Dealing with Windows 7 and a partitioned hard drive

February 13, 2013 1:21 PM

I have a new Dell XPS computer that has a partitioned hard drive. Apparently, (pre-installed, no disc) Windows 7 is running on the 256 GB portion, not the 2TB partition, which is much too small for all of my documents and music. I've copied some files on to the partition and, not surprisingly, Windows 7 does not see them via My Documents, My Music. How can I make this work as it should? Or is it possible?

Here's an opportunity for you computer experts to snicker at my ignorance although I know Mefites are generally really kind in their replies.

I bought a new computer because I want and need power, baby. I'll spare you the details because I don't think you need them to help me or tell me I'm fucked.

I opted for a 2TB hard drive because I could. Yesterday as I was migrating files, I was shocked to receive a notice that there was no more space. Since then, I've learned that the hard drive is 256GB SSD SRT enhancement +2TB SATA Hard Drive 7200 RPM.

I am running Windows 7 because there was no way in hell I was ready to migrate to Windows 8. (One of the reasons I chose this model was because they had an option for Windows 7.)

So here's my problem. Apparently (pre-installed, no disc) Windows 7 is running on the 256 GB part. And my documents are more than 258 GB which is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the photo, music and video files.

One of the things I like about Windows 7 is the easy navigation to My Docs, Music, Pictures etc., but when I load the documents to the 2 TB partition, Windows 7 doesn't locate them (which is not unexpected). I can manually choose My Computer and navigate to the partition but I'd prefer not to have to do that: I'd really like to use the Windows 7 links. Is this possible?

posted by kthanksbai to computers & internet (7 answers total)

My Documents, My Pictures and whatnot are not conventional folders, just links to actual folders somewhere on your computer. You should be able to right-click on "My Documents", go to Properties, and set the Location from somewhere on the 256GB drive to somewhere on the 2TB drive.
posted by burnmp3s at 1:27 PM on February 13 [1 favorite]

Click Start. Click your name, probably in the upper right of the menu, this will open your user folder. Right-click My Documents. Go to the Location tab. Change that location from what it is now (c/users/(your name)/My Documents) to the folder on your 2TB partition where you want these files to go (create one if you haven't already). Click Apply. When it asks if you want to move the files, click yes. Wait for it to finish. Repeat for all the folders you want on that partition (My Music, My Pictures, My Videos, whatever). You're welcome.
posted by FAMOUS MONSTER at 1:27 PM on February 13 [1 favorite]

You should be able to put Documents, Pics and other folders on the larger partition, and then have the My Documents and My Photos etc. libraries look in multiple places for them.

This can be done in windows explorer, by right clicking on the My Documents link under libraries, selecting properties, then including another folder.

It should then treat all locations as a single library.

Clear as mud?
posted by Sleddog_Afterburn at 1:29 PM on February 13 [1 favorite]

It's entirely possible to move your "Users" directory to the other partition wholesale. Here are the instructions.

The short version:
1. Boot into recovery mode using the Windows 7 DVD
2. Use 'robocopy' to move your "Users" directory to the other drive
3. Use 'mklink' to create a directory junction for 'Users' on your C: drive, pointing to the other drive
4. Your 'Users' directory now acts like before, except it's on the other drive.

This is relatively low-risk as long as you follow the instructions, but it's a bit of work. Alternatives include just adding the other folders to your Libraries, as Sleddog_Afterburn alludes to (this is basically what they're for), repartitioning your drive (risk of data loss), replacing the appropriate shortcuts in your Start menu or Explorer jump list, or just Dealing With It.
posted by neckro23 at 2:58 PM on February 13

Thank you. I love you guys. Really. I would send you hand made chocolates if I knew where you were located.
posted by kthanksbai at 3:04 PM on February 13

. . . All of these answers will come handy for the day when your snazzy little SDD drive is full and stuff needs to be unloaded to an older spindle. Bookmark material, this.
posted by nostrada at 4:26 PM on February 13 [1 favorite]

neckro23's explanation works. I have a microscope computer running Windows 7, 64 GB SSD and a 2 TB data drive. I moved all user folders to the 2 TB drive because I don't want people saving images to the comparably tiny SSD.

Caveat: This took several tries to get right, it is absolutely NOT supported by Microsoft in any way, shape, or form (even though EVERY OTHER MAJOR OS IN THE WORLD lets you move user folders to any mount point you wish!!!), and who knows if it's related or not, but my machine randomly locks up and crashes with a "failure to find boot disk" error that magically goes away after hitting the reset button. So YMMV.
posted by caution live frogs at 12:34 PM on February 14