Change Documents and Settings Location

[Guest]

In another effort to avoid losing data (again), I have installed a second
hard drive in a PC. I am trying to physically seperate the OS and programs
from the data. I can reformat and reload the OS and programs (which I just
had to do!), but can not do the same for the data (no I don't back-up as
often as I should).

Is there a way to have all of the information contained under Documents and
Settings for the accounts on this PC directed to a seperate hard drive? If
all is not possible, how about all the shared folders, favorites, e-mail, and
documents (Word, Excel & PowerPoint)? I need to maintain the privacy
(security settings).

I was looking at TweakUI, but wasn't sure ...

Thanks!

 

[db]

You can try both, as
one of them will give
you the option. I think
the nt version is intiated
via control panel.
a.. NT TweakUI
a.. http://www.microsoft.com/ntworkstation/downloads/PowerToys/Networking/NTTweakui.asp
b.. Tweak UI
a.. http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx
a.. http://download.microsoft.com/downl...a6-b352-839afb2a2679/TweakUiPowertoySetup.exe
- db

In another effort to avoid losing data (again), I have installed a second
hard drive in a PC. I am trying to physically seperate the OS and programs
from the data. I can reformat and reload the OS and programs (which I just
had to do!), but can not do the same for the data (no I don't back-up as
often as I should).

Is there a way to have all of the information contained under Documents and
Settings for the accounts on this PC directed to a seperate hard drive? If
all is not possible, how about all the shared folders, favorites, e-mail, and
documents (Word, Excel & PowerPoint)? I need to maintain the privacy
(security settings).

I was looking at TweakUI, but wasn't sure ...

Thanks!

 

[Doug Knox - [MS-MVP]]

You can redirect personal folders.but not the entire Documents and Settings
folder structure, except at installation. This requires an unattended
installation and unattended answer file.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/236621

 

[Guest]

I'm going to set up a few dummy accounts and give this and TweakUI a try.
I'll post results later.


Thanks!

 

[Rock]

In another effort to avoid losing data (again), I have installed a second
hard drive in a PC. I am trying to physically seperate the OS and
programs
from the data. I can reformat and reload the OS and programs (which I
just
had to do!), but can not do the same for the data (no I don't back-up as
often as I should).

Is there a way to have all of the information contained under Documents
and
Settings for the accounts on this PC directed to a seperate hard drive?
If
all is not possible, how about all the shared folders, favorites, e-mail,
and
documents (Word, Excel & PowerPoint)? I need to maintain the privacy
(security settings).

I was looking at TweakUI, but wasn't sure ...

See a reply by Kelly made yesterday in this newsgroup with good info on this
issue.

Note: TweakUI can relocate some of the folders under Documents and
Settings, but not the folder itself with all it's sub folders. But you can
relocate all the "My" folders such as My Documents using it, which contain
the majority of the important files.

From a different perspective, placing data on a separate, internal, drive
may facilitate backup, but it doesn't make the data any safer. You still
need to have a good backup solution in place.

One good, low cost solution is to use a drive imaging program such as
Acronis True Image Home, version 10, to regularly make a compressed image of
the drives to an external USB connected hard drive. Hard drives are cheap,
purchase a white box EIDE drive (WD has a 320 GB Caviar drive for under $90)
and a self powered, hard drive enclosure (in the $20 range). Connect this
via USB. Restores can be done on a drive, partition or file basis. Images
can be full, incremental or differential.