Re-Route Users/program files safely?

[firehawk_1]

Hi.
I have Windows installed on an SSD drive.
I want to reroute all the users folder to another drive (D:\)

is this possible? if so how?

What about changing the specified installation folder for program files and program files (x86) to point to the D:\ drive also?

how can I do this safely and making sure that it will not make Windows go a bit dodgy and still have Windows Updates successfully download and install?

 

[WyomingKnott]

Changing the location of the user files is as easy as preparing a top-level folder on your HDD, right-clicking on the user's My Documents / My Music / etc, selecting Properties, and changing the location to a folder under the root folder that you created on the HDD. It will offer you the option of moving folders.

There is actually a way with fewer steps, but I don't know it. It involves a registry change before the user accounts are created, setting the default location for My Documents.

As to installing on the D: drive, JohnnyLucky just posted a solution that blew my socks off. I will look up the link and paste it here. Edit: got it: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/forum2.php?config=tomshardwareus.inc&cat=32&post=271299&page=1&p=1&sondage=0&owntopic=1&trash=0&trash_post=0&print=0&numreponse=0&quote_only=0&new=0&nojs=0

On the other hand, the SSD is the best place to put your programs. Programs will load much faster off said SSD. Unless you have a very small SSD or very large programs, the convention is to install apps to the SSD.

 

[firehawk_1]

thanks.
its quite funny, after peeking around, i did just that and seems to be working just fine.
I tried to be clever and add a %RAIDDrive% system environment variable so I can then use this to map program files etc... on that drive. whilst it did work, there were quite alot of software installers that just did not recognise that at all unfortunately, so ended up just doing a hardcode of the new drive.

SSD is 120GB so its pretty small for apps but the boot time is damn fast. I've made a RAID0 config using 2x2TB HDD. seems ok for now but still loading on apps and transferring files.

Trying to get the gadget up on WS2008R2 isnt easy. I have no idea how I managed to do it on my current system (the "old" system). it appears automatically as it would do with Win7 but for some reason on the new system - not so much. it doesnt appear unless I right click desktop and click on gadgets, then it appears but the side effect is that the gadgets centre opens too :-/