How do I go about changing the default My documents directory so that any
user or new user will have their documents not on the C drive but on another
hard drive? I understand how you can go in and change it from the users
profiles but I want to make the change permanent so that any new users that
are added will automatically have the My documents folder routed to a
different hard drive (D) instead of ( C )?


Thanks

mw wrote:
> How do I go about changing the default My documents directory so that
> any user or new user will have their documents not on the C drive but
> on another hard drive? I understand how you can go in and change it
> from the users profiles but I want to make the change permanent so
> that any new users that are added will automatically have the My
> documents folder routed to a different hard drive (D) instead of ( C
> )?
>
> Thanks
========================================

See the following article:

(310147) How to Change the Default Location
of the My Documents Folder
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310147/en-us

--

Volunteer J

Thanks, this is helpful when there is a profile already created but I want
the default changed so that if a new user is created it will automatically
not save to C

"Volunteer J" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:hubf2m$588$(E-Mail Removed)...
> mw wrote:
>> How do I go about changing the default My documents directory so that
>> any user or new user will have their documents not on the C drive but
>> on another hard drive? I understand how you can go in and change it
>> from the users profiles but I want to make the change permanent so
>> that any new users that are added will automatically have the My
>> documents folder routed to a different hard drive (D) instead of ( C
>> )?
>>
>> Thanks
> ========================================
>
> See the following article:
>
> (310147) How to Change the Default Location
> of the My Documents Folder
> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310147/en-us
>
> --
>
> Volunteer J
>

Change the following registry value to make the change apply to all newly
created profiles :

[HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User
Shell Folders]

"Personal"="(drive:\path-to-new-documents-folder)"

Where you must replace the "drive:\path-to-new-documents-folder" with a
valid drive [d:] and path.

However, since the old value would be "%USERPROFILE%\My Documents" if you
use a singe "Static" path for the new value, then ALL profiles will, in
future, be using the exact SAME folder as their documents folder! If
that's what you want - okay.

*NB you should also change these other values (under the same (above)
reg-key) :

"My Pictures"="(drive:\path-to-new-documents-folder\My Pictures)"

In the same way.

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)




"mw" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:4C1D92F5-BADC-41F9-803C-(E-Mail Removed)...
> Thanks, this is helpful when there is a profile already created but I
> want the default changed so that if a new user is created it will
> automatically not save to C
>
> "Volunteer J" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:hubf2m$588$(E-Mail Removed)...
>> mw wrote:
>>> How do I go about changing the default My documents directory so that
>>> any user or new user will have their documents not on the C drive but
>>> on another hard drive? I understand how you can go in and change it
>>> from the users profiles but I want to make the change permanent so
>>> that any new users that are added will automatically have the My
>>> documents folder routed to a different hard drive (D) instead of ( C
>>> )?
>>>
>>> Thanks
>> ========================================
>>
>> See the following article:
>>
>> (310147) How to Change the Default Location
>> of the My Documents Folder
>> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310147/en-us
>>
>> --
>>
>> Volunteer J
>>

That (HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT) is the System account's profile, Tim. The OP
should use the Load Hive feature in Regedit and load the Default User's
NTUSER.DAT file, located at C:\Documents and Settings\Default User.

John


Tim Meddick wrote:
> Change the following registry value to make the change apply to all
> newly created profiles :
>
> [HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User
> Shell Folders]
>
> "Personal"="(drive:\path-to-new-documents-folder)"
>
> Where you must replace the "drive:\path-to-new-documents-folder" with a
> valid drive [d:] and path.
>
> However, since the old value would be "%USERPROFILE%\My Documents" if
> you use a singe "Static" path for the new value, then ALL profiles will,
> in future, be using the exact SAME folder as their documents folder! If
> that's what you want - okay.
>
> *NB you should also change these other values (under the same (above)
> reg-key) :
>
> "My Pictures"="(drive:\path-to-new-documents-folder\My Pictures)"
>
> In the same way.
>
> ==
>
> Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)
>
>
>
>
> "mw" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:4C1D92F5-BADC-41F9-803C-(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Thanks, this is helpful when there is a profile already created but I
>> want the default changed so that if a new user is created it will
>> automatically not save to C
>>
>> "Volunteer J" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>> news:hubf2m$588$(E-Mail Removed)...
>>> mw wrote:
>>>> How do I go about changing the default My documents directory so that
>>>> any user or new user will have their documents not on the C drive but
>>>> on another hard drive? I understand how you can go in and change it
>>>> from the users profiles but I want to make the change permanent so
>>>> that any new users that are added will automatically have the My
>>>> documents folder routed to a different hard drive (D) instead of ( C
>>>> )?
>>>>
>>>> Thanks
>>> ========================================
>>>
>>> See the following article:
>>>
>>> (310147) How to Change the Default Location
>>> of the My Documents Folder
>>> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310147/en-us
>>>
>>> --
>>>
>>> Volunteer J
>>>
>

I'm not too sure about that.

I have always used the "HKU\.default" key to chance *any* registry settings
and they WILL be transferred to any new user profiles.

I can see that the hive in "Documents and Settings\Default User"
(ntuser.dat) is different (incomplete) to that of what you call the
SYSTEM's (HKU\.Default) key, but nonetheless, there are registry settings
in HKU\.Default\Software that are translated to new profiles where they do
not even exist in the loaded hive from "Default User" folder....

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)




"John John - MVP" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> That (HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT) is the System account's profile, Tim. The OP
> should use the Load Hive feature in Regedit and load the Default User's
> NTUSER.DAT file, located at C:\Documents and Settings\Default User.
>
> John
>
>
> Tim Meddick wrote:
>> Change the following registry value to make the change apply to all
>> newly created profiles :
>>
>> [HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User
>> Shell Folders]
>>
>> "Personal"="(drive:\path-to-new-documents-folder)"
>>
>> Where you must replace the "drive:\path-to-new-documents-folder" with a
>> valid drive [d:] and path.
>>
>> However, since the old value would be "%USERPROFILE%\My Documents" if
>> you use a singe "Static" path for the new value, then ALL profiles will,
>> in future, be using the exact SAME folder as their documents folder! If
>> that's what you want - okay.
>>
>> *NB you should also change these other values (under the same (above)
>> reg-key) :
>>
>> "My Pictures"="(drive:\path-to-new-documents-folder\My Pictures)"
>>
>> In the same way.
>>
>> ==
>>
>> Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> "mw" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>> news:4C1D92F5-BADC-41F9-803C-(E-Mail Removed)...
>>> Thanks, this is helpful when there is a profile already created but I
>>> want the default changed so that if a new user is created it will
>>> automatically not save to C
>>>
>>> "Volunteer J" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>>> news:hubf2m$588$(E-Mail Removed)...
>>>> mw wrote:
>>>>> How do I go about changing the default My documents directory so that
>>>>> any user or new user will have their documents not on the C drive but
>>>>> on another hard drive? I understand how you can go in and change it
>>>>> from the users profiles but I want to make the change permanent so
>>>>> that any new users that are added will automatically have the My
>>>>> documents folder routed to a different hard drive (D) instead of ( C
>>>>> )?
>>>>>
>>>>> Thanks
>>>> ========================================
>>>>
>>>> See the following article:
>>>>
>>>> (310147) How to Change the Default Location
>>>> of the My Documents Folder
>>>> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310147/en-us
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>>
>>>> Volunteer J
>>>>
>>

It's a common misconception, but I assure you that HKU\.default is the
System profile, what you see before anyone logs on is held in this hive,
things like the log on screen wallpaper or the logon screesaver for
example. The HKU\.default hive file path is
%SystemRoot%\system32\config\default, new user hives are created from
C:\Documents and Settings\Default User\NTUSER.DAT

John

Tim Meddick wrote:
> I'm not too sure about that.
>
> I have always used the "HKU\.default" key to chance *any* registry
> settings and they WILL be transferred to any new user profiles.
>
> I can see that the hive in "Documents and Settings\Default User"
> (ntuser.dat) is different (incomplete) to that of what you call the
> SYSTEM's (HKU\.Default) key, but nonetheless, there are registry
> settings in HKU\.Default\Software that are translated to new profiles
> where they do not even exist in the loaded hive from "Default User"
> folder....
>
> ==
>
> Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)
>
>
>
>
> "John John - MVP" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> That (HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT) is the System account's profile, Tim. The
>> OP should use the Load Hive feature in Regedit and load the Default
>> User's NTUSER.DAT file, located at C:\Documents and Settings\Default
>> User.
>>
>> John
>>
>>
>> Tim Meddick wrote:
>>> Change the following registry value to make the change apply to all
>>> newly created profiles :
>>>
>>> [HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User
>>> Shell Folders]
>>>
>>> "Personal"="(drive:\path-to-new-documents-folder)"
>>>
>>> Where you must replace the "drive:\path-to-new-documents-folder" with
>>> a valid drive [d:] and path.
>>>
>>> However, since the old value would be "%USERPROFILE%\My Documents" if
>>> you use a singe "Static" path for the new value, then ALL profiles
>>> will, in future, be using the exact SAME folder as their documents
>>> folder! If that's what you want - okay.
>>>
>>> *NB you should also change these other values (under the same (above)
>>> reg-key) :
>>>
>>> "My Pictures"="(drive:\path-to-new-documents-folder\My Pictures)"
>>>
>>> In the same way.
>>>
>>> ==
>>>
>>> Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> "mw" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>>> news:4C1D92F5-BADC-41F9-803C-(E-Mail Removed)...
>>>> Thanks, this is helpful when there is a profile already created but
>>>> I want the default changed so that if a new user is created it will
>>>> automatically not save to C
>>>>
>>>> "Volunteer J" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>>>> news:hubf2m$588$(E-Mail Removed)...
>>>>> mw wrote:
>>>>>> How do I go about changing the default My documents directory so that
>>>>>> any user or new user will have their documents not on the C drive but
>>>>>> on another hard drive? I understand how you can go in and change it
>>>>>> from the users profiles but I want to make the change permanent so
>>>>>> that any new users that are added will automatically have the My
>>>>>> documents folder routed to a different hard drive (D) instead of ( C
>>>>>> )?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thanks
>>>>> ========================================
>>>>>
>>>>> See the following article:
>>>>>
>>>>> (310147) How to Change the Default Location
>>>>> of the My Documents Folder
>>>>> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310147/en-us
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>>
>>>>> Volunteer J
>>>>>
>>>
>

Whatever, John, as I said, what you say may be true.

However, you skilfully avoided parts of my reply.

Please re-read (carefully) my re-quote :

"I can see that the hive in "Documents and Settings\Default User"
(ntuser.dat) is different (incomplete) to that of what you call the
SYSTEM's (HKU\.Default) key, but nonetheless, there are registry settings
in HKU\.Default\Software that are translated to new profiles where they do
not even exist in the loaded hive from "Default User" folder...."

....and you will see that the first part of it *agrees* with you!

But what about the rest????

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)




"John John - MVP" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> It's a common misconception,
>
> < clipped >

I did not "skillfully avoid" anything. I didn't want to start an
argument and I simply decided to let it slide because I thought you
would do your own tests and realize for yourself that your assertion
that "... *any* registry settings...WILL be transferred (from
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT) to any new user profiles..." is wrong.

You can easily test this with something as basic as the Wallpaper
setting. Do any changes in HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control
Panel\International or HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop or add
any bogus keys or values in HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software and see the
results for yourself, these changes *will* *not* be transfered to new users.

Some legacy applications might read and write to this key, even
Microsoft applications might do so for compatibility reasons and some
programs and services that run as Local System will write to this key
but the notion that the HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT hive is the default profile
for new users is a common misconception that some Windows 9x users carry
with them to NT operating systems.

On W9x operating systems user profiles are optional, you can log on to a
W9x installation without a profile. Unless a certain network key is set
in the W9x registry you can simply hit "Cancel" when asked for a User
Name or password and the system will log you on without a profile, when
you do so you use the HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT profile. On W9x installations
new profiles are created out of this hive but on NT systems things are
different, profiles are not optional, you cannot hit cancel and logon
without a profile and new profiles are not created from the
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT, HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT is the System profile.

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/oldnewthing/...2/1786493.aspx
The .Default user is not the default user

As for the suggestion that the default profile path can be changed for
any new users by making changes to the "Personal" value at
HKU\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User
Shell Folders that too is easy enough to test.

To change the default profile path for new users you need to do two things:

1- Copy the %SystemDrive%\Documents and Settings\Default User *and* the
%SystemDrive%\Documents and Settings\All Users folders to the new folder
of your choice.

2- Modify the ProfilesDirectory value at
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList to reflect the change in the Default User
and All Users directory location.

John

Tim Meddick wrote:
> Whatever, John, as I said, what you say may be true.
>
> However, you skilfully avoided parts of my reply.
>
> Please re-read (carefully) my re-quote :
>
> "I can see that the hive in "Documents and Settings\Default User"
> (ntuser.dat) is different (incomplete) to that of what you call the
> SYSTEM's (HKU\.Default) key, but nonetheless, there are registry settings
> in HKU\.Default\Software that are translated to new profiles where they do
> not even exist in the loaded hive from "Default User" folder...."
>
> ...and you will see that the first part of it *agrees* with you!
>
> But what about the rest????
>
> ==
>
> Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)
>
>
>
>
> "John John - MVP" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> It's a common misconception,
>>
>> < clipped >
>

I will go as far as to admit ALL what you have stated is correct - EXCEPT
......

The data contained within :
[HKU\.Default\Software]

....although these keys are NOT present in the loaded hive (ntuser.data)
from the "Default User" folder.

Nonetheless, they exist in [HKU\.Default\Software] and are transferred to
new profiles!

(e.g. the key [HKU\.Default\Software\AVG] does NOT exist in the "Default
User" hive but "miraculously" appears in new profiles!!!???)

That is what I merant when I said you were ignoring my statements.

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)




"John John - MVP" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>I did not "skillfully avoid" anything. I didn't want to start an argument
>and I simply decided to let it slide because I thought you would do your
>own tests and realize for yourself that your assertion that "... *any*
>registry settings...WILL be transferred (from HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT) to any
>new user profiles..." is wrong.
>
> You can easily test this with something as basic as the Wallpaper
> setting. Do any changes in HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control
> Panel\International or HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop or add
> any bogus keys or values in HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software and see the
> results for yourself, these changes *will* *not* be transfered to new
> users.
>
> Some legacy applications might read and write to this key, even Microsoft
> applications might do so for compatibility reasons and some programs and
> services that run as Local System will write to this key but the notion
> that the HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT hive is the default profile for new users is
> a common misconception that some Windows 9x users carry with them to NT
> operating systems.
>
> On W9x operating systems user profiles are optional, you can log on to a
> W9x installation without a profile. Unless a certain network key is set
> in the W9x registry you can simply hit "Cancel" when asked for a User
> Name or password and the system will log you on without a profile, when
> you do so you use the HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT profile. On W9x installations
> new profiles are created out of this hive but on NT systems things are
> different, profiles are not optional, you cannot hit cancel and logon
> without a profile and new profiles are not created from the
> HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT, HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT is the System profile.
>
> http://blogs.msdn.com/b/oldnewthing/...2/1786493.aspx
> The .Default user is not the default user
>
> As for the suggestion that the default profile path can be changed for
> any new users by making changes to the "Personal" value at
> HKU\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User
> Shell Folders that too is easy enough to test.
>
> To change the default profile path for new users you need to do two
> things:
>
> 1- Copy the %SystemDrive%\Documents and Settings\Default User *and* the
> %SystemDrive%\Documents and Settings\All Users folders to the new folder
> of your choice.
>
> 2- Modify the ProfilesDirectory value at
> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
> NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList to reflect the change in the Default User
> and All Users directory location.
>
> John
>
> Tim Meddick wrote:
>> Whatever, John, as I said, what you say may be true.
>>
>> However, you skilfully avoided parts of my reply.
>>
>> Please re-read (carefully) my re-quote :
>>
>> "I can see that the hive in "Documents and Settings\Default User"
>> (ntuser.dat) is different (incomplete) to that of what you call the
>> SYSTEM's (HKU\.Default) key, but nonetheless, there are registry
>> settings
>> in HKU\.Default\Software that are translated to new profiles where they
>> do
>> not even exist in the loaded hive from "Default User" folder...."
>>
>> ...and you will see that the first part of it *agrees* with you!
>>
>> But what about the rest????
>>
>> ==
>>
>> Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> "John John - MVP" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>>> It's a common misconception,
>>>
>>> < clipped >
>>