Windows 7: Do Windows 7 user settings get "aliased" after an upgrade?

Yup, all the properties are identical. And if I get the properties of the "Roaming" directory in each location, there's exactly 119,784,271 bytes in each.

Even the dates and times?

Yes, I checked several files in different folders, every single one has identical Created, Modified and Accessed dates between the two locations. There's no doubt in my mind that Explorer is showing me the folder on C: when I direct it at the folder on D:. The only question is why?

When you installed Windows 7 onto the SSD, was it a fresh and clean install? Or, was it a reinstall where no format was performed? I asked because you recently called it a "reinstall", so I'm curious now.

It was a completely fresh install onto a previously unused SSD. Sorry if the word "reinstall" was misleading, I just meant that I was installing Windows 7 from scratch, rather than ghosting over the image of my old Windows 7 install.

Wow. Windows 7 baffles me in 2 different ways now where it used to be just 1 way. The first way is the whole reason for keeping other drives disconnected during an installation, and now this. lol

I love this OS, but wow. That's probably the weirdest thing I've ever seen Windows 7 do, but that's not saying much.

I couldn't agree more! I always thought the whole reason for keeping other drives disconnected during an installation was to avoid things like this happening...

Oh, no it's just to avoid having one of the other drives become required in order to boot even though Windows 7 is not installed to it. I think it puts the boot sector onto one of the other drives if they are connected. So after that point, their presence is always required in order to start Windows. lol

Oh I realise that. I just meant that I'd put that in the general category of "crazy, unwanted links between the old install of Windows and the new" - like my current issue.

lol

This makes me wonder if I'd have a similar craziness if I tried the exact same thing. The closest I've ever come to doing what you did is "upgrading" from XP where I turned my XP drive into my D: drive. So hmm....