Move Users Folder Location in Windows 10  


  1. Posts : 17,661
    Windows 10 Pro
    Thread Starter
       #1200

    KabyBlue said:
    Thnx for confirming my theory as you definitely didn't have to go through all that but I trust others who might have had the same inquiry will much appreciate your efforts as well.
    You are welcome


    KabyBlue said:
    You sir are the real MVP...
    Since 1st of this month, I am no longer an MVP: How I lost my Windows Insider MVP Award | Win10.Guru


    KabyBlue said:
    If I may ask, why do you choose to store your software on a separate partition from the "C" drive?
    Because my standard installation contains software like for instance Visual Studio Enterprise (almost 30 GB), Windows ADK (almost 7 GB), Cyberlink Director Suite (almost 8 GB), full Office suite (about 3 GB) and so on. My "full" setup contains software for almost 60 GB.

    The screenshots in that post do not reveal the factual situation because I was still in the middle of reinstalling everything after deploying a new, clean image.

    My system M.2 SSD being only 128 GB, it's not very clever to fill it with software and / or user profiles. I use it only for Windows, and some odd software which must be installed on C: drive (read: software that does not allow install path to be changed).

    Kari
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 10,929
    Win10 x64
       #1201

    Kari said:
    That's precisely the reason why I prefer relocating the whole Users folder on another disk, with not only all existing and future user profiles and their personal data but also system folders like AppData. Including that one partition on another disk to my regular Macrium system backups, I am always safe, in emergency situation (either or both of the disks completely dies) even able to restore everything on a single disk.

    Don't take this wrong, I am just stating a fact: In my scenario, one or both disks dying would cause no issues because of existing backups. Your scenario, only relocating certain user profile folders to another disk but not including them in system backup would effectively brick Windows, creating a mess as you said.

    Kari
    I might go through the tutorial and move the whole thing like you once I replace my drives later this year. Thank you very much for the help on this matter. I am happy with all my folders on the main drive. It was a hold over from Windows 7 because I used to format alot and didn't want to restore the pics, etc every time. Now I rarely format and it is not really needed. All the best for the help!
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 40
    Windows 10 Home
       #1202

    Hello what do you mean with this:
    Short: Relocating Users folder with Sysprep should only be done on new, clean installs!
    I just bought a new laptop but I already transferred 10gb of data from my old pc. Should i still do it ??
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 17,661
    Windows 10 Pro
    Thread Starter
       #1203

    qwertymikey said:
    Hello what do you mean with this:


    I just bought a new laptop but I already transferred 10gb of data from my old pc. Should i still do it ??
    Sorry for a delayed reply.

    It is possible to relocate Users folder on an existing installation (Method Two in tutorial), but I strongly advice against it. It might work, as it mostly does, but it might not work effectively bricking your Windows beyond repair. That's why I only recommend using Method One, relocating Users folder when clean installing.

    In any case do a complete system backup before trying Method Two!

    Kari
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 138
    Windows 10
       #1204

    Kari said:
    Since 1st of this month, I am no longer an MVP: How I lost my Windows Insider MVP Award | Win10.Guru
    Sad to see MS essentially would rather respect members of the Windows community walk on eggs shells when providing attempting to provide feedback instead of welcoming criticism (with good intentions) to help better improve on their products.

    Their loss I guess...
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 2
    Windows 10
       #1205

    Hi all,

    I installed a fresh version of Windows (April 2018 release) following method 1 and noticed there is still a Users folder left in C:\ with only an administrator folder that is empty. Can I safely delete the leftover Users folder?
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 10
    Win 10 pro 64
       #1206

    yclu said:
    Hi all,

    I installed a fresh version of Windows (April 2018 release) following method 1 and noticed there is still a Users folder left in C:\ with only an administrator folder that is empty. Can I safely delete the leftover Users folder?


    Move Users Folder Location in Windows 10-em-save-png-screen.jpg
    I guess it's pretty useless because you get a Users folder back, containing you as user, supposing you are the only user on the PC.
    I tried to rename it to usersold just to see what happens. Then, on reboot, I got the empty folders as shown in the picture.
    Probably empty since I'm using Firefox, but obviously MS's Edge defaults to C:\Users\username\Appdata.....
    So I suggest, ignore the existance..

    I'm glad I found and used Kari's Sysprep method two on my existing installation. Sad to hear that he lost his MVP award because of positive criticism. Regarding moving the userdata to another drive, how relatively simple is it done on Linux with an existing or new installation.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 17,661
    Windows 10 Pro
    Thread Starter
       #1207

    yclu said:
    I installed a fresh version of Windows (April 2018 release) following method 1 and noticed there is still a Users folder left in C:\ with only an administrator folder that is empty. Can I safely delete the leftover Users folder?
    C:\Users\Administrator is useless remnant from when you signed in to Audit Mode using that account. After Sysprep, that profile becomes useless as all profiles have been moved to new location.

    In this case, it is totally safe to delete C:\Users. You can test it easily by enabling built-in administrator account (tutorial) and signing in to it once. After first sign-in, you will see that new user profile folder Administrator will be created on the new location.

    Kari
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 10
    Win 10 pro 64
       #1208

    Hi Kari,

    But why does a new C:\Users\username folders get created despite the fact that it has all been moved to another location/drive? Looks like MS persists to use C:\users for some of their programs.
    That is not exactly a consistent system design.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 668
    Win 10 pro
       #1209

    Kari said:

    Since 1st of this month, I am no longer an MVP: How I lost my Windows Insider MVP Award | Win10.Guru
    @Kari

    Given all the work you have done and still do (excellent tutorials and helpful forum posts) I do not see how you could have lost something; you may be no longer referenced as a Most Valuable Promoter but you surely are a

    Most Valuable Person!

    to many users.

    I wish you were a Linux "fanboy" (I better like Linux than windows) but that of course is only your choice and cannot stop me to see a Valuable Person.

    Thanks for your help!
      My Computer


 

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