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My C: Drive is nearly full and thus I want to move all documents from C drive to D drive.
For documents under myname, I can move them by Start, right-click My Documents, choose Properties, and change the Target folder location to a folder in D drive.
What about the Shared Documents? How can I move all Shared Documents (as seen from My Computer) to D Drive?
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To change the location of some fifteen shell folders without [actually] moving contents, use TweakUI for Windows XP; go to My Computer>Special Folders, select the shell folder, and change the location. Contents may then be copied or moved in Windows Explorer.
CD Burning
Desktop
Document Templates
Favorites
Installation Path Windows Installer default install folder location
My Documents
My Music
My Pictures
Programs
SendTo
Shared Documents
Shared Music
Shared Pictures
Start Menu
Startup
Probably the easiest way to approach moving shell folders is to try to move the folder in Windows Explorer. If that doesn't work, then try TweakUI and if it isn't available in TweakUI, then edit the appropriate registry key. Don't forget to move the contents manually if you use TweakUI or the registry to change the location.
In the section on "relocating sub-folders", new registry keys are created in
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ User Shell Folders
but corresponding registry keys already exist in
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ Shell Folders
and I don't know why new keys should be created in a different location or whether the new keys "override" the existing ones.
I have moved several XP folders to a second partition but I never touched the Shared Documents folder (and the default subfolders). The reason is that my computer has a single user and ... ... I never share documents with myself. The multiple user setups I have done have not wanted to use the Shared Documents folder. However, the below would be my attempt to do the deed. Take note that I have not verified that it works!
In the Registry Editor, navigate to the first key mentioned above. Click File > Export > name it and save to a location where it can be easily found. Navigate to the second key mentioned above and repeat the procedure. Now, both keys are backed up.
In Windows Explorer, navigate to C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\ > right-click on the Shared Documents folder and choose copy > navigate to the desired location, e.g. D:\ > right-click an empy space and choose paste. Close WE.
In the Registry Editor, navigate to the first key mentioned above. In the right hand pane, double-click on the Common Documents key > edit the path to point to the new location (e.g. D:\Shared Documents). Navigate to the second key mentioned above and repeat the procedure for the CommonMusic, CommonPictures and CommonVideo keys (e.g. D:\Shared Documents\CommonXXXXXX). Close the Registry Editor.
Now, the folders should be copied (not moved) and the original registry keys backed up. If this doesn't work, all you should have to do is find the registry backup files and double-click on them to restore the original values, pointing to the default location.
Restart the computer.
In the Registry Editor, verify that the edited keys still point to the new location.
Open MS Word or any other text editor. Create a test document and save it in the Shared Documents folder. Open Windows Explorer and verify that it ended up in the new location.
If all is well, you should now be able to delete the default Shared Documents folder and free up the space on C:. You can also delete the *.reg files (to avoid any accidental clicking).
I repeat: I have not verified that this will work. If you want me to, I will do it!
I didn't expect such level of complication in moving the shared folder in XP. I thought it should be within a few clicks. It leads me to think if moving the public folder in Windows Vista has the same complexity.
I am also surprise that moving shared folder has not been an imminent need or a common practice. Everyone in my family has a personal computer, but I need to create an account for each of us in each computer. It's for many reasons. Firstly, I am the de facto System Administrator for all the computers. Secondly, when one of the computers breaks down, another computer can be made available immediately. Thirdly, it's getting more and more unaffordable to install the same software to each computer. So, for needy but expensive software like Photoshop CS2, I only install them on two computers and whoever needs it, may go for it. Then the computers become shared, instead of "personal". Moreover, in many situations, I have prepared the information for the whole family, and I just don't want to put them in my private folders. Putting them in the shared folders in XP, or the public folders in Vista would be necessary for everyone in the family to access.
I recently feel the pressure of "digital divid". After moving into a country of huge racial discrimination, past experience (though recognized internationally) were not recognized "locally" because immigrants are not considered as "locals", no matter how competent they have been. Many people in the immigrant-class that I know have turned their home computers sharable among family members because of substantially lowered family income (used to be CIO/IT Manager in their home country and now a waiter or a night-shift aged-people carer in this country, earning 1/10 of their prior income). As Bill Gate said in one of his speech in helping those people in Africa suffering "digital divid", he should really look into the matter and design the new operating system (Vista or Vista2) and grant licenses on a family basis.
Why a shared folder issue takes me so far??? Sorry for that.
Just a piece of chinese wisdom that I picked up somewhere ... ... that you need to "get your hands dirty" to really learn.
I use another one in different places: "You know that you're old when it takes longer to rest than it took to get tired" and that one is not chinese ... ... it's my own!
... I never share documents with myself. The multiple user setups I have done have not wanted to use the Shared Documents folder. However, the below would be my attempt to do the deed. Take note that I have not verified that it works!
See if the reference on how to is of help.
... it's my own!
