User Profiles - Create and Move During Windows 7 Installation

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 Windows System Preparation Tool (Sysprep) in so called Audit Mode to relocate Users and ProgramData, leaving C: drive only for Windows and applications.

   Warning

An upgraded Windows cannot be sysprepped. As this method is based in sysprepping, this tutorial is valid only for Windows setups which have not been upgraded.

This means that if you have for instance in-place upgraded Vista to Seven, you cannot sysprep. The same applies if you have upgraded from a lesser edition to a better edition, for instance from Windows 7 Home Premium to Professional.

Notice that a repair install is also an upgrade install, so if you have ever done a repair install (= in-place upgrade to same edition), you cannot sysprep.

In other words, when sysprepping an existing Windows setup it only works if the Windows was installed clean and has never been upgraded or repaired using repair install, or if it is the original pre-installed Windows.

Using this method causes Windows 7 to lose activation information, and it needs to be reactivated afterwards. If your Windows 7 is an OEM version, you might not be able to reactivate it, at least not without phone activation option.

   Warning

IE10 Users: Please read this article first: Sysprep Fatal Error With IE 10 (FIX) | System Administration

Complete tutorial as PDF: View attachment Relocate User folders during Windows 7 installation.pdf (1.22 MB)

Kari

Related Tutorials

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• How to Change the Default Location of a User Profile in Windows 7 and Vista
• How to Change the Default Location of Windows 7 User Folders
• How to Restore the Default Location of Windows 7 User Folders
• How to Free Up and Recover Hard Drive Space in Windows 7
• How to Change the User Folder Name of a User Profile in Windows 7

 

[derekimo]

If you move your user profile to D...

The image will automatically include that partition or drive.

See the blue note at the top of this,

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/87555-user-profile-change-default-location.html

 

[Britton30]

as an alternative to w7's imaging you can use Macrium Reflect FREE Edition - Information and download to image individual drives and restore individually as well. these will help with that.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/73828-imaging-free-macrium.html
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/218920-macrium-reflect-create-bootable-rescue-usb-drive.html
Macrium Reflect - Restore With WinRE - YouTube

 

[LeithKemon]

Hi,

I have been following the tutorial step by step in order to move my user folder etc to my D drive, I have looked through the entire thread for anyone with the same problem but could not find anyone mention it.

I am at the stage of entering the CMD prompt of the .xml file, however, I keep receiving the error "The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process".

I have checked that notepad is definitely closed, and I cannot see it open as a process in task manager. I might be looking for the wrong thing though. I have also tried copying the file, renaming it, and trying that in CMD, but I seem to get the same error.

If anyone knows how to solve this, that would be fantastic. I am sure it is some simple noob error, but one I am yet to solve. Thanks in advance, keep up the great work!

 

[Britton30]

Hi,

I have been following the tutorial step by step in order to move my user folder etc to my D drive, I have looked through the entire thread for anyone with the same problem but could not find anyone mention it.

I am at the stage of entering the CMD prompt of the .xml file, however, I keep receiving the error "The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process".

I have checked that notepad is definitely closed, and I cannot see it open as a process in task manager. I might be looking for the wrong thing though. I have also tried copying the file, renaming it, and trying that in CMD, but I seem to get the same error.

If anyone knows how to solve this, that would be fantastic. I am sure it is some simple noob error, but one I am yet to solve. Thanks in advance, keep up the great work!

Did you already create the .xml answer file and place in on the root of a drive?

 

[LeithKemon]

Hi,

I have been following the tutorial step by step in order to move my user folder etc to my D drive, I have looked through the entire thread for anyone with the same problem but could not find anyone mention it.

I am at the stage of entering the CMD prompt of the .xml file, however, I keep receiving the error "The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process".

I have checked that notepad is definitely closed, and I cannot see it open as a process in task manager. I might be looking for the wrong thing though. I have also tried copying the file, renaming it, and trying that in CMD, but I seem to get the same error.

If anyone knows how to solve this, that would be fantastic. I am sure it is some simple noob error, but one I am yet to solve. Thanks in advance, keep up the great work!

Did you already create the .xml answer file and place in on the root of a drive?

Hi thanks for the fast reply. I created it at the stage in the tutorial it said to create it and then placed it at the root of my D drive. What could be going wrong?

 

[Radeon962]

I use Acronis but I want to swap out some HDD's between my systems and upgrade my SSD's and wanted to clean up things before I did it. I have made backups with Acronis already but I should be able to use Win backup to image the SSD and restore on a new larger SSD but currently it appears that both C: and D: are recognized as part of the system drives and I want to correct that before I upgrade.

My understanding is that I must have MBR files on my D: drive and that is why it shows up when I try and make a image with Win 7. I can and do use Acronis to make regular backups but would like my OS and ALL necessary boot and system files to be on the SSD and not spread.across both drives.

 

[Britton30]

You might check to see that the drive is still labeled as D by Windows. the last time I used this method w7 had different ides than I did with drive labels so I had to relabel them in disk Management.

 

[Radeon962]

For the poster above... Did you try stopping the Windows Media Sharing Services ? Its mentioned at the very end of the PDF tutorial as an item to try if you are getting error messages.

 

[Radeon962]

If you move your user profile to D...

The image will automatically include that partition or drive.

See the blue note at the top of this,

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/87555-user-profile-change-default-location.html

As Homer Simpson would say.... DOH!!!

That is probably it. Sounds like I need to rethink how I setup my hard drives so hat my non-essential files (pictures, music, etc.) are stored in another partition so that I can make a system image but not include these types of files.

 

[derekimo]

If you move your user profile to D...

The image will automatically include that partition or drive.

See the blue note at the top of this,

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/87555-user-profile-change-default-location.html

As Homer Simpson would say.... DOH!!!

That is probably it. Sounds like I need to rethink how I setup my hard drives so hat my non-essential files (pictures, music, etc.) are stored in another partition so that I can make a system image but not include these types of files.

Or use Macrium like Britton30 suggested.

 

[LeithKemon]

Yes I have double checked and the drive is labelled D drive in windows disk management.

However that wouldn't explain the error message I seem to be getting. It seems to me as if the error message is saying that another process is accessing my relocate.xml file on my D drive. It doesn't make much sense when all I have done is a fresh Seven install on my C drive ssd, booted into Audit mode, opened notepad to create the .xml file, closed notepad, opened cmd to enter the prompt for the xml file.

What could be accessing that file and preventing cmd from running its prompt?

**edit yes I also input the command to end WMS but I still get the same erro about accessing the file help

 

[Radeon962]

Or use Macrium like Britton30 suggested.

What would Macrium do that Acronis does not?

It would not solve the issue of having the OS/System/Boot files entirely on the SSD? I would like to have all system files on the SSD.

 

[Britton30]

With an OS drive+data drive you can't use a single image to restore to two drives. Most issues will occur with the OS and not Users nor AppData.
Did you move these files during the install?
Macrium is flexible and will let you exclude files if you wish.

 

[derekimo]

Or use Macrium like Britton30 suggested.

What would Macrium do that Acronis does not?

It would not solve the issue of having the OS/System/Boot files entirely on the SSD? I would like to have all system files on the SSD.

Sounded like you were just trying to make an image, and your screenshot showed windows imaging.

 

[Radeon962]

I just used the Win backup screen shot to show that C and D are both part of the system image I use Acronis for most of backups.

 

[Radeon962]

It sounds like there is not a way around having both disks included as the system file if you use the automated method?

 

[LeithKemon]

Anybody have any ideas as to the solution of my problem?

I am receiving the error "The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process when I input the command for the relocate.xml file. I cannot figure out what on earth could be accessing that file in the root of my D : drive

 

[Britton30]

It sounds like there is not a way around having both disks included as the system file if you use the automated method?

That is correct. Since you are using this tutorial You will have two drives, one OS, one data. A Windows image will take both as an image. It will restore to a single disk only. As I stated you will need to have images of each drive using Macrium or Acronis, which I'm not familiar with.

Anybody have any ideas as to the solution of my problem?

I am receiving the error "The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process when I input the command for the relocate.xml file. I cannot figure out what on earth could be accessing that file in the root of my D : drive

I have no solution for this. Is D:\ a hard drive? What drive is the answer file on?

 

[Radeon962]

That is correct. Since you are using this tutorial You will have two drives, one OS, one data. A Windows image will take both as an image. It will restore to a single disk only. As I stated you will need to have images of each drive using Macrium or Acronis, which I'm not familiar with.

Thanks for your help. I do appreciate the responses.

I'll do a little more planning to see if I can figure out how to do what I want with either this method or another way.

Thanks, Bill

 

[Britton30]

You're welcome Bill.
Gary