Windows 8 SSD redirect and "moden" dashboard

I couldn't see this little tip anywhere, but after I had this issue, and after much hair pulling, found the solution, I thought I'd better share:

If like me you use an SSD, have your Windows C: on the SSD, but then move the Users directory onto a bigger HDD (eg. D), then you may hit a problem installing Windows 8.

If you followed this: ( http://windows7easy.wordpress.com/20...-installation/ ), or a similar method and used "audit" mode during installation to relocate Users then you'll spot a problem when Windows 8 is installed.

What you'll see is the "Modern" interface but with only a handful (as in 4 or 5) tiles. Clicking the Windows Store does absolutely nothing. You won't get any errors, or even messages, it just won't work. If you delved deeper you'd have seen some License errors in the error log. All very strange.

The secret lies in the alternative way of relocating these folders.

One of the other ways of relocating these is to create a hardlink (or redirect) to the new location. Doing this when the Users folder isn't in use is a bit tricky, but it's easier than typing odd scripts in Audit mode. If you'd done this however you'd not have had a problem. It seems that Windows "Modern" UI -MUST- have A c:\Users folders otherwise it won't work properly. Even a hardlink will suffice, but doing it the audit tool root, won't.

So use this to add that link in:
mklink /J C:\Users D:\Users

And that's it, simple fix.

The thing that breaks in 8 versus 7 is trying to relocate the ProgramData folder.

That W7 guide is fine, as long as you remove the <ProgramData>d:\ProgramData</ProgramData> line.

As you say the guide is fine without, but you can also move Program Data as it suggests (indeed I have with no bad after effects), provided you also use mklink to provide a link to the new location, such that there is also a C:\Program Data, pointing to D:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by phil4

As you say the guide is fine without, but you can also move Program Data as it suggests (indeed I have with no bad after effects), provided you also use mklink to provide a link to the new location, such that there is also a C:\Program Data, pointing to D:

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My experience is that the W8 installer only *partly* obeys the ProgramData redirect. Having a junction point on C: pointing to the desired location isn't enough, you need various files from the folder the installer shoves on C: to be moved to D: (and they've got some degree of broken permissions so you can't just move the files in question, and they're not regenerated from anything)

Major warning: The Windows 8 "reset" and "refresh" features, to do a "reformat" without install media, will not run unless the real (non-junction-point) Windows, Users and ProgramData folders are all on the same drive.

You're right about that, Windows does only partially obey ProgramData's move. Mostly seemed to be "location" stuff that was put in there (and NVidia, go figure). And yes, you're right also about the permission hassle.

As it happens the way I worked around this, was to simply nuke the contents... as I say seemed to be location stuff (and this is a desktop PC with no location sensors), create the link... and Windows then obligingly seemed to recreate what I'd just nuked (maybe I just got lucky here!).

Sounds like you spent about as long as me working out as I did.

This is a bit of a confusing thread for me, partly because I haven't used Windows 8 so some of the terminology is going over my head. Here's the thing though, I'm planning an upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 8, I have recently upgraded my SSD to a 250gb Samsung 840 Series which I want to use as my Boot/programs drive, everything else I want to put on one of two 500gb HDDs with one being my main data drive the other for things like installing some programs and holding backups of my most critical data (this backup will periodically also be backed up to an external drive and a network drive). Doing this on Win 7 was fairly easy, I created the folders I wanted to use on my E: & F: drives then right clicked the folders I wanted moved and went through a couple of menus that let me move those to my newly created destination folders. All of this stuff about command line instructions and modifiers etc... seems a little counter intuitive and is putting me off a little, is there no easy way to move folders across to a new drive like there is in Windows 7?

If it's just normal folders / installed programs, then it's the same as 7. You only have a concern if you're messing with the c:\Users or C:\Program Data folders, then you need a bit more.

If you don't know that you're moving them - you won't be. Install / move things to another drive as needed.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by phil4

As you say the guide is fine without, but you can also move Program Data as it suggests (indeed I have with no bad after effects), provided you also use mklink to provide a link to the new location, such that there is also a C:\Program Data, pointing to D:

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Hello. So I probably didn't do as much research up front as I should have because I used the script in Audit mode and moved my Program Data folder...and I can't access PC Settings, Store, etc. Can this be fixed from inside my current installation or am I going to have to perform a complete reinstall? As mentioned, Refresh from inside W8 is not an option because clicking on it does nothing.

Help,
Mdmarti6

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mdmarti6

Hello. So I probably didn't do as much research up front as I should have because I used the script in Audit mode and moved my Program Data folder...and I can't access PC Settings, Store, etc. Can this be fixed from inside my current installation or am I going to have to perform a complete reinstall? As mentioned, Refresh from inside W8 is not an option because clicking on it does nothing.

Help,
Mdmarti6

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I was unable to fix this without reinstalling

The biggest problem you're facing is that the apps will put what they want, where they want, regardless of what YOU want. I too wished things would work better/easier, but I just don't know how to make it happen.

For me, I have an OS drive (an SSD, C:\), and a HDD (E:\), for data. Now some people like to use one drive for the OS and one for everything else, but I don't, mainly because even if you ORDER the installer to install the app to E:\ (in my case), it will still install all sorts of crap on C:\, and in hidden folders to boot! FSX is just one such animal and it really irks me to no end.

So, after many bad experiences with doing it that way, I decided just to use one drive for OS and apps, and another for data that can't be replaced (like pictures, videos, documents, etc.). I create new folders on E:\ for documents, music, videos, movies, pictures, and then I manage the Libraries by deleting all of the default locations and then pointing them to the new folders I created.