How to Create User Accounts on another Partition or Disk During Windows 7 Installation
Information
There are several methods to move user profiles to another disk or partition after you have installed Windows 7. The easiest way is to use Audit Mode and System Preparation Tool, both built-in Windows 7 features, to permanently move the location of the folder Users.
This tutorial shows how to relocate both Users and ProgramData to another disk or partition when doing a new, fresh and clean install of Windows 7. If you have already installed Seven, and you'd like to move those folders away from their default location in C: drive, please read first post number 22 in this thread. Follow the steps told in that post, and continue then from beginning of the page 4 in this tutorial.
When Windows 7 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), 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 folders. When a new user account is created and this new user logs in first time, Windows creates a set of user specific folders Users\New_User
Moving Windows and Program Files folders is not recommend by Microsoft. However, moving both Users and ProgramData folders is safe and can save a lot of space on system disk. Pictures, mp3’s videos, documents and so on, a user folder with its subfolders can be tens, sometimes hundreds of gigabytes.
For instance, using this laptop of mine as an example, the total size of Users folder and subfolders is at the moment about 240 GB. The size of ProgramData folder is at the moment almost 18 GB. I simply could not have these folders stored in my system C: drive, there’s not enough space.
When installing Windows 7, I recommend using Audit Mode to relocate Users and ProgramData, leaving C: drive only for Windows and applications.
OMG! That is simply awesome. I never knew such thing even exist in Windows 7. I learned a lot from this tutorial and this will help many people here. Excellent work mate.
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Computer type Laptop System Manufacturer/Model Number HP ENVY 17-1150eg OS Windows 7 x64 Ultimate CPU 1.6 GHz Intel Core i7-720QM Processor Memory 6 GB Graphics Card ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5850 Graphics Sound Card Beats sound system with integrated subwoofer Monitor(s) Displays 17" laptop display, 22" LCD and 32" Full HD TV through HDMI Screen Resolution 1600*900, 1680*1050 and 1920*1080
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You can do this only if you have the drive where you want to relocate Users connected. Sorry. You have basically two options: first, let the second drive be connected but do not format it before in Audit Mode. If it's formatted, delete the partitions. Second possibility is to start installation with second drive disconnected, then when Windows boots first time to Audit Mode shut it down from Start Menu > Shut Down (Definitely not from sysprep dialog!). Now connect the second drive, and reboot. The Windows boots back to Audit mode, and you can run the script.
AS long as Windows is not rebooted from sysprep dialog window in OOBE, it always boots back to Audit Mode, so this is a completely safe way to do this.
Kari
Tip
A tip for those who decide to give this a go and only format drives when installing: That script on that PDF-tutorial is really boring to type, you'll make typos quite easily. What I always do is to copy and paste that script to an email which I send to one of my web based email addresses. When then in Audit mode, I just open IE long enough to get that mail, copy paste it to Notepad and save.
Saves a lot of work, and guarantees there are no typos in script. Of course, if your second HD or drive is already formatted, you can copy it there before starting installation.
Computer type Laptop System Manufacturer/Model Number HP ENVY 17-1150eg OS Windows 7 x64 Ultimate CPU 1.6 GHz Intel Core i7-720QM Processor Memory 6 GB Graphics Card ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5850 Graphics Sound Card Beats sound system with integrated subwoofer Monitor(s) Displays 17" laptop display, 22" LCD and 32" Full HD TV through HDMI Screen Resolution 1600*900, 1680*1050 and 1920*1080
Keyboard Logitech diNovo Media Desktop Laser (bluetooth) Mouse Logitech MX1000 Laser (Bluetooth) Hard Drives Internal: 2 x 500 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive 7200 rpm
External: 2TB for backups, 3TB USB3 network drive for media Internet Speed 50/10 Mbps VDSL Antivirus MSE, Windows Defender Browser Maxthon 3.5.2. Other Info Windows 7 Ultimate Retail Full in English, additional Guest-user accounts in Finnish, German and Swedish (Working languages English & Swedish, Family language German, my own language, mother tongue, Finnish. I really need Ultimate to get to use Language Packs!)