Changing default partition for storage of data in vista
 

My new laptop has two partitions. One (C) is labeled Vista OS & the
other (D) data. Everything is going into the Vista OS partition. How
do I set this up so that all my data (documents, photos, videos etc etc)
goes into partition D (Data)
Thanks for your help
David


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Changing default partition for storage of data in vista
 

D: drive is the recovery partition, (hands off)
Create a new partition by shrinking C: drive and creating a new partition in
the Unallocated space.


"dgee" wrote in message
...

My new laptop has two partitions. One (C) is labeled Vista OS & the
other (D) data. Everything is going into the Vista OS partition. How
do I set this up so that all my data (documents, photos, videos etc etc)
goes into partition D (Data)
Thanks for your help
David


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http://forums.techarena.in/vista-fil...nt/1216599.htm

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Changing default partition for storage of data in vista
 

This does not help. D is not the recovery partition. It is a separate
partition of 230gb for the storage of data. Actually there may be a
third partition, unamed, of about 11gb. That could well be a recovery
partition.

What I want to know is how to set up the system so that data from all
programs (e.g. Word documents, pdfs, excel files, photographs etc.) goes
to partition (drive) D? There must be some mechanism for that. My home
desktop computer which I am away from at the moment was built in 2003
(obviously in XP days) to contain two drives - a C drive for programs
(40gb) and a separate D drive for data (120gb). I was advised to have
it constructed like this in order to separate my large number of large
photo files from the programs.

Drive C, where Vista is stored plus all the programs I use like MS
Office, Photoshop etc, is also about 230gb in size. Eventually I would
like to reduce (shrink) the size of that partition (drive) and increase
the size of the D = Data partition (drive). If you hav advice for that
as well I wohjld be most appreciateiove, but the pressing problem at the
moment is getting data into the data (D) partition.
Thanks very much in anticipation.
David


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Changing default partition for storage of data in vista
 

dgee wrote:


This does not help. D is not the recovery partition. It is a separate
partition of 230gb for the storage of data. Actually there may be a
third partition, unamed, of about 11gb. That could well be a recovery
partition.

What I want to know is how to set up the system so that data from all
programs (e.g. Word documents, pdfs, excel files, photographs etc.) goes
to partition (drive) D? There must be some mechanism for that. My home
desktop computer which I am away from at the moment was built in 2003
(obviously in XP days) to contain two drives - a C drive for programs
(40gb) and a separate D drive for data (120gb). I was advised to have
it constructed like this in order to separate my large number of large
photo files from the programs.

Drive C, where Vista is stored plus all the programs I use like MS
Office, Photoshop etc, is also about 230gb in size. Eventually I would
like to reduce (shrink) the size of that partition (drive) and increase
the size of the D = Data partition (drive). If you hav advice for that
as well I wohjld be most appreciateiove, but the pressing problem at the
moment is getting data into the data (D) partition.
Thanks very much in anticipation.
David


You need to learn to use Google. Googling "how to move documents
folder vista"... this comes up as the fifth hit on the list:

http://www.edbott.com/weblog/?p=1371

Change the size of your partitions now, rather than later:

http://www.free-partition-tool.com/

Changing default partition for storage of data in vista
 

On Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:41:23 +0530, dgee
wrote:


What I want to know is how to set up the system so that data from all
programs (e.g. Word documents, pdfs, excel files, photographs etc.) goes
to partition (drive) D? There must be some mechanism for that. My home
desktop computer which I am away from at the moment was built in 2003
(obviously in XP days) to contain two drives - a C drive for programs
(40gb) and a separate D drive for data (120gb). I was advised to have
it constructed like this in order to separate my large number of large
photo files from the programs.


I will give you the opposite advice. For most people I think that's a
poor idea. There can sometimes be good reasons for doing that (see
below), but if you are doing it with the thought that it safeguards
your data, you are almost certainly making a very serious mistake.
Doing that suggests that you do not do any backups, and it leaves you
susceptible to simultaneous loss of the original and backup to many of
the most common dangers: hard drive crashes, severe power glitches,
nearby lightning strikes, virus attacks, even theft of the computer.

If your data is important to you, you need to protect it against all
dangers by backup to external media. Separating it in a partition by
itself is not real protection at all.

I think the best reason for separating your data in a separate
partition from the system is that your backup policy is to backup only
data, and not create clones of the entire drive. If you backup your
data only, then the backup is facilitated by being able to backup the
entire data partition.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

Changing default partition for storage of data in vista
 

I just went through this, after a clean install and recreation of my
family's user accounts. Different things are stored in different places
(address books, bookmarks, My Documents etc.). Concerning files,
though, 1) Create accounts initially as administrator, 2) Logon to each
account and make a D:\Users\name\ folder and make sure the account is
the owner with full rights, 3) Convert the other accounts to limited, 4)
Logon to each account and for Documents, Music and Downloads do a right
click-Properties-Move, 5) When specifying where you want to move each
item, create a Documents, Music and Downloads folder. Other stuff under
stays on C: (desktop etc.), but these three folders will point to
D:Each user can then copy the user files from C: to the new
Documents/Downloads/Music folder.


--
coghlan

Changing default partition for storage of data in vista
 

I hate to dig up and old topic but I just got a new machine with Vista and
want to create a data partition for all users so that when 7 arrives I can
upgrade. I have heard and read that it is a good idea to separate the OS
from user data file as that facilitates easier user backups and OS
repair/install/upgrades.

So, what is in the "D" partition whose folders are hidden on my new computer
and should I leave it alone in favor of creating a new partition for user
data?

Thanks for taking my question.

"Ken Blake, MVP" wrote:

On Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:41:23 +0530, dgee
wrote:


What I want to know is how to set up the system so that data from all
programs (e.g. Word documents, pdfs, excel files, photographs etc.) goes
to partition (drive) D? There must be some mechanism for that. My home
desktop computer which I am away from at the moment was built in 2003
(obviously in XP days) to contain two drives - a C drive for programs
(40gb) and a separate D drive for data (120gb). I was advised to have
it constructed like this in order to separate my large number of large
photo files from the programs.


I will give you the opposite advice. For most people I think that's a
poor idea. There can sometimes be good reasons for doing that (see
below), but if you are doing it with the thought that it safeguards
your data, you are almost certainly making a very serious mistake.
Doing that suggests that you do not do any backups, and it leaves you
susceptible to simultaneous loss of the original and backup to many of
the most common dangers: hard drive crashes, severe power glitches,
nearby lightning strikes, virus attacks, even theft of the computer.

If your data is important to you, you need to protect it against all
dangers by backup to external media. Separating it in a partition by
itself is not real protection at all.

I think the best reason for separating your data in a separate
partition from the system is that your backup policy is to backup only
data, and not create clones of the entire drive. If you backup your
data only, then the backup is facilitated by being able to backup the
entire data partition.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

Changing default partition for storage of data in vista
 

I hate to dig up and old topic but I just got a new machine with Vista and
want to create a data partition for all users so that when 7 arrives I can
upgrade. I have heard and read that it is a good idea to separate the OS
from user data file as that facilitates easier user backups and OS
repair/install/upgrades.

So, what is in the "D" partition whose folders are hidden on my new computer
and should I leave it alone in favor of creating a new partition for user
data?

Thanks for taking my question.

"Ken Blake, MVP" wrote:

On Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:41:23 +0530, dgee
wrote:


What I want to know is how to set up the system so that data from all
programs (e.g. Word documents, pdfs, excel files, photographs etc.) goes
to partition (drive) D? There must be some mechanism for that. My home
desktop computer which I am away from at the moment was built in 2003
(obviously in XP days) to contain two drives - a C drive for programs
(40gb) and a separate D drive for data (120gb). I was advised to have
it constructed like this in order to separate my large number of large
photo files from the programs.


I will give you the opposite advice. For most people I think that's a
poor idea. There can sometimes be good reasons for doing that (see
below), but if you are doing it with the thought that it safeguards
your data, you are almost certainly making a very serious mistake.
Doing that suggests that you do not do any backups, and it leaves you
susceptible to simultaneous loss of the original and backup to many of
the most common dangers: hard drive crashes, severe power glitches,
nearby lightning strikes, virus attacks, even theft of the computer.

If your data is important to you, you need to protect it against all
dangers by backup to external media. Separating it in a partition by
itself is not real protection at all.

I think the best reason for separating your data in a separate
partition from the system is that your backup policy is to backup only
data, and not create clones of the entire drive. If you backup your
data only, then the backup is facilitated by being able to backup the
entire data partition.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

Changing default partition for storage of data in vista
 

On Thu, 1 Oct 2009 08:10:02 -0700, playIT@home
wrote:

I hate to dig up and old topic but I just got a new machine with Vista and
want to create a data partition for all users so that when 7 arrives I can
upgrade.


OK. But since Windows 7 is just three weeks away, bear this other
alternative in mind. You won't likely create a lot of data in the next
three weeks, so when you are ready to upgrade to Vista, simply copy
all the data to a thumb drive or CD. (Or better, use the regular
backups that you should have been creating during this period).


I have heard and read that it is a good idea to separate the OS
from user data file as that facilitates easier user backups and OS
repair/install/upgrades.



It is a good idea for some people, not such a good idea for others.

There are two general approaches to backing up: cloning the entire
drive and backing up data only. If your approach is backing up data
only, then yes, having that data in a separate partition facilitates
the backups. But if you clone the entire drive (and that is the
considerably better way of doing backups for many people), having the
data in a separate partition doesn't help at all.

Regarding repairs and upgrades, it doesn't matter at all. Regarding
clean reinstallations of Windows, I have two things to say:

1. Having data in separate partition means that you don't have to back
up your data to an external device before reinstalling. But if you
don't back up (at least your data) to an external device regularly,
you are playing with fire. So the real solution to this issue is
regular backup, not a separate partition.

2. Although there are many people who reinstall Windows, either
regularly or whenever they have a problem, I am almost always against
doing this. If you maintain your system well, it should never be
necessary, and doing so is normally a very great amount of work and
often creates problems of its own.

So my recommendation is as follows. If your backup scheme is to backup
data only, have a separate partition for data. Except for those with
dual-boot machines, almost everyone else does at least as well with a
single partition. And if your system has any significant degree of
customization, backing up by cloning is a *far* better way to do it.


So, what is in the "D" partition whose folders are hidden on my new computer
and should I leave it alone in favor of creating a new partition for user
data?


Not seeing your machine, I can't be sure, but I have a very strong
guess. Is yours a machine built by a major OEM like Dell and supplied
with Windows pre-installed? If so, almost certainly D: is a recovery
partition for Windows, and the system came with that instead of a
Windows DVD. Your system also very likely came with instructions to
burn the contents of that partition to a DVD, since if the disk
crashes, you lose everything.


Thanks for taking my question.


You're welcome. Glad to help.



"Ken Blake, MVP" wrote:

On Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:41:23 +0530, dgee
wrote:


What I want to know is how to set up the system so that data from all
programs (e.g. Word documents, pdfs, excel files, photographs etc.) goes
to partition (drive) D? There must be some mechanism for that. My home
desktop computer which I am away from at the moment was built in 2003
(obviously in XP days) to contain two drives - a C drive for programs
(40gb) and a separate D drive for data (120gb). I was advised to have
it constructed like this in order to separate my large number of large
photo files from the programs.


I will give you the opposite advice. For most people I think that's a
poor idea. There can sometimes be good reasons for doing that (see
below), but if you are doing it with the thought that it safeguards
your data, you are almost certainly making a very serious mistake.
Doing that suggests that you do not do any backups, and it leaves you
susceptible to simultaneous loss of the original and backup to many of
the most common dangers: hard drive crashes, severe power glitches,
nearby lightning strikes, virus attacks, even theft of the computer.

If your data is important to you, you need to protect it against all
dangers by backup to external media. Separating it in a partition by
itself is not real protection at all.

I think the best reason for separating your data in a separate
partition from the system is that your backup policy is to backup only
data, and not create clones of the entire drive. If you backup your
data only, then the backup is facilitated by being able to backup the
entire data partition.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup


--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

Changing default partition for storage of data in vista
 

On Thu, 1 Oct 2009 08:10:02 -0700, playIT@home
wrote:

I hate to dig up and old topic but I just got a new machine with Vista and
want to create a data partition for all users so that when 7 arrives I can
upgrade.


OK. But since Windows 7 is just three weeks away, bear this other
alternative in mind. You won't likely create a lot of data in the next
three weeks, so when you are ready to upgrade to Vista, simply copy
all the data to a thumb drive or CD. (Or better, use the regular
backups that you should have been creating during this period).


I have heard and read that it is a good idea to separate the OS
from user data file as that facilitates easier user backups and OS
repair/install/upgrades.



It is a good idea for some people, not such a good idea for others.

There are two general approaches to backing up: cloning the entire
drive and backing up data only. If your approach is backing up data
only, then yes, having that data in a separate partition facilitates
the backups. But if you clone the entire drive (and that is the
considerably better way of doing backups for many people), having the
data in a separate partition doesn't help at all.

Regarding repairs and upgrades, it doesn't matter at all. Regarding
clean reinstallations of Windows, I have two things to say:

1. Having data in separate partition means that you don't have to back
up your data to an external device before reinstalling. But if you
don't back up (at least your data) to an external device regularly,
you are playing with fire. So the real solution to this issue is
regular backup, not a separate partition.

2. Although there are many people who reinstall Windows, either
regularly or whenever they have a problem, I am almost always against
doing this. If you maintain your system well, it should never be
necessary, and doing so is normally a very great amount of work and
often creates problems of its own.

So my recommendation is as follows. If your backup scheme is to backup
data only, have a separate partition for data. Except for those with
dual-boot machines, almost everyone else does at least as well with a
single partition. And if your system has any significant degree of
customization, backing up by cloning is a *far* better way to do it.


So, what is in the "D" partition whose folders are hidden on my new computer
and should I leave it alone in favor of creating a new partition for user
data?


Not seeing your machine, I can't be sure, but I have a very strong
guess. Is yours a machine built by a major OEM like Dell and supplied
with Windows pre-installed? If so, almost certainly D: is a recovery
partition for Windows, and the system came with that instead of a
Windows DVD. Your system also very likely came with instructions to
burn the contents of that partition to a DVD, since if the disk
crashes, you lose everything.


Thanks for taking my question.


You're welcome. Glad to help.



"Ken Blake, MVP" wrote:

On Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:41:23 +0530, dgee
wrote:


What I want to know is how to set up the system so that data from all
programs (e.g. Word documents, pdfs, excel files, photographs etc.) goes
to partition (drive) D? There must be some mechanism for that. My home
desktop computer which I am away from at the moment was built in 2003
(obviously in XP days) to contain two drives - a C drive for programs
(40gb) and a separate D drive for data (120gb). I was advised to have
it constructed like this in order to separate my large number of large
photo files from the programs.


I will give you the opposite advice. For most people I think that's a
poor idea. There can sometimes be good reasons for doing that (see
below), but if you are doing it with the thought that it safeguards
your data, you are almost certainly making a very serious mistake.
Doing that suggests that you do not do any backups, and it leaves you
susceptible to simultaneous loss of the original and backup to many of
the most common dangers: hard drive crashes, severe power glitches,
nearby lightning strikes, virus attacks, even theft of the computer.

If your data is important to you, you need to protect it against all
dangers by backup to external media. Separating it in a partition by
itself is not real protection at all.

I think the best reason for separating your data in a separate
partition from the system is that your backup policy is to backup only
data, and not create clones of the entire drive. If you backup your
data only, then the backup is facilitated by being able to backup the
entire data partition.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup


--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
Please Reply to the Newsgroup