Redirecting the Public Documents folder no longer works with Win 10 (for me anyway)

Published on November 4, 2016 By werewolf In Personal Computing

I have several applications which use the public documents folder extensively. I want to relocate the public documents folder to an SSD drive specifically so the various graphical apps don't need to wait for a disk to spin up and to get 9.6 gigs of files off my system drive.
There are two ways I have found to do this. One is straight forward: Boot into safe mode, select the properties of that folder, choose the location tab and change it.

The other way is more dramatic and requires the command line to create junctions with the mklink /j option and other DOS stuff. Not afraid of the DOS stuff, just lazy

I used the first method. When I booted back into my desktop, none of my Stardock apps, nor the Winstep apps had picked up the new location. I thought that the OS was supposed to deal with that automatically. It used to work in Win 7.
I reversed the first method. Back at my desktop, all was well.
I tried the 2nd method. That's when it all went to hell lmao. I followed the instructions to the tee, but it didn't work at all.

So does anyone know how to get this to work on a 64 bit Win 10 machine?

Thanks in advance.

David

Comments

starkers

on Nov 04, 2016

I'd like to know the answer to this as well... would save cluttering my OS drive as much.

Hopefully, somebody knows and will post the answer here.

werewolf

on Nov 04, 2016

My other "tech" post has 180 views and nobody can/will offer an opinion Hope this one fairs better. Really would like to be able to do this again.

werewolf

on Nov 05, 2016

Oddly, I am testing this with another program author and this time all my icons from IP are showing correctly, but WindowBlinds has no clue where the theme files are apparently.

werewolf

on Nov 06, 2016

I hope some techs/devs/moderators are keeping an eye on this

it has been discovered that Win 10 64 bit allows for the relocation of the public documents folder, but does not remember where the new location is.

This means that if the public documents folder is moved to another drive, when you boot back into the desktop Windowblinds no longer knows where to get it graphics files. Icon Packager as well, but IP has a field to input the new location. These are the only Stardock apps I use, aside from Fences, but it doesn't seem to have a problem with the relocation.

So... Would it be possible to have a setting in WindowBlinds which would allow for the user to specify the new location of the public documents folder?

The registry location HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders > Common Documents remembers the new location, but does not act upon it for some reason.

A reboot may be required after setting the new location, but I can totally live with that.

What'cha think?

David

GFireflyE

on Nov 08, 2016

The only thing I put in my public folder directory is a series of shortcuts to the actual directories I store my data.

RedneckDude

on Nov 08, 2016

I can tell you how to move the WindowBlinds folder so that WindowBlinds program will see it. I don't know about the other folders.

It requires altering the registry. If you want instructions, PM me.

RedneckDude

on Nov 08, 2016

I want to relocate the public documents folder to an SSD drive specifically so the various graphical apps don't need to wait for a disk to spin up and to get 9.6 gigs of files off my system drive.

I gotta ask, why is your system drive not an SSD?

werewolf

on Nov 10, 2016

RedneckDude

reply 7

I want to relocate the public documents folder to an SSD drive specifically so the various graphical apps don't need to wait for a disk to spin up and to get 9.6 gigs of files off my system drive.

I gotta ask, why is your system drive not an SSD?

It is

I don't want all the public folders on my system drive.

RedneckDude

on Nov 10, 2016

PM answered, David.

RedneckDude

on Nov 10, 2016

werewolf

reply 8

It is I don't want all the public folders on my system drive.

Then the above statement doesn't make sense.

If you system drive IS an SSD, why would the graphical apps you have stored there need to wait for a disk to spin up?

I R confused.

werewolf

on Nov 12, 2016

lol Yeah, I get that. I changed my system drive to an SSD quite recently.

There are over 11 gigs of files in the public folder. I would prefer they be somewhere other than my system drive, just in case. I do maintain a backup of this folder also, just in case. Perhaps with SSD drives I do not need to maintain my paranoia of system crashes, but eh. It makes restoring the system image a little easier I guess.

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