Move Users Folder Location in Windows 10

psubrian · 24 Jul 2016

binkley.zip

Hi Kari,

First, hats off to you for being so willing to help so many users in relocating their hard drives. Like many here, I just bought a new HP laptop that has a 128gb SSD drive with a 1 TB secondary drive. My wife's iTunes collection alone is over 100gb, not counting her photo library.

Being a brand new computer from HP, it did not come with any install disk. So I followed this step to obtain an install.wim file

Option One: To Directly Download a Windows 10 ISO from Microsoft Tech Bench

Using Method Two listed here, I felt like I was able to recreate all of your steps with no problems. I executed the comment for sysprep and there were no visible errors. Created the false account, signed out, logged into the good account, only to see the that Users folder had not moved.

Some of the info that I think may be critical: running Windows 10 Home, remapped my 1TB secondary drive to I:\ (as in 'i') to avoid the D: drive issues. I opened ISO file that I downloaded and just copied all of its contents to a portable hard drive that happens to be coming up as D:\. I initially had some content in the I:\ drive, but when it failed to do anything, I removed that content and formatted the I:\ drive to make sure it was empty. I kept the relocate.xml file on my d: drive along with my install.wim file.

I have attached a zip file with my install log and relocate file. Any insight you're able to provide would be greatly appreciated.

- Brian

Kari · 24 Jul 2016

nhbeachguy said:

After sleeping on it, I think I'll do it "your way" but will wait to make sure I don't need to go back to win 7 for any reason.

It's not "my way". Sysprep is a native tool in Windows, this method is made possible by Microsoft including the option to use <ProfilesDirectory> tags in answer file.

Made and designed by Microsoft.

nhbeachguy said:

One of the things that bugs me about this is the having to "move back" if doing a major update. Do you think the upcoming Anniversary Update would require moving the users back? Or does it have to me something more complex that that?

Why on earth would you need to / want to move Users back and forth? I am running possible Anniversary Build already (build 14393 is rumored to be the one), or at least one of the last builds before that. I don't have nor have I had any issues upgrading.

Move Users Folder Location in Windows 10-2016_07_24_09_39_341.png

nhbeachguy said:

Oh and I've been trying for hours to change the name of my home directory from the first 5 of my MS email to sometime I've been using forever... "Dave". I see you discuss it in the new install video but I don't see how to do it after the fact.

You simply can't rename the user profile folder. That's why I recommend always create your user account as local account, using any name you want to, then when first time on desktop switch to MS account.

If creating a user a MS account, user profile will be named as the name part in MS account email only if the name part is 5 characters or less. If longer than 5 characters, the user profile will get 5 character acronym.

MS account user bob@anyemailprovider.com would get user profile named as bob, but user sebastian.hoffenburgerstein@anyemailprovider.com would get profile named as sebho
.

psubrian said:

I have attached a zip file with my install log and relocate file. Any insight you're able to provide would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Brian, welcome to the Ten Forums.

Your log file contains absolutely no errors. Only explanation is wrong drive assignment, or wrong switches in sysprep command.

Please type the sysprep command exactly as you used it in your next post.

Kari

Eppi · 24 Jul 2016

Kari said:

I am really sorry to say this but as far as I can see you only have two options:

Forget sysprep and relocating the Users folder
Clean install Windows 10 and do Method One

I simply can't find the error.

Kari

After a few days of hiking (strictly without access to any computer) to get my nerves back I tried a clean install - same result. I have been relocating the users folder on my last 3 or 4 pc's (last was on Windows 7), but it seems like my freshly bought OEM-Version with its installation files on an unaccessible partition of the SSD drive is immune to any changes.
I'm really pissed off that an option that has been recommended for at least 10 years hasn't still found its way into the normal installation process.
But anyway - thank you very much for trying to help me.

Kari · 24 Jul 2016

Eppi said:

After a few days of hiking (strictly without access to any computer) to get my nerves back I tried a clean install - same result. I have been relocating the users folder on my last 3 or 4 pc's (last was on Windows 7), but it seems like my freshly bought OEM-Version with its installation files on an unaccessible partition of the SSD drive is immune to any changes.
I'm really pissed off that an option that has been recommended for at least 10 years hasn't still found its way into the normal installation process.
But anyway - thank you very much for trying to help me.

Method One, sysprep a clean install before any users have been created works often when Method Two has failed. To be sure, if I had enough whisky to keep me calm, I would first create a full system image in case this wont work, then clean install Windows 10 and do Method One.

Sysprep has one feature a bit peculiar: it works always best on virtual machines. That's why I always use Hyper-V vm to create and modify my install image, then deploy it to all my machines instead of individually installing Windows and all software on all of them.

Unfortunately your system specs say you have the Home edition, which does not have Hyper-V. Anyway, if you are interested in the process itself, see this tutorial and videos in it: Windows 10 Image - Customize in Audit Mode with Sysprep - Windows 10 Forums

It explains how to use a vm for creating and customizing install image, sysprep it, capture it, and finally deploy it.

Kari

broster · 24 Jul 2016

Hi Kari,

I have been following your steps in the Method 2 video exactly as far as I can tell, but when I run the sysprep Command it tells me it cannot validate my Windows Installation. I upgraded from Windows 8 to 10 through the prompts Microsoft sent me, so I assume I have a legitimate version of Windows 10 home installed. I'm trying to relocate the user folder to my G: drive from the .iso file drive of I: I got the .iso file from the tech bench, but the link in the other tutorial didn't work for me, a Canadian. I had to google tech bench and go onto a foreign version of the website, so maybe that is causing problems? Ive inserted a screenshot with what i hope has enough info to make my situation clear. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Move Users Folder Location in Windows 10-2016-07-24_14-22-51.png

Kari · 24 Jul 2016

broster said:

Hi Kari,

I have been following your steps in the Method 2 video exactly as far as I can tell.

The error you get hints that you have not followed instructions. The error message is shown when syprep is run on an upgraded Windows without fixing registry first.

See this at the beginning of the tutorial and click the link highlighted in screenshot:

Move Users Folder Location in Windows 10-image.png

You will be taken to last part of the tutorial:

Kari

broster · 24 Jul 2016

Kari said:

The error you get hints that you have not followed instructions. The error message is shown when syprep is run on an upgraded Windows without fixing registry first.

See this at the beginning of the tutorial and click the link highlighted in screenshot:

You will be taken to last part of the tutorial:

Kari

So if I already have an upgraded windows and my Users folder is already on the C drive I just have to do the registry edits and then attempt the sysprep command again? Or since I have upgraded to windows 10 do I have to follow each and every step of that last part?

Thank you once again for your help.

Kari · 24 Jul 2016

You've created the answer file and are ready to sysprep. Browse to the end of the tutorial, the Upgrade part. It has two sections, the one highlighted in red in below screenshot is no longer valid information for most users because it is now since Windows 10 TH2 version 1511 possible to upgrade even when Users folder is relocated. I let that section to remain in tutorial though as long as there are users still using the original release build 10240.

You need to do what is shown in two screenshots in the second section of the Upgrade part. It's easy and fast, totally risk free.

broster · 24 Jul 2016

So far everything seems to be fine except that it asked me to input a product code, unlike in your video. I clicked do it later, but will this cause problems for me down the road, or can it be safely ignored since I will be deleting the dummy account?

EDIT: Everything seems to be in order and the users folder is now on my new drive. The question above still stands however.

Kari · 24 Jul 2016

If your Windows 10 was activated before you started this process, it will be activated afterwards, too. You can easily check it in Settings > Update & Recovery > Activation.

OOBE (Out-of-Box Experience), the Windows setup phase always asks product key. OOBE is run when you clean install Windows, setup a pre-installed Windows, or run sysprep on an existing Windows installation like you did.

It can (and in my opinion always should) be skipped by selecting "I don't have a product key". If Windows is not activated you can then enter in Settings > Update & Recovery > Activation. If OOBE was run after sysprep on an activated machine, or after a clean install on same hardware that has already had the same Windows 10 edition activated, the activation will be valid without ever entering product key.