Move Windows Default folders

**Wai_Wai** · December 5th, 2004, 10:15 AM

Move Windows Default folders

I would like to move the following folders to a different location (and Wins XP knows about ti and can work with these folders properly!!)

- Desktop
- Recent (which Windows record all my recently opened files)
- Cookies (which is used by IE)
- History (which is used by IE)
- program files directory (ie C:\Program Files by deafault)

Just wonder if it is possible to do.
Thanks for your help.

**paul9** · December 5th, 2004, 10:37 AM

not sure, but i think the only one which is easy to move is the program files, and even then, some programs still expect to be in C:\Program Files. a lazy, hardcoded link, instead of asking windows where to be.
the temporary internet files can be moved quite easily, which is where most i.e. cookies are stored. the actual Cookies folder doesn't seem to get much use.

**Wai_Wai** · December 5th, 2004, 10:41 AM

Hi. that's good.
So would you mind to tell me how to move the "program files".
I moved the internet temporary folder.

**Bill in SD, CA** · December 5th, 2004, 10:50 AM

Try Tweak UI for XP.

Bill

**paul9** · December 5th, 2004, 10:50 AM

it's been a long time since i did this, i think it involved some registry and ini file changes. the last time i did it, i used the lazy way out, and just created a second program files folder on my D:\ drive (D:\ was just a partition on my main drive, really). then i just pointed all the new program installations that i could to D:\Program Files, instead of C:\Program Files. most programs will let you do this, without a problem. only poorly written programs will have problems. they will have to go to the default program files folder, instead.

**Wai_Wai** · December 5th, 2004, 01:44 PM

Originally Posted by Bill in SD, CA

Try Tweak UI for XP.

Bill

I got the "TweakUI". But it doesn't work well.
First it doesn't move my files to the new directory. (and it suggest another method)
Second, the another method - right-drag folder method does not work for most of the time. The windows will complain that it is a special folder and is not allowed to move, or some other errors saing moving cannot be proceeded.

One folder it works is desktop. But sometimes windows will reassign the desktop to its default directory. Then I get 2 desktops. I have to re-move the desktop again to fix the problem.
I don't know how to stop it from happening again.