There IS a way to do this. Someone had already mentions that this is possible with the WAIK (Windows Automation Image Kit). But that's a lot of work for just one install. Here is a better solution, albeit, unsupported. Also make sure to add the symlink that he mentions at the end, for programs foolish enough to hardcode their paths.
I'll cut and paste the instructions also, to prevent link rot.
When creating a clean install, using
the combination of an SSD system drive
and a conventional disk drive, as a
data drive, there is a way to "move"
the Users folder (normally, C:\Users)
and the hidden ProgramData folder
(normally C:\ProgramData) to the
conventional disk, or data drive,
using an answer file, or unattend.xml,
for an unattended installation, as
mentioned above. For an individual
doing a single, one-off installation,
trying to figure out how to create an
answer file for a completely
unattended installation, just to
accomplish this one small task, is
way, way too much trouble. It's also
not necessary.
It is possible, during the course of a
conventional, interactive installation
from an installation disc or USB
thumbdrive, to enter what is called,
"Audit Mode", before the Computer is
named or a Username created, and
accomplish the necessary
re-assignment.
1.) Do a conventional installation. If you are using an SSD, at the point
in the installation process where you
are asked where you want to install
Windows, you should use Drive Options
to remove any partitions on the SSD,
before selecting the SSD as the
target. Do not manually partition or
format the drive, prior to
installation. Windows 7 will do this,
and must do this, because Windows
needs to align the logical format with
characteristics of the physical drive,
and, also, Windows wants a small
system partition for its own purposes.
2.) When the installation stops, waiting for you to give the computer a
username and a computer name, DON'T!
Press Ctrl+Shift+F3, and the computer
will restart in . . . (wait for it!)
"Audit Mode"!. Basically, Windows
will create a throwaway Administrator
account and sign you in, as this
throwaway Administrator. Nothing you
do, with regard to this temporary user
will survive finalizing the
installation, but the computer
operates normally, and you can install
drivers and software. Whenever the
computer starts in Audit mode (you are
allowed to restart), a GUI version of
Sysprep.exe will pop up, offering to
restart the computer in OOBE (out of
box experience). OOBE is where you
were a moment before -- that is, where
you create a username and computer
name and the installation is
finalized. Don't choose to restart in
OOBE until you are ready to finalize
the installation.
3.) You need to know what drive letter (or folder location) is going
to be assigned to your Datadrive disk.
So, this would be the time, in audit
mode, to figure that out. If you need
to partition or format the datadrive,
do it now. On the Start Menu,
right-click on "Computer" and choose
Manage from the context menu, to get
to the Computer Management console.
In the Computer Management console,
under Storage/Disk Management, you
will find the tools to change drive
letters, partition, etc.
4.) You need only a minimal answer file. This is an xml file (a text
file), created in the Windows System
Image Manager application. You can
call it whatever you like. I'd
suggest: folders.xml. Here's the
content of a folders.xml file, which
will re-locate Users and ProgramData
to D:\
d:\Users
d:\ProgramData
I am going to imagine a
scenario, where you make this file on
another computer, and transfer it to
the computer, where the installation
is being done, using a USB flashdrive,
which, when plugged in, to the
computer in Audit Mode, is assigned
the driveletter U: You could probably
just copy the text above into notepad
and save it as a textfile with the
extension, .xml and be good to go,
provided you wanted to use d:\Users
and d:\ProgramData as your Datadrive
locations. (I've used this answer
file, successfully; I don't guarantee
that it will work for others.)
- To use the folders.xml, located in the root directory of your USB
flashdrive, plugged in and visible as
U:\, you need to open a command
prompt, navigate to
c:\windows\system32\sysprep and give
this command: sysprep.exe /audit
/reboot /unattend:U:\folders.xml This
will cause the computer to reboot, but
you will end up right back in Audit
Mode. As long as you are still in
Audit Mode, the re-location of these
folders will not be complete, because
the temporary Administrator
useraccount still has its stuff in
C:\Users and there are still some
active databases in C:\ProgramData.
6.) Now, you need to say goodbye to Audit Mode. Remember that a GUI for
using Sysprep to initialize the OOBE
shows up, each time you re-boot into
Audit Mode. So after you reboot in
5.) you will have your chance to run it. (If this is your personal
computer, don't check the "Generalize"
box in the Sysprep GUI.)
7.) Finish your Windows installation, create a permanent username and giving
the computer a name, etc. When you
are finally up and running, go look at
C:\ C:\Users should be gone.
C:\ProgramData is probably still
there, but it's normally hidden, so
you won't see it, until you go into
Folder Options and check Show Hidden
Files and Folders. D:\Users and
D:\ProgramData (hidden) should also
exist.
8.) I like the idea of using Junctions to intercept any program foolish
enough to hardcode to c:\users or
c:\programdata You'll need to delete
or move C:\ProgramData, before
creating a Junction at C:\ProgramData
pointing to D:\ProgramData. The
command line tool, mklink, is useful
here. Open a command prompt, and type
mklink /? for instructions. If you
prefer a right-click GUI tool, check
out:http://schinagl.priv.at/nt/hardlinkshellext/hardlinkshellext.html
After having created the Junctions, I
believe you could use regedit to edit
the ProfileList key back to the
original C:\ locations. folders.xml
will have modified the Folderlist key,
so that everything points to D:\
instead of %systemdrive%\ or C:\ I'm
not sure what the point would be, but
you could.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList
I believe you can use RT7Lite to do this, but I cannot check right now - I will check later this evening. – Breakthrough – 2011-07-08T18:31:21.690
check out my post which i was in the same boat the other day, my answer also tackle's some issues that the problems arises when changing registry values while data is present etc. Windows Installation and user profile path
– Edhen – 2012-05-08T01:50:07.887See http://superuser.com/questions/6391/moving-users-folder-on-windows-vista-seven-to-another-partition/451944#451944.
– XP1 – 2012-07-22T00:17:26.003