Moveing My Documents folder problem

Everything I've googled on 'moving My Documents folder to another partition' has the same basic instructions, including those by Microsoft. Supposed benefits: "great way to save disk space on C and keep C a fairly static size, easy defrag. etc. etc". The problem is,the My Documents folder does not really 'move' from C, it just 'copies' itself including all it's folders and their content, to the new location. If I try to delete anything from the C: My Docs. folder, it also deletes from the copy of My Docs. on the other partition and vis-a-vis. For the life of me, I can't see how this 'saves space' on C? All I have achieved is to have created more files on my HD on another partition. I followed the correct instructions which are very simple. If I do this to move another (non-windows) folder, the folder will actually 'move' to the new location, not 'copy' itself. I really would like to MOVE the My Docs. folder, not just copy it to a new partition, a pointless and self-defeating exercise with no space saving or defrag. advantages whatsoever. Is there a reg. hack I can use to redirect the My Docs. folder path to the new location and remove it from C? Any help you can provide, would be most appreciated.

Something is not right for I sure did not have that problem. I've been moving My Documents (and My Downloads and Page File) off of C for years. I might suggest the following. Instead of having Windows create the new My Documents folder and move all your files and folders, create your new My Documents folder manually in its new location, then use the Wizard to move the location (which changes the registry entries). Then, instead of letting Windows move everything, do that manually and see if they are still linked.

Thanks for the swift response Digerati. (I am referring to my XP pro here, not my W7 by the way). Followed you suggestion, but no go. I tried moving all the Docs. folders and files onto the new partition manually with no problem. I then tried to 'move' the now empty Docs. folder to a new Docs folder (right click my docs/properties/move/create new folder etc) for zip result. What I have done now is to 'restore Default' of the my docs. folder in the Wizard. Back to square one. Might it have anything to do with removing 'Shared Folders', a simple hack that I and many others do after any OS install? PS I tried to move the My Docs. folder a couple of years ago too with the standard method and it had the same result as my thread topic here. A My Docs 'copy' not a 'move'. I don't like to have anything on my OS partition except the OS and programs …for all the obvious reasons. What I've done since then is just manually direct everything to folders on another partition. Thought I'd give the operation another go on XP as I had no trouble doing it in W7. .

Well, with XP, I never "moved" the My Documents folder. But what I did was move (copy and paste) all the folders and files underneath. There remained a My Documents folder on C drive, but it remained empty from then on (after I told Word, etc. to use the new location). But with Win 7, I have actually deleted the My Documents folder on C with no problem after creating the new. It may have something to do with sharing, but that's out of my area of expertise. I think I would unshare everything, do the move thing, then share the new. You mention "My Docs" - I don't know if you actually mean "My Docs" or are just abbreviating it here, but there's nothing that says it can't be "Tahthras Docs". It does not have to be "My Documents".

My Docs. is just an abrebiation. I messed around a bit more and nothing I do stops the duplication. Put somthing in one My Docs. and it duplicated to the other. Delete from one and it deletes from the other. The only thing it does is duplicate anything put into my Docs. on C drive into the new My Docs on another drive. A silly self-defeating pupose of little merit except as a back-up for the lasy. Certainly doesn't save space on C !. I thought it might hav e something to do with permissions because even as Administrator with no other accounts on my PC, 'Administrator is really a bit of a misnomer (just like in W7). FULL Administrator rights in XP needs this hack: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SAM\SAM Right-click the second SAM Key, choose "Permissions…" highlight the "Administrator" and click the "Full Control" box, click "Apply" and "OK", That the full Admin. rights. Well that never worked in actually moving My Docs. either. All that is really happening is a short-cut is being created for my Docs. on another drive.

What happens if you rename the Docs folder on C?

I tried renaming but it made no difference. The OS is still really seeing it as "My Documents" of course. I thought about this a bit now and considering 'My Documents' is an integral part of the OS, just like My Computer or User accounts, Trying to actually move it (rather than just creating a short-cut copy) to another drive, is trying to move a bit of the OS off the C drive! Anyhow I don't use XP much now, just for printing, scanning and messing around, so I'll give up om this one! Thanks a lot for the input Digerati. It was most appreciated.

I don't think you can move the 'My Documents" folder. You can however open the folder and copy / paste everything in there to another area / partition / drive. I think you can also Copy/Paste the whole My Documents folder to another drive / partition.

I don't think you can move the 'My Documents" folder.
You can however open the folder and copy / paste everything in there to another area / partition / drive.

I think you can also Copy/Paste the whole My Documents folder to another drive / partition.

I agree, but it rather defeats my original intended purpose: Keep C drive empty without having to regularly move files to the safety of another drive.

I've just gone back to my old set-up of removing My Documents from the start folder and re-directing everything to another drive with my own My Docs. folder with various sub and sub-sub folders. Keeps C drive empty of everything except the OS and programs. I delete the C drive My Documents sub-folders My Music, My Pictures and My Videos which helps a bit.

It is commonly done to reduce clutter on C:\

The C:\my documents "continues to exist", but items saved to it are placed into the new location of your choice.

Just change the 'properties" of the My Documents file, by selecting a new "target" of your preference

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310147

I don't think you can move the 'My Documents" folder.

As I said earlier, I have been doing it for a long time and with WIn 7, it is normally very easy by just following the prompts.

I agree Digerati, it's easy to do wirth W7 and that is exactly what I have done on my W7. Dough, please tell me EXACTLY how to do this. For the life of me I end up with nothing but a 'copy' of My Documents from C and everything that goes into them (still in C). I want NOTHING to go into my Documents on C (to copy and paste later to another drive or duplicate itself), just want it to go to My Documents (only) on another drive when it is put into My Documents on C. Please don't tell me: Right click My Documents/properties/move/create new folder etc. It just does nothing except create a copy of My documents on C on another drive. It does not MOVE My Documents from C. To do so is REMOVING My Documents (an integral part of the xp OS) off C. How do you do that? I cannot see how it is possible to remove an integral part of the xp OS off of C to another drive (?) I have tried this long standing hack on both 2003 Home (years ago) and XP pro. SP3 2009 and It did not work on either. PS Doug, Is your suggestion from personal practical experience with XP, or just off the web? What a lot of 'tips and tweaks' off the web do not point out is the fine print.. A couple of examples: Access system repair from your desktop (don't EVER do this tweak). Fine print not mentioned: You can access system repair after this tweak, but don't expect your PC to boot to desktop anymore, you have to choose at boot-up to go to system repair or (whatever) user:! Just google "how to remove system repair option from boot". Hundreds of pleas for help and often a clean system re-install is waiting for you sucker. Lol, Lol ! Another without the fine print mentioned: W7: If you enable (full) admin.. rights (and know how to do it), your OS no longer boots straight to desktop (not mentioned in the tweak).You have to choose at boot-up between the 2 admin, accounts. If you choose full admin., system boots up but all your set-up tweaks are no longer in place. All gone and system defaults are back (ironically, it doesn't do this in XP Pro),;. Another Lol, Lol ! I'm sure everyone here has their own stories of "fine print not mentioned". They are a great laugh!

Please don't tell me: /create new folder etc. It just does nothing except create a copy of My documents on C on another drive.

Assuming you have already set up your extra partition or drive…
Then what I always do on XP is
Right click My Documents/properties/move (but don't create any folders….)
see how you go
If you are doing this (without creating folders) then it should always work…..if it doesn't then you have another fault to add to your fun!
Regards
paws

Tathra, My comment and link is based upon actual experience and my common practice. (XP Home and XP Pro) I'm wondering if you have actually succeeded in completing the move, but remain a bit confused because the C:\My Documents appears to still exist with all the stuff apparently still contained within the C:\My Documents folder(s) After completing the MS procedure that I linked above, Click on C:\My Documents - Properties From the "Target" tabbed panel, you will see the statement: "The My Documents Folder is a shortcut to the target folder location shown below" In C:\My Documents, Right-click on any contained file. You will see the "Location" designated as the new Folder whatever you named it and on whatever partition you placed it. Does this muddy the water sufficiently?

Just to clear the waters here Dough so there is no confusion, these are the instructions from the Microsoft link you supplied (thank you). I already had that link though from elsewhere and it's been in my bookmarks for several days. ———————————————————————————————- 1. Click Start, and then point to My Documents. Right-click My Documents, and then click Properties. Click the Target tab. In the Target box, do one of the following:Type the path to the folder location that you want, and then click OK. For example, D:\My Stuff. If the folder does not exist, the Create Message dialog box is displayed. Click Yes to create the folder, and then click OK. -or- 2. Click Move, click the folder in which to store your documents, and then click OK twice. If you need to create a new folder, click Make New Folder. Type a name for the folder, and then click OK twice. Type the path to the folder location that you want, and then click OK. For example, D:\My Stuff. If the folder does not exist, the Create Message dialog box is displayed. Click Yes to create the folder, and then click OK. -or- 3. Click Move, click the folder in which to store your documents, and then click OK twice. If you need to create a new folder, click Make New Folder. Type a name for the folder, and then click OK twice. In the Move Documents box, click Yes to move your documents to the new location, or click No to leave your documents in the original location. ————————————————————————————— I had already tried all 3 of these instructions several times before I started this thread, but maybe as has been hinted at, I am reaching incorrect conclusions from the perceived results. I'm going to have another 'look' and if I'm still reaching the same conclusions, then as suggested by Paws, the problem lies elsewhere. Oh fun I'll get back to you all on this.