VISTA - Changing default Folder locations (e.g., Docs, Pics, Music, etc.)

Hello all,

I am currently dual booting with Windows XP & Windows Vista. I have all of my files on my XP partitition and I would like to keep it that way, because I am unable to access anything from my Vista partition while in XP (some sort of security issue).

What I want is to change the default directories in Vista for my Documents, Pictures, Music, etc. So that when I want to save something I don't have to go through the gauntlet of clicking folders to get to (D:\Doc&Settings\User\My Documents\.....).

I don't even know if this is possible, perhaps a registry tweak?

 

I would like to know that too...

 

What I did is to populate the C:\USERS\username\LINKS\ folder with shortcuts to the places I commonly want to get to quickly and removed the shortcuts to the places that held no interest for me.

 

oohhh smarte one

 

...another thing if you can actually change it...will Vista 'own' the folders and render them inaccessible?

 

I suppose that at some point Microsoft will inadvertently create some bug that will cause XP and Vista permissions to be incompatible, but the reality is that XP has an end of life already set and Vista does not. It's like children: It's their job to replace us.

 

Two ways to do this are described in http://www.edbott.com/weblog/?p=1371 and http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=215. The choice of which to use is based on how much of the users directories you want to move.

 

Allright, here's what I got for us. Combined with JohnDoe's Shortcut genious, you can also go into Word/Excel/etc. and go to Tools/Options/General and whadda-you-know "Default file location"...I know this doesn't solve the problem on a system-wide basis, but it gets pretty close.

Edit: The directions above are for Excel.

In Word you go to Tools/Options/File Locations
In Powerpoint its Tools/Options/Save

...why can't Microsoft make up its mind?

 

Will this make the folders inaccessible in XP by placing the Vista security locks of death on them?

 

- Right click on folder (Videos, Documents, etc)
- Go to properties
- Click on the "Location tab"
- Change the location to a folder somewhere else that's more convenient for you (ex D:\Music)

 

Sorry, I don't know. I only have Vista on my laptop and I haven't looked at the security interactions between the Windows versions.

 

One method I've read about in a few places is to use 'junctions' via the new MKLINK DOS command.

Basically you boot using your Vista DVD, start a command window, move your C:\Users folder to (for example) D:\Users being careful to copy everything by using ROBOCOPY. You then create a new Junction by doing ...

mklink /J C:\Users D:\Users

This basically creates a hardcoded shortcut so that after a reboot any reference to C:\Users is automatically redirected to D:\Users. MS have actually already created a bunch of default Junctions to direct references to XP folders to the new Vista equivalent folders. In theory any programs that use hardcoded paths shouldn't be broken by this method.

Sorry, I haven't actually tried this yet as my new Vista notebook is a Christmas present, I've just been researching how best to partition my HD up before creating user accounts as these things are probably best done on a new machine or after a clean install.

If someone else could try it first I'd me most grateful

Here's a link that describes it in more detail ...
Moving User Folders

Note that he suggests re-doing the "C:\Documents and Settings" junction again as he had problems with a junction to a junction, maybe someone could verify this ie you might need to also do ...

mklink /J "C:\Documents and Settings" D:\Users