Moving "Program Files:" Seeking a utility to avoid a "manual strategy"

[BonzaiDuck]

I've been "experimenting" with SSD-caching, and integrating high-speed storage and conventional storage devices. I wouldn't say 'ask me anything," but I think I have everything nailed down tightly in a dual-boot system.

As part of this "experimentation," I have deliberately installed some of my bigger programs and all of my games on another disk, without spanning drives or linking them with shortcuts. So my system has an "E:" drive with a "Program Files" or Program Files(86)" directory. No problem with that.

I found an enthusiast, possibly posting at MSDN, TechNet, 10-Forums -- I don't think it was Anandtech. He had figured out how to simply move the files from one drive to another, and edit the registry by replacing all the strings containing "E:" [or whatever] to "C:" or vice-versa. He had written quite a tome to study.

I think I had once noticed a utility that would do all this, and maybe just do it for one installed program at a time if desired.

If anyone knows of such a utility used for today's OSes W7 and W10, please let me know. It isn't urgent, but Proper Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Performance. the 6-P principle.

 

[mxnerd]

SymMover 1.5

http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/File-Management/SymMover.shtml

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABRwKCBRYiQ

 

[deustroop]

SymMover 1.5

http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/File-Management/SymMover.shtml

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABRwKCBRYiQ

I have a question, what OS did you install on E ?

Based on a quick read, if you installed SymMover on E, it apparently would move the files for, say game 1, to volume C/D alright but the shortcut remains on E and I surmise the game must be executed from E. You, OTOH, want the install itself moved to C/D so the game is executable there
Not sure SymMover is what you're after.
Not sure anything is .

 

[mxnerd]

I have a question, what OS did you install on E ?

Based on a quick read, if you installed SymMover on E, it apparently would move the files for, say game 1, to volume C/D alright but the shortcut remains on E and I surmise the game must be executed from E. You, OTOH, want the install itself moved to C/D so the game is executable there
Not sure SymMover is what you're after.
Not sure anything is .

E drive is the default destination drive selected by SysMover itself, there is no OS on E drive. You can change it by clicking the setting button on the toolbar sitting between two folder windows. SysMover itself was installed on C:\program Files (x86)\SysMover folder.

I'm not OP. OP must determine if the software can solve his problem.

 

[deustroop]

My reply is intended for OP, not mxnerd. Sorry about the confusion.https://forums.anandtech.com/members/mxnerd.218137/

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I would've come back sooner, but it's been a rough day . . . It hasn't been a rough day for this computer, however.

I've split my NVMe disk between the two Win7/Win10 OSes and their reserve or EFI volumes -- essentially four partitions/volumes on the drive. I began to install programs on another SATA disk, split with partitions respectively associated with each OS. Either OS fails to see the drives intended for the other OS, although those volumes would show up unlettered in Disk Management. It took a little special attention to make sure Win 10 did not "optimize" the volumes for Win 7. You can't have Win 10 making shadow copies for Win 7 volumes. But -- all working perfectly now for the last week or so.

So -- some program files are in "E:\Program files" or "E:\Program Files(X86)." My backup solution folds C: [othe-OS-C:], and E: [other-OS E:] into the same image files, and I can restore any volume or partition separately or together.

But I would like the ability, not yet needed, to rearrange the "Program files" or perhaps relocate any one of them. I should hunt down the dissertation I had found earlier, which shows how it can be accomplished manually. But if there's a reliable program to do it, I can avoid some extra trouble.

 

[deustroop]

I need a little clarification . I asked above whether there is an OS on E? Based on the above, apparently there is no OS on E. (And one cannot "install" programs on a drive without an OS.) So when you say you " installed a program on E", do you mean that you installed it while booted to C/D but located the program files on E ?

And now you want wee magic to move the program folders to C/D and still execute the programs from C/D ?

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I need a little clarification . I asked above whether there is an OS on E? Based on the above, apparently there is no OS on E. (And one cannot "install" programs on a drive without an OS.) So when you say you " installed a program on E", do you mean that you installed it while booted to C/D but located the program files on E ?

And now you want wee magic to move the program folders to C/D and still execute the programs from C/D ?

Perhaps you should experiment yourself.

The "E:" drive is a data drive. When you install software, you get a chance to choose where to install it. You can change the default (which would be "C :\ Program Files \ [program-name] \" or "C :\Program Files(X86) \ [program-name] \" to another drive, partition or volume. You can therefore choose E : \Program Files . . . . etc.

And also, as I said, there is a rather tedious way by which one could move program installations on "E :" to "C :" or to any other volume, but it involves replacement of path-strings or partial path-strings in the Registry.

Of course -- another possibility would seem simple: Uninstall the software from drive E [whatever] and reinstall it to drive C, or vice-versa.