User Profiles - Create and Move During Windows 7 Installation

Clairvaux said:

So I wanted to thank you for having taken care to review my concerns and addressing them.

You are welcome. I am vain enough to enjoy a Thank You, I've had enough those "You broke my PC!" replies even though if you read this whole thread we have found out they have been user errors :)

Clairvaux said:

As a matter of fact, I ran across a different method to move User folders (which you probably are aware of), whose author stated that he had deliberately omitted some of the more obvious steps, in order to scare away lesser-knowledgeable users. You took the opposite approach, which is all the more commendable.

I have to admit I have also "played" some in my tutorials. Because I am no longer doing it, I recently admitted it on our sister site the Eight Forums as can be read here (my confession after the last quote from EF member Cheech in that post).

Clairvaux said:

...the longest one I found was a 52-page monument when I transferred it to a word-processor -- and that's not counting the contents of the videos ! Impressive... and somewhat intimidating...

... Depends on the font you use... . In my Word 2016 it's only 20 pages with normal margins, text only, screenshots excluded. You have no idea how much whisky writing that tutorial required!

Kari

Hi,

First I wanted to start by saying that this is my first SSD on a new build. So this is my first attempt at trying to put my OS on an SSD and everything else on an HDD, since the SSD is only 128MB. So please forgive my lack of knowledge on this subject.

So I did a full install following the tutorial and everything seemed to work fine per the instructions. I then started to install my drivers, first with the mobo drivers, which appeared to install on the D drive during the installation. But when I looked on the D drive there were no program files on it. They were on the C drive of course, but with all the mobo software...which I'm trying to avoid. I then tried to install AVG manually to the D drive but it said the program files do not exist on the D drive. Do I have to move (or symlink) the program files over to the D drive manually? Am I confused?

I also noticed that my user files on the D drive are symlinked...but to where? How do I use them? Because since some of them are symlinked, they are not accessible from the D drive, and don't exist at all on the C drive.

Is all this normal and I'm just not getting it, or is there something wrong?

Thank you.

EDIT:

Now that I turned off hidden files that makes more sense, with the user files. After doing some research on program files, it looks like they are going in the Appdata file on the D drive?

So I guess at this point, from my meager understanding of how this works, the next question is do I just let programs install automatically? That even though it appears they are on the C drive they are actually on the D drive in Appdata somewhere?

If this is so, I don't think I'll ever fully understand how this mysterious dark magic actually works...but will be perfectly happy using it to my advantage.

gonzar said:

If this is so, I don't think I'll ever fully understand how this mysterious dark magic actually works...but will be perfectly happy using it to my advantage.

Some basics about Windows system folders regarding the process described in this tutorial, program installation and user data:

Windows works with so called Environment Variables. Assuming you have already relocated your Users folder and further assuming you relocated it to D: drive, you can check some of these variables and see them "in action" by yourself. Just type the name of the following example variables in File Explorer address bar or the Run dialog (Win + R), hit Enter and see where they bring you:

• Type %programfiles% + Enter
  
  • You will be taken to C:\Program Files. This is where the 64 bit software will be installed by default in 64 bit Windows, all software in 32 bit Windows
• Type %programfiles(x86)% + Enter
  
  • You will be taken to C:\Program Files (x86). This is where the 32 bit software will be installed by default in 64 bit Windows. This folder does not exist in 32 bit Windows
• Type %windir% + Enter
  
  • You will be taken to C:\Windows. This is where the core of Windows operating system will be installed
• Type %userprofile% + Enter
  
  • You will be taken to D:\Users\Your_UserProfile_Folder. This is where by default your documents, pictures, videos, music, favorites and so on are stored
• Type %appdata% + Enter
  
  • You will be taken to D:\Users\Your_UserProfile_Folder\AppData\Roaming. If an application needs individual settings and configuration files, they will be saved here and in AppData\Local (see next entry)
• Type %localappdata% + Enter
  
  • You will be taken to D:\Users\Your_UserProfile_Folder\AppData\Local. If an application needs individual settings and configuration files, they will be saved here and in AppData\Roaming (see previous entry)
• Type %temp% + Enter
  
  • You will be taken to D:\Users\Your_UserProfile_Folder\AppData\Local\Temp. By default Windows saves your temporary files here.
• Type %programdata% + Enter
  
  • You will be taken to C:\ProgramData, D:\ProgramData if you relocated this folder, too. If an application needs global settings and configuration files for all users, they will be saved here. About the same function than AppData\Local and AppData\Roaming but for all users instead of individual users

If you look at the list you will notice that this Sysprep procedure only changed the path of those environment variables that have something to do with the user profiles. Windows itself remains on C: drive, as well as the folders to store your installed applications. The only folders that can be relocated in Windows are the Users folder (Vista and later) and ProgramData (Vista and Seven).

Relocating the Windows and / or Program Files folders is not supported. Trying to do so is a sure way to a crippled Windows. If and when you have followed the instructions in this tutorial, the personal user data for all existing and future users will from now on be stored on D: drive by default but the software still installs on C: drive. Most software installers have a so called Advanced or Custom installation mode available to allow you to manually change the install location.

Kari

The process told in this tutorial relocates (moves) the Users folder, the folder where all user account (profiles) are stored. It does not move the folders where the software is installed.

How difficult can it be to change the AVG installation folder? Select Custom installation and change the location!

Display drivers causing issues has absolutely nothing to do with Sysprepped system, with or without a relocated Users folder.