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Windows Vista File Management Issues or questions in relation to Vista's file management. (microsoft.public.windows.vista.file_management) |
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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 -- dgee ------------------------------------------------------------------------ dgee's Profile: http://forums.techarena.in/members/116166.htm View this thread: http://forums.techarena.in/vista-fil...nt/1216599.htm http://forums.techarena.in |
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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 -- dgee ------------------------------------------------------------------------ dgee's Profile: http://forums.techarena.in/members/116166.htm View this thread: http://forums.techarena.in/vista-fil...nt/1216599.htm http://forums.techarena.in |
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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 -- dgee ------------------------------------------------------------------------ dgee's Profile: http://forums.techarena.in/members/116166.htm View this thread: http://forums.techarena.in/vista-fil...nt/1216600.htm http://forums.techarena.in |
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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/ |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |