Moving Shell Folders in XP: Bad Idea?

[james2008]

I'm sick of navigating to C:\Documents and Settings\Profile Name\Desktop/My Docs

I know you can change the location of the Desktop and My Documents folders using Tweak UI, but I'm not sure if this will cause any problems.

I plan to change the location of both folders to C:\, so it's just C:\My Docs and C:\Desktop. Anything to consider before making this change?

Also, is it possible to change the name of "My Documents" to something shorter, like "Docs" ?

[Wiz]

It's no problem changing the location of My Documents and all documents under My Documents should be moved in the process. I never used a tool to change the location, but i right clicked the "My Documents" folder on the desktop and changed the location from there. Not sure if the Tweak UI behave any different when moving the location of my documents, but i assume it works the same way.

The new location could be anything so you don't need the folder name "My Documents". I once changed the location to "C:\Docs" without any issues at all. Since this can be done directly from XP without any tool i would recommend using that option since i know it works. I'm sure Tweak UI work fine as well though.

I never moved the desktop folder. If you don't want to actually move the folder in case something should go wrong you could create a junction point. So if you create the folder C:\Desktop and make this a junction point for the real path "C:\Documents and settings\Profilename\Desktop" you can enter "C:\Desktop" and what you see there is actually located under "C:\Documents and Settings\Profilename\Desktop".

A program to create a junction point is to be found if you google for something like "windows junction". Even if XP support junction points i don't think the program to create or change them are included with XP.....at least not a very good one.

You can find more info here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NTFS_junction_point

[aaa]

I use the winkey+r key combo for lots of things. It saves on things that are too long to type, so if I were run "%userprofile%\Desktop\whatever\My Docs", next time I just type "%" then press down to pick from two choices I use often.


As for changing the locations, don't see anything wrong with that, other than ending up with files scattered about in nonstandard locations which I personally wouldn't remember.

[james2008]

Thanks for the input guys.

The junction point idea is an interesting one, but it seems even riskier than moving the desktop folder, to me....

I just went with an old fashioned move, and it's worked fine so far.

Here's a site I used for some information about the process:

http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_shell_folders.htm

Like Wiz, the writer there recommends doing a move through Explorer before resorting to TweakUI.

[Wiz]

The junction point idea is an interesting one, but it seems even riskier than moving the desktop folder, to me....

Just for the record the junction point isn't risky at all. It's like when you create a shortcut which is a pointer to another file. The junction point is a pointer to another directory and this feature is built into NTFS, but the tool to make those changes are not included with WinXP (i do believe it's included with the resource kit) as far as i know. Vista have the tool included with the OS and for Vista Microsoft actually used this feature as well. In Vista MS changed the "documents and settings" folder to "Users" and for backward compatilbility the added a junction point so "Documents and settings" point to the "Users" folder. This is the method where there is no chance of messing up because you do not make any changes at all to existing folder. When you move folders you make changes to existing folder that could cause problems.

Anyway as long as you found a working solution i guess everything is fine.