Questions about moving Picture, Document folders to secondary drive

LHiggins · 02 Aug 2019

Hello,

I have a new Windows 10 Pro laptop with a SSD for the OS and a 1 TB hard drive for storage. I have been trying to follow the tutorial How to Move Your Pictures Folder Location in Windows 10 to move the documents, music, and pictures folders to the 1TB drive, without much success.

I have followed the steps several times, and one of two things happens. Either the file "is" copied - a file is created at the new location, but the same file also exists in the original location, and the start menu icons still link to the original folder. And/or the file is copied to the 1TB drive, and it links properly, but when I save something in that file, it also is saved in the original file. For some reason, it seems that the file was copied, not moved, and I think the result is going to be duplication of saved files.

I had thought that restarting the laptop after I made these changes would set things right, but so far, that has not happened.

I just used the Video folder as my test since I don't anticipate saving many videos, so each time, I chose to revert to the default location before starting over. Each time it said that the original folder did not exist, but it would create a new one - which it seemed it did back into the original location, and the linking is intact.

I am not sure what I am doing wrong, but I know that there should be a way to move these folders so that they retain the link from the start menu icons to the D drive locations. Is the missing step the need to also tell the laptop where the default save location is as is described in this tutorial Change Save Location for New Apps in Windows 10 ? I know it is about apps, but further down it does also discuss documents etc. I did not do this - should I have?

Thanks for any help. This has been a bit frustrating, as it makes perfect sense int he tutorial, and I just can't quite figure out why it won't work.

LH

Try3 · 02 Aug 2019

I think you are not doing anything wrong and nothing is actually wrong at all.
- The problem is merely one of appearances.
- The way things are displayed in File explorer is misleading you.

Within the File explorer, This PC entry, you will see "handy" shortcuts to your Desktop, Pictures, ...
- They are only shortcuts even though they appear to be folders because that is what users "wanted".
- They are each in fact a special type of shortcut not the type you would normally make yourself.
- If you select one of them you are actually shown whichever folder you have chosen for the user folder concerned.

In the Pictures folder tutorial you linked to, the diagram under para 3 shows "Folders (6)" but that is a lie. Those six icons are actually the special type of shortcut that I mentioned. If you double-click on, for example, Pictures you are actually taken to D:\Pictures or wherever you have relocated your Pictures folder to.

If you look at each of the folders you think you have relocated, such as D:\Pictures or whathaveyou,
right-click on them then
select Properties
you will see a Location tab.
This tab proves that the folder is one of your user folders.

You can also confirm the folder paths set for your user folders by looking in the Registry at

Code:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders

using RegEdit.exe
- Many of the entries have meaningful names but, for example, "Personal" means My documents / Documents.
- Note that it is possible to alter the paths to your user folders directly in those Registry entries but you can also get yourself in an awful mess if you make a mistake. So the Registry method is best left for when you have already got yourself in an awful mess and want to use the Registry to get out of it.

In your post you did mix up the words "file" & "folder" quite a bit but your intended meaning was still clear.

Post back with any further questions. Once you get the hang of it you'll be fine.

Denis

LHiggins · 02 Aug 2019

Thank you so much for the very helpful reply! I will give it all another try and follow your guidance on verifying that things are as I hope they will be, and I will post back if I run into other questions. Makes perfect sense now that you explained it so clearly - but I agree - the way it all looked was very misleading! Thanks again - much appreciated!

Try3 · 02 Aug 2019

Yes, post back with any further queries. You'll soon regard this whole thing as simplicity itself.

I learnt most of what I know with Windows 7 which was easier because Windows 7 did not have so many "helpful" things in it.

Denis

LHiggins · 03 Aug 2019

Good morning! Well - that worked great - and just as you said, it was a matter of me not really knowing what I was looking at or where to find confirmation of how things were going to be saved. I can't thank you enough for all of the help.

One additional question - in the article above about setting the default save location - there are options for setting defaults for pictures, videos, documents, music - choosing the D Data drive instead of the C drive. Would changing that be a good idea also - to be sure that I'm always saving to the D drive?

Thanks again for the great advice and help! I need to bookmark this so that I'll have it if I run into this question again later on.

Have a great weekend!
LH

Try3 · 03 Aug 2019

LH,

there are options for setting defaults for pictures, videos, documents, music

I think you must mean Settings, System, Storage, Change where new content is saved. Yes, you can change those to your D:\ drive but once you have changed your user folders to D:\ the next best thing is to use each of your applications to
1 open something from D:\, then
2 save something to D:\, then
3 check through its Options / Preferences settings to see if it has any explicit references to having a default folder and, if so, set them to the most appropriate location such as your Documents folder / Pictures folder, ... .

So you are correct but I have never got around to changing them yet my applications use D:\ anyway.

I need to bookmark this

It's up to you but I make the bookmark and I also print the webpage to pdf then save it under the same name that I have used for the bookmark so the two are tied together.
- I do this for any webpage that contains information I might want to use again.
- The information is there for me to use even if the webpage gets removed later on [I have to note the date on the pdf file so I can be aware of the chances of it no longer being a valid procedure].
- The first time I use the print to pdf facility, I use my Desktop folder and it then happily defaults to that afterwards [Until a Cumulative update or a new Win10 version reverts it but it only takes a moment to do so that's no great shakes].

It's a bit easier for IE users like me because I can then go on to move both the bookmark [IE calls them Favorites] & the pdf file into a folder for that subject. So, just for example, my notes about checking/changing user folder locations are in D:\GenDocs\InfoSys\Win10\UserAccounts\UserFolders and that folder also contains screenshots about the subject, links to other relevant folders, sub-folders to specialist aspects of the subject, my own notes, ... .

Denis

LHiggins · 04 Aug 2019

Hello,

Thanks for the tip about saving to PDF - you are right, links come and go and info can be lost!

I read more about the difference between moving folders and changing that default save location, and I still am a bit confused. When I tested the Default location change - the Settings, System, Storage, Change where new content is saved path you have is correct - it created a folder with my username/pictures for example, but I don't think that it moved the actual folders.

So - I decided to try working with just the moved folders - at least the shortcuts link to the right place on the D Drive and I think saving will be something I'll need just need to pay attention to. But I did try your suggestion of opening and saving things and they all seem to go in the right place and have D drive in the properties. So far I haven't seen anywhere to set a default except that Settings, System, Storage, Change where new content is saved option.

I think I need to just work with it and see how it all seems and later on look into setting those default saving options if I decide I want to experiment more with them.

Thanks again for the help and support on this. Win 10 is quite a bit different than Win 7, plus I've never had a computer with dual drives, so it is all quite new to me.

Have a great day!

LH

Try3 · 04 Aug 2019

So far I haven't seen anywhere to set a default

I was referring to any options / settings / preferences that might exist in applications. Not all have them. But even the ones that do normally co-operate once you have used the desired location at least once.

If you are ever in any doubt about which location you are in within File explorer or an Open/SaveAs window, click in a blank area of the File explorer [or Open/SaveAs window] address bar and it will show you the full folder address instead of any shortened form of it. So your Desktop folder could be seen as D:\Desktop instead of This PC > Desktop.

All the best.
Denis

LHiggins · 04 Aug 2019

Thanks! I didn't move the desktop folder yet - I guess that would be a good idea too, since I do save a lot on the desktop - LOL!

Try3 · 04 Aug 2019

I am the same. The Desktop is my clearing house. I dump lots of stuff on it so I can take my time deciding where to file it away properly if I decide it is worth retaining.

All the user folders I use [i.e. not Contacts or 3D objects, neither of which I have ever touched] are on my D:\ drive or my E:\ drive]. This means that my system images only have to contain the OS drive contents [Windows & applications] and so are significantly smaller than they would be if I also had my own files on the C:\ drive. This means I can keep the last two or three of them on my external HDD without filling it up. I use Acronis for system images but many people in this forum use Macrium Reflect [free edition] - there is a tutorial at Backup and Restore with Macrium Reflect - TenForumsTutorials and its user guide can be downloaded from Macrium Reflect v7.2 User Guide.

You will want to decide your own backup routine for your own files on D:\ and there are several utilities that can handle that for you.

Denis