How to move Public 'user' area to another drive?

I've just put in another drive on this Vista Ultimate x64 machine. I found
a tutorial on the web and have managed to move all the 'real' user's
'Documents', 'Downloads' etc. onto the new drive*. I have a significant
quantity of stuff in the folders under 'C:\Users\Public' but I don't seem to
be able to relocate that using the same method as I used for the 'real'
users. None of the ordinary users can relocate the files, and neither can
my administrator user. I even tried changing the owner of that whole branch
in 'C:\Users' to the administrator user, to see if that made a difference
but it did not.

Is there a different method for moving the Public 'user' to that which I
used for moving 'real' users?

Thanks.

Neil

* I created a Users directory on the new drive and under it created
directories matching the structure of all the relocatable locations for each
user. I applied all the same permissions to the new folder structure as the
old one had, and then altered the location pointed to using the 'Location'
tab of the 'Properties' of the folders 'C:\user\Documents' etc.

Hi,

No reason I know of you shouldn't be able to use the location tab of the
public subfolder(s) properties. You should be an admin to do this, and you
can't move the actual "Public" folder, just the subfolders.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/
Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
My thoughts http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com

"Neil" <> wrote in message
news:99638336-692D-4464-BC1D-...
> I've just put in another drive on this Vista Ultimate x64 machine. I
> found a tutorial on the web and have managed to move all the 'real' user's
> 'Documents', 'Downloads' etc. onto the new drive*. I have a significant
> quantity of stuff in the folders under 'C:\Users\Public' but I don't seem
> to be able to relocate that using the same method as I used for the 'real'
> users. None of the ordinary users can relocate the files, and neither can
> my administrator user. I even tried changing the owner of that whole
> branch in 'C:\Users' to the administrator user, to see if that made a
> difference but it did not.
>
> Is there a different method for moving the Public 'user' to that which I
> used for moving 'real' users?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Neil
>
> * I created a Users directory on the new drive and under it created
> directories matching the structure of all the relocatable locations for
> each user. I applied all the same permissions to the new folder structure
> as the old one had, and then altered the location pointed to using the
> 'Location' tab of the 'Properties' of the folders 'C:\user\Documents' etc.

It is only possible manual

1.Copy C:\Users\Public to new locatio
2.Modify path in registry to new location -do this by using Regedit.ex
it is not good idea -better to use any commercial registry editor or us
any tool to replace registry entrie

--
Flavius

"Flavius" <> wrote in message
news:...
>
> It is only possible manual.
>
> 1.Copy C:\Users\Public to new location
> 2.Modify path in registry to new location -do this by using Regedit.exe
> it is not good idea -better to use any commercial registry editor or use
> any tool to replace registry entries
>
>
> --
> Flavius


Thanks.

I've looked throught the registry and found relevant looking entries in
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\explorer\Shell
Folders

and also in
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\ Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell
Folders

In those places I can find keys relating to 'Music' 'Pictures' 'Videos'
'Desktop' and 'Documents'. In my 'Public' directory I also have 'Downloads'
(the same as there is in the 'real' users sections). But there are no keys
relating to that anywhere in the registry. Did I just add that manually
into the directory, so long ago that I can't remember, and is there really
no 'Downloads' in 'Public' by default? Somehow I don't think so, because
its properties box has a 'Location' tab. Where are the keys which control
the location of 'Downloads' ?

There are a couple of candidates in
HKEY_USERS\S-long-number\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer and its
equivalent in HKEY_CURRENT_USER. But, I can't really see that these are the
right ones. Any ideas?

Neil;953655 Wrote:
> "Flavius" <> wrote in messag
> news:...> > >
> >
> > > It is only possible manual
> >
> > > 1.Copy C:\Users\Public to new locatio
> > > 2.Modify path in registry to new location -do this by usin
> > Regedit.ex
> > > it is not good idea -better to use any commercial registry editor o
> > us
> > > any tool to replace registry entrie
> >
> >
> > > -
> > > Flavius > > Thanks
>
> I've looked throught the registry and found relevant looking entrie
> i
> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\explorer\Shel
> Folder
>
> and also i
> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\ Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shel
> Folder
>
> In those places I can find keys relating to 'Music' 'Pictures
> 'Videos
> 'Desktop' and 'Documents'. In my 'Public' directory I also hav
> 'Downloads
> (the same as there is in the 'real' users sections). But there ar
> no key
> relating to that anywhere in the registry. Did I just add tha
> manuall
> into the directory, so long ago that I can't remember, and is ther
> reall
> no 'Downloads' in 'Public' by default? Somehow I don't think so
> becaus
> its properties box has a 'Location' tab. Where are the keys whic
> contro
> the location of 'Downloads'
>
"Downloads" form Public folder is defined in
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\ Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Use
Shell Folders

and i

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS\CURR ENTVERSION\EXPLORER\USE
SHELL FOLDER
but you have to redefine %Public% definition for syste
You have to change definition for %Public% phrase in ke

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOW
NT\CURRENTVERSION\PROFILELIS

>
> There are a couple of candidates i
> HKEY_USERS\S-long-number\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer and it
> equivalent in HKEY_CURRENT_USER. But, I can't really see that thes
> are th
> right ones. Any ideas?Look at these users SID.There are only profiles for SYSTEM account,Loca
Service account ,Network Service account and all administrator
account.None of them concern Public folde

--
Flavius

OK, I've located keys in 'Shell Folders' (where the keys do not use
'%PUBLIC%' and do not include a definition for the 'Downloads' location) and
'User Shell Folders' (where the keys are defined using '%PUBLIC%' and
'Downloads' is included).

I've altered all the keys in all four of those locations ('Software' and
'Wow6432Node' and 'Shell Folders' and 'User Shell Folders' in each) to point
at 'D:' drive; so now they all look like the ones in 'Shell Folders' and
'User Shell Folders' under 'HKEY_CURRENT_USER' that the machine changed by
itself when I changed them using their 'Properties' boxes. Now when I open
'C:\Users\Public' all the directories appear to be ordinary (i.e. they do
not have a 'Location' tab in their 'Properties' boxes) and the directories
under 'D:\Users\Public' appear to be 'special' (i.e. they do have a
'Location' tab in their 'Properties' boxes). With the other users that
seemed to be enough to achieve what I wanted; once that had happened opening
a user's named location showed all the appropriate directories and they were
all pointed at 'D:' drive. It hasn't worked that way with 'Public' - when I
open the 'Public' location I see all the ordinary directories and they're
the ones still on 'C:' drive.

Neil

Neil;954330 Wrote:
> With the other users that
> seemed to be enough to achieve what I wanted; once that had happened
> opening
> a user's named location showed all the appropriate directories and they
> were
> all pointed at 'D:' drive. It hasn't worked that way with 'Public' -
> when I
> open the 'Public' location I see all the ordinary directories and
> they're
> the ones still on 'C:' drive.
>
> Neil
Yes.I forgot about junctions.Unfortunatly there is no way to redefine
junctions.You can only remove junctions and create new to changed
location.To do this you can use *mklink* command(mklink /? - displays
all options) or special program for comfort ->for example 'Link Shell
Extension'
(http://schinagl.priv.at/nt/hardlinks...kshellext.html)
Then you romove old junctions and create new junctions you can savely
remove old Public folder


--
Flavius