Changing location of "User" files

MumboJumbo · 19 Oct 2008 at 14:54

Hey, so i moved all the "user" files, my documents etc, over to another hard drive. As a result all the programs which orginaly had settings in there have been whiped, now i expected this but now im looking for a way to make it so that vista recognizes the new location of the user files.

How do i go about doing this? Every program has lost all its settings etc so i dont really wana ahve to manualy tell each program to find the new location.

So any feedback would be good. thanks.

Just relised taht the only way round this may be to change the names of my hard drives. Which would screw up all my game links instead on this hard drive. Sigh lol.

IAmATeaf · 19 Oct 2008 at 16:31

How did you move the "Users" folder? I located the ProfileList (I think?) in the registry and edited that to point to the my D: drive. For any existing users with an existing profile I then also had to login in and also alter some of their registry entries within Shell Folders and User Shell Folders to point to the D: drive. I also relocated the Public folder onto my D: drive but I can't remember which registry setting I altered off hand.

MumboJumbo · 19 Oct 2008 at 19:06

Well i just copyed them over to the other pc. Cant deleate the user folder its self yet but i will be able to when things stop running off it i think.

Mmm so i need to fish around in the registry to change som,e things. Ok then, never really done any changes in there though so i may be back for more specific directions loll.

Thanks.

O and msn doesn't work any more. Even uninstalling it and reinstalling it wont fix it. Infact it just errors when trying to reinstall now.

MumboJumbo · 19 Oct 2008 at 19:22

Ok then im back, can you tell me how to switch from local C to E for it to find the user profiles and my documents etc because its all jsut a load of blabble lol.

:EDIT:

things screwing over so much i thought id just move all *** files back. I took out 80gb and have 60gb space. So now i cant move everything back. HOW LAME. I some how lost 20gb of space doing it, i dont think a defrag is gona fix that lol.

IAmATeaf · 19 Oct 2008 at 20:11

You can do what I would call a partial move where you right click the users Documents from the Start menu, select Properties then Location, you can then move this folder and it's contents, you need to repeat this for each user. Doing this only the users data files are moved over but the users profiles will still be on the C: drive.

To move the users Profile folder over have a look at this registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList this structure contains where new user profiles are created and will also list all existing user profiles but if you're not too sure then I'd personally not do it. If you do decide to go for it then make sure that you keep one Administrator profile on the C: drive else if the drive that user profiles are on ever dies you won't be able to logon as any user.

EDIT: Have a look at this link for more details on moving the Documents folder http://www.edbott.com/weblog/?p=1371

EDIT2: Have a look here for moving the Profiles folder http://joshmouch.wordpress.com/2007/04/07/change-user-profile-folder-location-in-vista/

MumboJumbo · 19 Oct 2008 at 20:25

thanks for all your help. Currently moving the my documents back. I dont understand why even thought i moved back most the files which had personal settings. They were never updated.

And what up with loosing my quick launch? i cannot enable it, i enable it push apply and that and then i open propertys again and its dissabled it.

Even after movign everythibntg back over apart from my documents they still screwed up, mozila lost all its add ones as well even after putting th files back it did;'nt add them again. Movign my documents over better fix all this so i can have another go. If not im not sure what to do next.

:EDIT:

very good find for the second link thanks. i think i shall try that when its all moved back into 1 chunk again. However if my pc is still fudged up then i may end up having to do reinstall instead :|

IAmATeaf · 19 Oct 2008 at 20:41

If you do a reinstall then do the relocate before you create any more users, this will make the process that much easier.