Changing Desktop Location Risk?

[Mr.Huggles]

I've recently built a new computer and my first with multiple drives.  I'd like to set up the Desktop to be handled by my D drive instead of my C (C being a small ssd boot drive).  I tend to dump a lot of folders and files i used for work onto the desktop as I need them (which I'd expect to gradually wear down the ssd faster than usual).  I've found videos on how to redirect User folders like Documents and Downloads, but I've been warned against doing this for Desktop while plenty of youtube tutorials seem to treat it as if it's no big deal.  Is there any risk I should be aware of if I change my Desktop location to my D drive?

[keskparane]

It's fine while it works and it will work most of the time exactly as planned. Then one day you will need to do a repair install or something like that and it won't be seamless.

 

I can think of a couple of options.

 

A shortcut to another folder that sits on the desktop that you could drop items into.

A folder on you D drive that is scripted to create a desktop shortcut when a new item is added.

 

TLDR; IMO don't mess with Windows default paths.

[Daniel644]

it's fine, get EVERYTHING off the boot drive that doesn't need to be there, makes clean windows installs easier as you just have to redirect your user folders to the locations on the D drive instead of backing them up to another drive before wiping the main drive, then copying them back after ward. been doing it for years. moving the Desktop is no different or more or less "risky" then moving Documents or anything else. ANY computer I have with 2 or more drives is configured this way and has been for years. You just can't use like Bitlocker Encryption to protect your files and you may have to do a "take ownership" of all the files, but thats way faster then copying everything twice.

[Snipergod87]

Its fine we use this solution at work and map that and several others folders to people personal network share for backups.

[homeap5]

Is a lot easier to learn how to save files to your own locations instead of redirecting desktop. You can made shortcut to your location in dialog box, you can type whole path with filename in filename field to save file without browsing your drives (type, for example, D:\z\test.txt in filename field in notepad dave dialog and your file will be saved to folder "z" in drive "D:"). Basically - learn how to use your computer better and faster instead messing with desktop.

 

If you stop using users folders (desktop, my music, my documents etc.) and start using your own directory independent structure, you'll never lose your data if another buggy upgrade of Windows will be released.

[Daniel644]

On 1/3/2019 at 4:10 PM, homeap5 said:

Is a lot easier to learn how to save files to your own locations instead of redirecting desktop. You can made shortcut to your location in dialog box, you can type whole path with filename in filename field to save file without browsing your drives (type, for example, D:\z\test.txt in filename field in notepad dave dialog and your file will be saved to folder "z" in drive "D:"). Basically - learn how to use your computer better and faster instead messing with desktop.

 

If you stop using users folders (desktop, my music, my documents etc.) and start using your own directory independent structure, you'll never lose your data if another buggy upgrade of Windows will be released.

it's a 1 time 15 second process to move the Desktop folder to a second drive, you'll spend just as much time every time you navigate to a different folder for saves. and who wants to have to type in a directory every time when they can just drag something to the desktop? I'm sorry but thats just not efficient.

[homeap5]

1 hour ago, Daniel644 said:

it's a 1 time 15 second process to move the Desktop folder to a second drive, you'll spend just as much time every time you navigate to a different folder for saves. and who wants to have to type in a directory every time when they can just drag something to the desktop? I'm sorry but thats just not efficient.

After years of using computer I bet that I can do everything faster using my methods than using desktop. For fast temporary saves I have ramdisk. For complicated paths I copy them from path field in filemanager (for save operations, for opening drag and drop from filemanager lister is faster). Also fast shortcut buttons speed up everything. It all depends if you want to learn how to use your computer really fast or just want to use desktop all the time. My desktop is completely empty.