Is possible to have alternate TEMP environment variables?

[Juan I. Cahis]

Dear friends:

My notebook is short of disk space, it has only 8 GB free, and I
cannot upgrade its hard disk because it uses a proprietary 1.8" kind
of disk (It is a Lenovo Thinkpad X-41 Tablet).

But most of the time, I use it docked with a docking station in my
office, where I have a second 100 GB 2.5" hard disk almost free (Disk
"R:").

How can I set the TEMP environment variable in a way that the computer
will use the "R:\TEMP" folder when it is docked, and it will turn
automatically to the "C:\WINDOWS\TEMP" folder when it is undocked?


Thanks
Juan I. Cahis
Santiago de Chile (South America)
Note: Please forgive me for my bad English, I am trying to improve it!

 

[Synapse Syndrome]

My notebook is short of disk space, it has only 8 GB free, and I
cannot upgrade its hard disk because it uses a proprietary 1.8" kind
of disk (It is a Lenovo Thinkpad X-41 Tablet).

But most of the time, I use it docked with a docking station in my
office, where I have a second 100 GB 2.5" hard disk almost free (Disk
"R:").

How can I set the TEMP environment variable in a way that the computer
will use the "R:\TEMP" folder when it is docked, and it will turn
automatically to the "C:\WINDOWS\TEMP" folder when it is undocked?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is an interesting question, but I don't think this was even easily
possible in XP, where we have Hardware Profiles.

While I do not know the answer, I was wondering why you want to move
C:\WINDOWS\TEMP, as it hardly ever gets used form my experience. If you
wanted to do this, it would make more sense to use your current user temp
folder, which uses the %TEMP% variable. If you type %TEMP% in the address
bar you will get there and see that it is much more heavily used.

ss.

 

[DanS]

Dear friends:

My notebook is short of disk space, it has only 8 GB free, and I
cannot upgrade its hard disk because it uses a proprietary 1.8" kind
of disk (It is a Lenovo Thinkpad X-41 Tablet).

Not proprietary, just not common, yet.

http://castle.pricewatch.com/s/search.asp?s=1.8&Page=2&i=101
&c=Notebook+Drives&srt=t&view=&his=0&paging=1&mpi=&mpc=&sci=101

$150 for an 80 Gig.

 

[Juan I. Cahis]

Well, my idea was to move both!!!!!!!!!!

My notebook is short of disk space, it has only 8 GB free, and I
cannot upgrade its hard disk because it uses a proprietary 1.8" kind
of disk (It is a Lenovo Thinkpad X-41 Tablet).

But most of the time, I use it docked with a docking station in my
office, where I have a second 100 GB 2.5" hard disk almost free (Disk
"R:").

How can I set the TEMP environment variable in a way that the computer
will use the "R:\TEMP" folder when it is docked, and it will turn
automatically to the "C:\WINDOWS\TEMP" folder when it is undocked?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is an interesting question, but I don't think this was even easily
possible in XP, where we have Hardware Profiles.

While I do not know the answer, I was wondering why you want to move
C:\WINDOWS\TEMP, as it hardly ever gets used form my experience. If you
wanted to do this, it would make more sense to use your current user temp
folder, which uses the %TEMP% variable. If you type %TEMP% in the address
bar you will get there and see that it is much more heavily used.

ss.

Thanks
Juan I. Cahis
Santiago de Chile (South America)
Note: Please forgive me for my bad English, I am trying to improve it!

 

[Synapse Syndrome]

Not proprietary, just not common, yet.

http://castle.pricewatch.com/s/search.asp?s=1.8&Page=2&i=101
&c=Notebook+Drives&srt=t&view=&his=0&paging=1&mpi=&mpc=&sci=101

$150 for an 80 Gig.

While those are 1.8" hard drives, you have to be careful when buying parts
for Thinkpads. This has been the case for buying PCIe wi-fi network cards
and hard drives especially: I had to use a patch to alter the CMOS settings
in the BIOS for my non-IBM original equipment wi-fi network card could work
in my Thinkpad X31, and I have heard of people having problems buying
certain 1.8" HDDs for X4x series Thinkpads.

For more information you can go to the forums at www.thinkpads.com

ss.

 

[Synapse Syndrome]

While those are 1.8" hard drives, you have to be careful when buying parts
for Thinkpads. This has been the case for buying PCIe wi-fi network cards
and hard drives especially: I had to use a patch to alter the CMOS
settings in the BIOS for my non-IBM original equipment wi-fi network card
could work in my Thinkpad X31, and I have heard of people having problems
buying certain 1.8" HDDs for X4x series Thinkpads.

For more information you can go to the forums at www.thinkpads.com

For clarity - the network card for the laptop I mentioned was an internal
mini-PCI card.

ss.

 

[Jay Somerset]

My notebook is short of disk space, it has only 8 GB free, and I
cannot upgrade its hard disk because it uses a proprietary 1.8" kind
of disk (It is a Lenovo Thinkpad X-41 Tablet).

But most of the time, I use it docked with a docking station in my
office, where I have a second 100 GB 2.5" hard disk almost free (Disk
"R:").

How can I set the TEMP environment variable in a way that the computer
will use the "R:\TEMP" folder when it is docked, and it will turn
automatically to the "C:\WINDOWS\TEMP" folder when it is undocked?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is an interesting question, but I don't think this was even easily
possible in XP, where we have Hardware Profiles.

While I do not know the answer, I was wondering why you want to move
C:\WINDOWS\TEMP, as it hardly ever gets used form my experience. If you
wanted to do this, it would make more sense to use your current user temp
folder, which uses the %TEMP% variable. If you type %TEMP% in the address
bar you will get there and see that it is much more heavily used.

ss.

Of course it is possible -- has been since at least Win2K.

Go to Control panel : Advanced System Settings : Advanced tab :
Environment variables, and redefine TEMP and TMP.

 

[Synapse Syndrome]

Of course it is possible -- has been since at least Win2K.

Go to Control panel : Advanced System Settings : Advanced tab :
Environment variables, and redefine TEMP and TMP.

Yes. That is the way to change the location of those variables, but you
misunderstood the original poster's question. He wants to know how to
change it dynamically, or depending on what Hardware Profile (old XP thing)
is being used, depending on whether the laptop is docked or not. If he did
that to change the locations, there would be a problem when the laptop is
undocked and the second drive is not available.

ss.

 

[Juan I. Cahis]

Dear Dan, thanks a lot, but I don't see the 80 GB disk there, I see
only several 1.8 hard disks manufactured by Toshiba. These hard disk
have a different electrical and mechanical interface than the hard
disks used by Lenovo, which are only manufactured by Hitachi.

Not proprietary, just not common, yet.

http://castle.pricewatch.com/s/search.asp?s=1.8&Page=2&i=101
&c=Notebook+Drives&srt=t&view=&his=0&paging=1&mpi=&mpc=&sci=101

$150 for an 80 Gig.

Thanks
Juan I. Cahis
Santiago de Chile (South America)
Note: Please forgive me for my bad English, I am trying to improve it!

 

[DanS]

Dear Dan, thanks a lot, but I don't see the 80 GB disk there, I see
only several 1.8 hard disks manufactured by Toshiba. These hard disk
have a different electrical and mechanical interface than the hard
disks used by Lenovo, which are only manufactured by Hitachi.

Yes, I didn't realize that these are that specific.

I looked at the forum the other reader suggested and there's a little info
there.

 

[Jay Somerset]

Yes. That is the way to change the location of those variables, but you
misunderstood the original poster's question. He wants to know how to
change it dynamically, or depending on what Hardware Profile (old XP thing)
is being used, depending on whether the laptop is docked or not. If he did
that to change the locations, there would be a problem when the laptop is
undocked and the second drive is not available.

ss.

You are quite correct -- I didn't read it carefully enough. My bad!