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O, got a new SSD, and I'm going to reinstall windows and use the SSD as a boot drive, and move all the user profiles to a secondary terabyte HDD.

So I'll use mklink to creat symbolic links during the install (following a tutorial on whirlpool.net.au).

Basically, I'll symlink "C:\Users" to "D:\Users" and "C:\Program Files" to "D:\Program Files" (as well as "Program Files(x86)", but you get the picture)

Now, my dilemma is, I want C:\Users\Tom\Desktop on the SSD, as it will reduce boot time, if it doesn't have to load the desktop icons from the slower HDD.

Can this be done? Can I map the general C:\Users to the D drive, but also map a subdirectory of the C:\Users back to the original C drive?

mklink -J "D:\Users\Tom\Desktop" "C:\TomsDesktop"

Or will this create some infinite loop of doom?


Any expertise would be appreciated

Why not just keep the user directories on the SDD and not worry about it? Then maybe create a symbolic link for any of the directories inside the specific users directories?

It will be a tiny bit more work but you won't have to worry about a loop or anything.

Yeah, but then I have to move everything also, the symlink is created in the install process before the users accounts are created

Generally speaking it wouldn't be much slower if it was stored on the HDD, as you aren't loading everything from it. For example, an HDD serving only the desktop will load much quicker than one which also has to load all your drivers, services, etc. Personally I leave my OS/main applications/users accounts/drivers on the SSD and move everything else to my HDD. I also created a media folder on my HDD to serve as a separate spot for media if I don't want it on my SSD. Currently have 25/55GB free; the only time it comes close to full is when I store a game or two on it (the loading time is reduced, but negligible).

My desktop is 487gb

(2011-09-03, 06:16 AM)Tom K. Wrote: [ -> ]My desktop is 487gb

That means you need better file management. Because the desktop shouldn't be used for storing file .

So you have a 500GB+ SSD?

No I'm gonna cut my desktop down a lot, but I know how much it slowed my old install down, having on the HDD

check the tool "junction link magic" .. i got the same constellation as you, works fine for me.

I'll give you credit for thinking this up at least, but really, this is a silly idea:
- the junction point needs to actually be read, in other words, to load the desktop, you're going to need to seek off the HDD
- I don't think the actual icons are usually stored in the .lnk shortcut, though some probably are; in which case, there's another indirection, possibly back to the HDD
- if you've moved the entire users folder onto the HDD, then you've also moved the registry (HKCU hive), application data etc over to the HDD


But to answer your question, there's no "infinite loop", and it's really probably better just to change the location of your desktop than try a junction point (HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders\Desktop).