How do I separate Data from Apps.

[Guest]

I have Win 7 installed on 120Gb SSD and a separate 750Gb drive. I would
like all my data on the 750 however in windows explorer I can't tell it to
store the data libraries on the 750 as all the Library files default to the
C-Drive upon windows installation?

How do I get them on and my system to point to my 750 drive?

 

[Bob I]

A "library" is only a concept. The "folders" that contain the actual
data are whatever you select to include in the library and reside where
ever you place them.

 

[John Williamson]

I have Win 7 installed on 120Gb SSD and a separate 750Gb drive. I would
like all my data on the 750 however in windows explorer I can't tell it
to store the data libraries on the 750 as all the Library files default
to the C-Drive upon windows installation?

How do I get them on and my system to point to my 750 drive?

Easily. Right click on the library while Explorer is open, open the
"Properties" menu entry and tell it which folders you want to include
and exclude. None of the libraries here include *any* of the MS default
locations...

 

[(PeteCresswell)]

I have Win 7 installed on 120Gb SSD and a separate 750Gb drive. I would
like all my data on the 750 however in windows explorer I can't tell it to
store the data libraries on the 750 as all the Library files default to the
C-Drive upon windows installation?

How do I get them on and my system to point to my 750 drive?

I rant about this periodically, but have XP instead of 7.

Under XP, I drag/drop the "My" folders to the desired data drive
and Windows seems to do the rest. I'm pretty sure I did it on a
7 machine too.

Other than that, it's discipline and checking various
applications' default data directories - most of which are fixed
by the "My" drag/drop.

I do, however, find the occasional offender where the app keeps
data in it's "Program Files" directory and some times there's no
way to change that. For those few, I tell my backup utility to
copy from that directory to a "Backup Stage" on my "Data" drive.

Probably just as easy to tell the backup util to back up directly
from Program Files, but I like having all my data in one place.

 

[Dave \Crash\ Dummy]

Easily. Right click on the library while Explorer is open, open the
"Properties" menu entry and tell it which folders you want to include
and exclude. None of the libraries here include *any* of the MS
default locations...

You can also move the default folder for a library by right clicking,
selecting "properties" and going to the "location" tab. For example,
with the Video library, you can add folders to the "Video" library as
you suggest, move the "My Videos" folder as I describe, or both.

 

[John Williamson]

You can also move the default folder for a library by right clicking,
selecting "properties" and going to the "location" tab. For example,
with the Video library, you can add folders to the "Video" library as
you suggest, move the "My Videos" folder as I describe, or both.

There's always more than one way to do things, I find. ;-)

 

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

A "library" is only a concept. The "folders" that contain the actual
data are whatever you select to include in the library and reside where
ever you place them.

The library is not entirely a concept: it may only be a collection of
pointers, but that collection itself has to reside somewhere.
(Otherwise, it'd disappear when you shut down, and it doesn't.)

 

[Wolf K]

I have Win 7 installed on 120Gb SSD and a separate 750Gb drive. I would
like all my data on the 750 however in windows explorer I can't tell it
to store the data libraries on the 750 as all the Library files default
to the C-Drive upon windows installation?

How do I get them on and my system to point to my 750 drive?

Well, this is what I do:

a) create suitably structured and named folder trees on the second drive.

b1) customise all apps to save their data on that drive (via
Preferences/Options menus).
b2) if an app doesn't allow b1, replace it ASAP.

c) stop using Libraries.

Some background, inferred and based on discussion here:
Libraries are not real folders, they are lists of pointers to real
folders and real files. Unfortunately, when you delete an item from a
library, it's not only the pointer that is deleted, but the actual item
itself. This can cause unexpected data loss. There was thread on this
sad fact a while back, and it convinced me that my decision never to use
libraries was sound, even though I'd originally decided that for
completely different reasons.

HTH,
Wolf K.

 

[Char Jackson]

Well, this is what I do:

a) create suitably structured and named folder trees on the second drive.

b1) customise all apps to save their data on that drive (via
Preferences/Options menus).
b2) if an app doesn't allow b1, replace it ASAP.

c) stop using Libraries.

Some background, inferred and based on discussion here:
Libraries are not real folders, they are lists of pointers to real
folders and real files. Unfortunately, when you delete an item from a
library, it's not only the pointer that is deleted, but the actual item
itself. This can cause unexpected data loss. There was thread on this
sad fact a while back, and it convinced me that my decision never to use
libraries was sound, even though I'd originally decided that for
completely different reasons.

OTOH, Libraries work perfectly well for the people who take a few
minutes to understand what they are and how they work.

 

[Bob I]

The library is not entirely a concept: it may only be a collection of
pointers, but that collection itself has to reside somewhere.
(Otherwise, it'd disappear when you shut down, and it doesn't.)

Does user data reside in the "Library"? THAT, is the point I was making.