Move Users Folder Location in Windows 10  

yuvala said:

Hi Kari,
I am a new member with basic English.
I used your toutorial to Relocating Users folder on an existing Windows installation.
Failed to execute command: "sysprep /oobe/ unattend:\relocate.xml".
I got error message that Windows can't execute the command, missing [mode:??]
I found at Microsoft guide to execute Audit command with reboot, so I add REBOOT to your example, an its work.
I change to: "sysprep.exe /oobe /reboot /unattend:d:\relocate.xml"

The instructions clearly tell the correct command syntax. That you have misread the instructions is your own fault.

Screenshot from tutorial:

Kari said:

I've never had that kind of issue. Upgrading through WU or using an ISO, if Users folder is relocated before the upgrade it will be relocated also after the upgrade. No new Users folder will be created, not on C: drive or anywhere else.

Since November 2015 update (version 1511) it is possible to upgrade any version and edition of Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and 10 when Users is relocated without any whatsoever issues.

That is what I thought as well. So I didn't bother to look in between upgrades to see when it happened. Not sure if it was during the April TH2 --> AU upgrade, or if it was from AU --> 14971.

I'll set up a couple of VM and test both ways and see. Perhaps I'll also start with Nov TH2 and go directly to AU, as well as Nov TH2 --> Feb TH2 & Nov TH2 --> April TH2.

As it is, the fact that it happened shocked me to the core. I only noticed it (after having installed many of my apps) because I installed Firefox Nightly build, and having copied over my old profile from my backup of the /Users tree prior to formatting both drives, and Firefox could not find it. Took me almost 20 minutes () to figure out it was not looking at the migrated /Users tree but in the default location. At which point I walked away from the computer and decided to go have a nice, large meal of Thanksgiving leftovers.

After that I started over, and had in the meantime figured out my issues as to why I had a boatload of explorer.exe crashes (KeePass secure desktop for master PW entry breaks explorer.exe in at least build 14971), so I just clean installed 14971 itself - which, by itself, has its own issues....

pietro said:

spent a bit of time to try relocating ProgramData because of small SSD. it doen't work anymore in AU, i get a loop. so, i'm testing in virtualbox using a junction. before creating the junction i moved the folder preserving flags and rights...

So, you're moving \Users & \ProgramData?

I previously had a Crucial 256 GB SSD for my system drive and an Intel 180 GB SSD to which I moved \Users, and then from which I moved out the special folders (Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, & Videos) to my 1 TB Mechanical drive using this tutorial.

I've since upgraded - Sandisk has a whopping sale on their 1 TB SSD (well, 960 GB anyway), so I sprung for it. It's now my system drive, and the Crucial has become the Users drive. I still use the tutorial to move \Users to the Crucial, as the total size of \ProgramData is only about 6 GB. I still also move the special folders by hand after every IP build update as well. The Intel 180 has moved into my Dell laptop as a testbed for Anti-Malware programs.

I started all this with an Intel 80 GB SSD (which you can imagine always needed stuff moved off of, back when I was running Windows 7). It now sits on my desk gathering dust, until I need to reinstall Windows - I use it as an Easy2Boot repository to install Windows from using this Apricorn SATA Wire 3.0 kit to boot off of on any machine allowing boot from USB.

As is mentioned at the beginning of the tutorial and several times in this thread, ProgramData cannot be relocated in Windows 8 and later. Relocating it is supported in Windows 7 only.

At the beginning of the tutorial:

When Windows 10 is installed, 5 or 6 system folders are created depending on chosen bit-version:

• PerfLogs (Performance Logs), where Windows stores performance and reliability logs
• Program Files, where applications and software are installed. Windows x86 (32-bit) stores all applications here, Windows x64 (64-bit) only native 64-bit applications
• Program Files (x86), exists only in Windows x64. All non-x64 applications are stored here
• Windows, which contains core operating system files and drivers
• ProgramData, where some applications store application and user specific settings and configuration files.
• Users. This is the “home” of all user profiles. When a new user account is created and this new user logs in first time, Windows creates a set of user specific folders (Users\Username)

Microsoft does not recommend relocating, moving ProgramData, Program Files, Program Files (x86) and Windows folders.

Kari

Kari said:

As is mentioned at the beginning of the tutorial and several times in this thread, ProgramData cannot be relocated in Windows 8 and later. Relocating it is supported in Windows 7 only.

At the beginning of the tutorial:



Kari

Correct. But pietro is space constrained. if he symlinks it (well, more likely a junction, but anyway), it might actually work.

I don't have the time to explore this either, but it would be a cool idea if it could be accomplished.

pietro said:

spent a bit of time to try relocating ProgramData because of small SSD. it doen't work anymore in AU, i get a loop. so, i'm testing in virtualbox using a junction. before creating the junction i moved the folder preserving flags and rights...

updated apps, defender signatures, maps, used search engine. they use programdata. it seems no problems in virtualbox.

now, for few weeks, on a production pc to see if all softwares and updates works correctly. if ok, i think i'll go this way for users folder too (time saving)...

annenap said:

I used your method one and it worked great. But...I need to do this for 100 tablets.

You mentioned you created system image. That is good; the traditional method to use DISM to capture install.wim file and use it to create install media does not work when Users folder is relocated. Only working method is to capture a system image (I use Macrium Reflect for that) and do deployment by restoring this image.

In addition, deployment image is always to be done in so called Audit Mode, generalizing it with Sysprep command, see this tutorial: Windows 10 Image - Customize in Audit Mode with Sysprep - Windows 10 Tutorials

If you want to do a fast test,*check the above mentioned tutorial and create your own deployment image as told in it, restoring it to one tablet to see if it works for you.

Remember that the Users folder cannot be relocated to SD card! I thought that to be important to mention as you were talking about tablets.

Kari