How to move programs directory from C to D in Windows 7

Question

I didn't realize that my computer had a separate partition. C is full. I need to move all my programs to D. Is there an easy way to do this?

Answer 1

You could use a junction to map "c:\program files" to "d:\program files". You'd need to be able to move everything from c to d without breaking anything (Ubuntu Live CD perhaps) and then setup the link. It won't be easy and may not work, so backup your drives first. An article about links and junctions to get you started.

Answer 2

Besides uninstalling and reinstalling? No.

There are programs that will go through the registry and update the umpteen jillion entries for each program to reflect the new location, but if the program itself has stored some configuration information, it'll be screwed up.

Answer 3

Not that I'm aware of, it will break all of your shortcuts and program configurations and cause you more headaches than it's worth. A common practice is to leave the OS and programs on C: and put documents and data on another drive or partition. If you want the programs on a different partition it's best to do it this way from the start, and even then some vendors don't give you the option of another installation drive for their programs.

If you can, move your data to the other partition, or if the partition is empty, just delete it and distribute the free space to C:.

Answer 4

If you need to make space on C, instead of moving files across, follow this tutorial to resize it.