Macrium - Do I need a new Rescue Disc each time?

juanantoniod said:

Thanks, MilesAhead and whs,

I understand much better now that there are many different strategies for backing up, and at this time, there are many different options for supporting those strategies, and I must develop a strategy that works for me, and that I can afford.

One question I have is: Windows creates several "Libraries" / folders / subdirectories for data storage, and usually defaults to those when opening or saving files. Is there a way to set the Windows OS to redirect so that these can be moved to a separate partition?

I am very grateful for your advice!

Have a look at my 12 minute video tutorial on how to create a data partition. But note that you move the folders, not the libraries which are actually only directories pointing to the folders.
Make sure you understand that you first have to create folders on the new partition to which you move the original folders such as Documents, Music, etc. Do not just move to the partition, that will end up in a minor mess because your moved folders will end up with the name of the partition. Just watch the video carefully on that point - it is all explained.
If you have any further questions, let me know.

whs,

Thanks, I was just looking for such a tutorial when your email came in. I had posted in another thread the following:

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I was going to partiton my HD (with Partition Magic) so that I would have a data partition, and I need to know if it should be a primary or logical partition? I don't understand the difference. If it matters, my file system is NTFS.

Thanks!

P.S. I currently have 2 primary partitions, one C: for system+data, and one D: for system recovery images. I am going to reduce the size of D: by 20GB for data, then follow the tutorial to move Documents, Pictures, Video, and Music to the 20GB partition. But what about the Outlook PST file? I currently have it in C:...\Documents\Outlook Data. Furthermore, since Windows depends on the C:\users\username\my [documents/pictures/video/music] convention, won't it screw it all up if I move these to another partition?

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whs, Can you please answer the above questions? I now have a much better understanding, thanks to your video! But I still want to make sure I am doing it correctly.

Thanks!

1. Make it a logical partition - it's safer because you should not have more than 3 primaries anyhow.
2. I suppose the Outlook folder will be moved with the Documents folder. I never used Outlook but the path you indicated makes my suggestion a logical conclusion.
3. Don't worry about windows getting screwed up. Since you use the "Move" facility in Properties, the system will make all the necessary adjustments of the paths.

whs,

Thanks so much for the quick reply. I understand about the Documents/Music/Video/Pictures. But, can I/should I move the Desktop and Downloads folders?

You're help is very much appreciated!

Downloads I would move. Desktop rather not. There is usually not much in it - not worth it.

Awesome! Thanks, whs!

Have fun - I hope it works out as you planned. Let us know whether you got the result you expected.

whs,

First, this is not an angry post, just a confused one. I know that you know what your're doing, and I appreciate your help. So, please don't take this the wrong way. I'm asking to clear up my understanding, not to question your procedure. With that said, here is what I did:

I looked at my C: drive libraries, they each had "folders" in them named My Documents, etc. (from now on when I say this it also applies to Pictures, Videos, and Music as well). So, I went to the new J: partition and created My Documents, etc. folders. Then, when I went to the properties of the My Documents folder, to "Move Location", and the existing folder location was named simply Documents. So, I renamed the destination folder to Documents, to follow the instructions in your video to the letter. Then I moved the Documents from the C:\users\antonio\documents to J:\documents.

Here is the part I do not understand. I now have a folder in the J: partition named "My Documents" instead of just Documents. It seems as though the procedure was correct, but somehow the system thought on its own to rename the folder My Documents. (See the attached image of my C: and J: directories after the move.)

I know that the "My" structure was created (I think) by Microsoft when it came out with some version of Windows a while back, but I thoght that I read they dropped the "My" with Windows 7.

whs, What is correct? What should I do? I am sorry for being so "needy" but I want to make sure that my system is as it should be. Again, I am not questioning your knowledge at all, just trying to improve mine.

Thanks again for everything!

P.S. I just checked and, in the folders in the tree on the right side have files in them, but as you can see, they no longer have the Documents icon on the folder. Also, when I go to properties, it says they are in the C:\users\antonio\ directory. Do I now have 2 copies of everything?

P.P.S. It appears that they are not the same files. I just created the ~Antonio folder in the C: (right hand side) and it did not appear even after refreshing the J: (left side). Also, the "Auto Purchase 2010" folder is missing from the right side C: , but it is correctly listed (I think) in the left side. Help!

I just checked the other folders (Music, Video, Photos) in the C: drive, and they are empty. But the ones on the J: partition contain the correct files. I also checked in DOS (otherwise known as command prompt) and these are indeed separate file folder structures. I just don't know what to do!

I also moved my Outlook.pst file, but I'm getting an error when I try to check email. (See attached Outlook error message.) What can I do to fix this?

Thanks!

Here is the part I do not understand. I now have a folder in the J: partition named "My Documents" instead of just Documents. It seems as though the procedure was correct, but somehow the system thought on its own to rename the folder My Documents. (See the attached image of my C: and J: directories after the move.)

Yes, the system will rename it to "My Documents". I guess it is because that is the name of the originating folder.
When you create new folders or when you move or copy something, you have to make sure you get it to the right folder (your C or J whatever you wish). As you still have the empty folders on C, it is very easy to confuse the two and once it is moved to the C folder, it will of course not appear in the J folder.
I am a little bit handicapped right now because I just went back to my home in Germany and I am working off my Vista system. I still have to install win7. But for that, I first have to take my box apart and install my SSD which I probably will do next week.
As to your Outlook problem, I am completely lost. I never used Outlook because I am an AOL user of the first hour which is a lot more convenient if you work off multiple systems which are in different physical locations. Maybe you want to start a new thread on that particular problem and seek the advice of the Outlook specialists.