Move Users Folder Location in Windows 10  

canufrank said:

With clean install (deleted all partitions), using the same iso (10586), I never get back to the OOBE screen after running sysprep. Instead it fails while on the Windows logo with a blank-body/blank-button error (X) dialog titled Windows Install. Escaping it gives 2 successive "Windows could not complete the installation. To install Windows on this computer, restart the installation" error messages. Escaping them causes a reboot and the loop restarts with the blank error dialog.

The highlighted error message in above quote, shown after sysprep when rebooting to OOBE, it always (without an exception) means that Windows is not able to follow the instructions in answer file for one of the following reasons:

• A syntax error or typo in answer file
• An SSD card or flash drive is used as target for a system file or folder (it's a no go, it must be HDD or SSD)
• Non-existing resource
• No access to resource

In your case, reading that your optical drive is E: and Users folder trying to be relocated to D: drive, I suspect the last item on the above list.

Before explaining this a bit more, here's a warning as it can be seen in tutorial:

   Warning

If you intend to use drive D: as the location for the relocated Users folder, please read this before proceeding!

Windows "likes" to set the the drive ID letters like this:

• Drive C: > The system drive where Windows will be installed
• Drive D: > First optical drive (CD / DVD drive)
• Drive E: > Second partition on the same disk where the C: is located, or in case that disk only has one partition, the first partition on the secondary disk

Now when you sysprep telling it to move the Users to D: drive, after the reboot Windows might find that the D: is an optical drive and your intended drive D: is now E:, sysprep fails and you have to reinstall.

To be sure you are able to use drive D: for the relocated Users folder you need to set the drive letters manually before the sysprep is run. In Audit Mode you can do this for instance with Disk Management by manually changing the drive letters:

• Change the optical drive letter to something at the end of the alphabet, I use X:
• Change the drive letter of the partition or disk you intend to use for the Users folder to D:
• If the partition or disk you want to use already has a letter D:, change it to something else, close the Disk Management, open it again and change the letter back to D:

See the tutorial at our sister site the Seven Forums: Drive Letter - Add, Change, or Remove in Windows - Windows 7 Help Forums

I recommend to always set drive letters manually to override the defaults but this is especially important for those wanting to use drive D: for relocated Users folder.

Quite often even when you see your hard drives as C: and D: and optical drive as E: when in Audit Mode, after sysprepping the installation, the system before it starts OOBE sets the hard drives as C: and E: giving D: to your optical drive. As the optical drive cannot be used to store a system folder, OOBE fails and the error message you got is shown.

The above warning in the tutorial is meant to be taken seriously! If your target for Users is D: drive, always (I repeat: always!) set the drive ID letters manually in Audit Mode. If your Disk Management shows hard drive D: and optical drive E:, don't take it at its face value. Change the letters to something else, close Disk Management, reopen it and set the letters back to D: and E:.

Kari

JohnStl said:

I was able to move the 'Users' folder back to the original location (C:\Users) without too much problem.

You are welcome. Good to know it went smoothly :)

kegloadam said:

Hello. Windows could not complete the installation. To install Windows on this computer, restart the installation" error messages. Escaping them causes a reboot and the loop restarts with the blank error dialog.

How can I drop it and start the Windows normally? Thank you for your answer!

The error message means something is wrong in your answer file. The most common mistake is if you are trying to use drive D: for the USers folder, Windows cannot find it. The reason is explained in this warning in tutorial (Method One, Step 2):

   Warning

If you intend to use drive D: as the location for the relocated Users folder, please read this before proceeding!

Windows "likes" to set the the drive ID letters like this:

• Drive C: > The system drive where Windows will be installed
• Drive D: > First optical drive (CD / DVD drive)
• Drive E: > Second partition on the same disk where the C: is located, or in case that disk only has one partition, the first partition on the secondary disk

Now when you sysprep telling it to move the Users to D: drive, after the reboot Windows might find that the D: is an optical drive and your intended drive D: is now E:, sysprep fails and you have to reinstall.

To be sure you are able to use drive D: for the relocated Users folder you need to set the drive letters manually before the sysprep is run. In Audit Mode you can do this for instance with Disk Management by manually changing the drive letters:

• Change the optical drive letter to something at the end of the alphabet, I use X:
• Change the drive letter of the partition or disk you intend to use for the Users folder to D:
• If the partition or disk you want to use already has a letter D:, change it to something else, close the Disk Management, open it again and change the letter back to D:

See the tutorial at our sister site the Seven Forums: Drive Letter - Add, Change, or Remove in Windows - Windows 7 Help Forums

I recommend to always set drive letters manually to override the defaults but this is especially important for those wanting to use drive D: for relocated Users folder.

You need to shutdown the PC and reinstall Windows. If you were doing this on an existing Windows installation, you need to restore an earlier system image.

Kari

kegloadam said:

Ok. Thank you. But is it possible somehow to roll back this and not to change de dir and start the Windows?

No, it's not possible.