It is often recommended practice to have a second drive for user-installed applications and application data, and keep the C: drive for system software and data as far as possible. I have a two-disk system, and try to put user-installed applications on the second disk (whenever they will let me).
Can anyone remember whether FH allows installation on a disk other than C:?
As a general rule I install all program applications on the C: drive in their default folder in Program Files / Programs Files (x86) (on Win 7).
Then I keep all my user data files an drive D:.
This helps improve performance by sharing disk access between applications including Windows itself on C:, and data file access on D:.
The above strategy is widely recommended, particularly because most applications are developed and tested in this configuration.
However, you should be able to choose the installation folder for FH to be anywhere. That leaves the Program Data Calico Pie folder, where every installed Fact Type, Diagram, Text Scheme, Icon, Plugin, Query, Report, and some settings are stored. On Windows 7 this is at C:\ProgramData\Calico Pie\Family Historian\ and I am not sure how it can be relocated.
Mike Tate is researching the TATE and SCOTT family tree and all relations.
I agree with Mike that it makes a lot more sense to keep your users on the D drive and Windows and applications on the C drive. If you ever need to reinstall Windows you'll need to reinstall most of your applications again anyway so you can format the C drive and install Windows and software again without worrying about moving your user files off the C drive first.
Nick Walker Ancestral Sources & Gedcom Census Developer
To reinforce that strategy, most applications add configuration details to the Windows Registry that is always on the C: drive, and add Dynamic Linked Library (DLL) files to C:\Windows\System32\ folder.
So you can rarely keep everything associated with an application on the D: drive alone.
Mike Tate is researching the TATE and SCOTT family tree and all relations.
Forgive my ignorance re computers but could someone clarify whether the above recommendations are applicable if you are using DropBox for FH? At present I keep all programs and DropBox on C: and all other files on D: . In DropBox I have my FH media and project to ensure they are synced with my netbook. This week I installed an SSD which, because of cost, is only 120Gb compared with the 1Tb HDD that I previously had as C: . Prior to the installation I moved all other documents, music and pictures onto D: and now use Libraries to access those. I hope this is making sense but what I need to know is: If I were to use D: for my FH material while the program is running on C: would I be able to use DropBox to keep it synced or is this an exception to what Mike and Nick have said above? Dagwood
"I haven't failed. I've just found ten thousand ways that won't work" Thomas Alvar Edison
Dagwood ~ Your description of your use of the C: and D: drives appears to fit perfectly with the foregoing advice.
Like you, rather than disturb my C: drive default Documents, Pictures, Music & Videos folders, I have added D: drive equivalent folders to the associated Libraries.
Installing the FH and Dropboxprograms to the C: drive is correct.
Locating the FH and Dropboxdata folders on the D: drive is also correct.
Mike Tate is researching the TATE and SCOTT family tree and all relations.
Thanks Mike, however I seem to have hit a brick wall (more like a senior moment!) and just cannot see how to split Dropbox between the two drives as per your last two sentences. Referencing libraries to other drives seemed straightforward but having DropBox on two does not. Can you give some guidance please as I'm loathe to start moving anything for fear of losing my data etc? Dagwood
"I haven't failed. I've just found ten thousand ways that won't work" Thomas Alvar Edison
I don't think Tatewise is suggesting you split your drop-box folders over two drives, he is just suggesting you keep your drop-box data on the D drive, leaving the drop-box program itself on the C drive.
Nick Walker Ancestral Sources & Gedcom Census Developer
Nick Walker said: I don't think Tatewise is suggesting you split your drop-box folders over two drives, he is just suggesting you keep your drop-box data on the D drive, leaving the drop-box program itself on the C drive.
Hi Nick, I did understand that the folders were not to be split over the two drives but my concern is that if I move the entire folder to the D drive I can't see how DropBox will update it and therefore sync it to my netbook. Is it just as simple as moving it over and how do I get the program which is on C to see the folder on D? Or does it just work like the other libraries? Dagwood
"I haven't failed. I've just found ten thousand ways that won't work" Thomas Alvar Edison
It is just the same as FH. How does FH know projects are in a folder on D: drive? You tell it as one of the preference settings.
How do Libraries know to use a D: drive folder? You tell them in their settings.
How does Dropbox know where the Dropbox folder is located? You tell it via its preferences. See How do I move my Dropbox folder to a new location?. Especially the bit For our advanced users where it is clear that any drive is allowed providing it is mounted when Windows boots and before Dropbox runs.
Mike Tate is researching the TATE and SCOTT family tree and all relations.
Many thanks for that info Mike. I'm much more confident now and had missed that Help section at the foot of the DropBox Home page. I'll take some time to work through the info there and then move the folder. Dagwood
"I haven't failed. I've just found ten thousand ways that won't work" Thomas Alvar Edison
Before moving FH's folders I took the opportunity to ensure all other folders were moved from C to D drive thus leaving the new SSD with programs and Windows files. Using the DropBox Desktop Application I tried to move FH from C:>Users>Dagwood>My Documents>My DropBox to a similar path but starting D:>... but failed every time after getting a message along the lines of " DropBox encountered a problem and has not moved your folders" (sorry but I should have taken a screenshot of the actual wording) suffice to say everything was left in its original position. The transfer eventually succeeded when I shortened the path to D:> Users only. At this point I thought all had moved successfully but then noticed that the FH Media folder was missing the Photos folder I had created. Panic! I couldn't find them either in the new location or left behind in the old. No problem, I had previously backed up FH to my external hard drive but found that folder had an empty Photos folder. Luckily I had also made a complete back-up of DropBox to the same EHD. All my photos were there and I was about to copy them into the new DopBox location on D: when I decided to check the size of each FH folder in its new position on D: against those on the EHD. Bingo, one very small folder on D: which should have been about 4Mb was showing 290Mb! The photos folder had somehow become absorbed into this small folder and was easily repositioned where it should have been. The moral is to ensure back-ups have all the content of the original before relying on them and to appreciate that the use of DropBox's transfer feature may do odd things to your folder structure. Dagwood
"I haven't failed. I've just found ten thousand ways that won't work" Thomas Alvar Edison
If you go into documents and settings then Documents and right click on the folder, you can then move the whole of My documents (including Dropbox) to another place (ie D) of your choice. I am unsure of the exact paths, which depend on which version of windows you are using.
Hi John, I did make a complete COPY using Windows however there is a warning against doing so to MOVE DropBox this way on their website as they say it will not maintain its syncronisation. What do others think? Dagwood
"I haven't failed. I've just found ten thousand ways that won't work" Thomas Alvar Edison
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Installation to a disk other than C:
