why I suggested making notes of everything done in the first place or creating an OEM script to install things as they are the next time around.
 
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