Move C:\users - Create Junction

Discussion in 'Software' started by Mark Willis, Mar 19, 2017.

  1. Mark Willis

    Mark Willis Private E-2

    OK! So I created a user E-drive-partition to put my data on. By clicking on the location tab of the properties
    boxes, I moved each C:\Users\mark\X folder to E:\Users\mark\X, where X is given by the formula X =
    Contacts, Desktop, My Documents, and the like. Here it's critically important to understand that my name is
    Mark.

    I then deleted all the C:\Users\mark\X folders, but like zombies some of them came back to eat my
    brains. Also, C:\Users stays on the C-drive even though I have no use for it. Also, you can't move the
    C:\Users\Public folders to the E drive because the properties boxes don't have location tabs.

    I was thinking that the cleanest method to moving user data to the E drive would be to copy C:\Users
    to E:\Users, delete C:\Users and in its place create a C:\Users junction pointing to E:\Users.

    Is there any reason this shouldn't work well?

    For readers as little in the know as I am, but certainly not as confused, google move C:\users\public.
    The link I had when reused takes one to a shopping site. Take the Microsoft Community result.
     
    Last edited: Mar 19, 2017
  2. Just Playin

    Just Playin MajorGeek

  3. Earthling

    Earthling Interplanetary Geek

    It's fine to move the folders that make up your personal profile, those that have a Location tab. I've been set up that way right through 7, 8.1 and 10 without any issues at all and it greatly assists both data back up and system imaging. However you cannot move all of C:\Users without causing serious issues. What's the point anyway?
     
    Mark Willis likes this.
  4. Mark Willis

    Mark Willis Private E-2

    Because there's still data in C:\Users outside of the folders I initially listed to which your own points apply.
    There's the Public sub-folders -- they need to be separated from C:\ for the same backup/imaging reasons
    that the C:\Users\user-name sub-folders do. Also I had a program that wrote a little something directly to
    C:\Users, but that's got to be so extremely rare that no disk space is going to be eaten up (otherwise I would
    have an extremely valid point). So with your and Playin's help this is now my best understanding.

    (1) C:\Users shouldn't be moved at all.
    (2) Sub-folders of C:\Users\user-name may be moved because they have location tabs.
    (3) One may create a junction C:\Users\Public pointing to E:\Users\Public because this is explicitly
    approved by the Microsoft community.
    (4) Creating a C:\Users\user-name junction pointing to E:\users\user-name is exactly like (3),
    but might be dangerous since it's not explicitly stated by any source that this would work well.
     

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