How do you keep sims files off your C drive in Windows 7?

[cwykes]

I've got a new PC with Win7 installed and have given in and aquired Sims 3.  I want to keep everything off the C drive apart from system files, but EA seem determined to put the saved games in My Documents on the C drive.  I figure the solution must be the same as for XP;  change the default location of My Documents temporarily, re-install Sims 3 and then move the default somewhere else.  However I can't seem to actually manage to do it.  Help?

[CtDs]

If you right click the My Documents folder you can move it.
Click the folder and not the library.
C:\Users\your user name\My Documents
Pick Properties - Location

But you cannot prevent The Sims 3 from using the Documents
folder even if you move it.

[cwykes]

Thanks - I've had problems with that 'Move' button not showing up or not being able to physically type anything into the 'file path' box.  I'm also finding different games end up in different profiles default/public/me, but I guess that's purely a cwykes problem caused by messing with Win7.  

A temporary move is pointless though - is there a permanent fix?

[CtDs]

It is possible if you make a symbolic link.

First move the entire The Sims 3 folder to where you want.
For example in D:\Sims3. Do not leave a The Sims 3 folder
behind, if it is there the next step will fail.

Next open a command console with admin rights (UAC):
1. Click the Start button
2. Type CMD in the Start Search box
3. Press and hold down [Ctrl]+[Shift]+[Enter]

Type mklink /J "C:\Users\you\Documents\Electronic Arts\The
Sims 3" D:\Sims3

This will make a junction (symbolic hard link) to D:\Sims3
from the original location. It will recreate the folder you
moved in the first step, but now as a symbolic link.
Think of this as a folder level shortcut.

Windows and all programs will think the files are still in
documents, but in reality they will be in D:\Sims3 now.

If you already moved My Documents, use the new path
instead of the C:\Users location.

[cwykes]

That looks promising and should let me put sims 2 and 3 and stories files in different places - Thanks!

[J. M. Pescado]

Symlinking exists in Windoze 7?

[Simsample]

Yes, it does. They are stored as REG_LINK keys in the registry.

[Theo]

Yes, it does. They are stored as REG_LINK keys in the registry.

Yes and no. Symbolic links are supported on the NTFS version shipped with *gasp* Vista. However, the special kind of symlink shown by CtDs - a NTFS directory junction - is supported since Windows 2000, and can only be used to link directories.

The registry REG_LINK keys are not at all related to the file system, and allow you to use HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT as an alias for HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes in windows registry, for example.

[CtDs]

Yes, it does. They are stored as REG_LINK keys in the registry.

Yes and no. Symbolic links are supported on the NTFS version shipped with *gasp*
Vista. However, the special kind of symlink shown by CtDs - a
NTFS directory
junction - is supported since Windows 2000, and can only be used to link
directories.

The registry REG_LINK keys are not at all related to the file system, and allow
you to use HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT as an alias for HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes in windows
registry, for example.

I apologize for contradicting you here, but you can certainly use file symbolic
links as well: mklink /h. This is the default if you give no further arguments.
And you can choose between junctions (/j) and /d directory symbolic links.
The latter kind is used by Windows internally to link various system folders to their
real locations (for example to relink Documents and Settings to Users).

[Theo]

Yes, it does. They are stored as REG_LINK keys in the registry.

Yes and no. Symbolic links are supported on the NTFS version shipped with *gasp*
Vista. However, the special kind of symlink shown by CtDs - a
NTFS directory
junction - is supported since Windows 2000, and can only be used to link
directories.

The registry REG_LINK keys are not at all related to the file system, and allow
you to use HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT as an alias for HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes in windows
registry, for example.

I apologize for contradicting you here, but you can certainly use file symbolic
links as well: mklink /h. This is the default if you give no further arguments.
And you can choose between junctions (/j) and /d directory symbolic links.
The latter kind is used by Windows internally to link various system folders to their
real locations (for example to relink Documents and Settings to Users).

Don't worry, there's no contradiction there. When I mentioned directory junctions, I was not referring to mklink's general capabilities, but to the example you shown previously:

Type mklink /J "C:\Users\you\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3" D:\Sims3

[cwykes]

With much trial and error, I have got the all the defaults off the C drive if not exactly where I wanted them.  Sims 3 and Sims Stories were very persistent in trying to put data on the C drive.  I'm sure I'll manage Sims2 when I get round to installing it.   Thanks..

Can you reassure me that mess in the registry from failed attempts gets cleaned up when you delete the links shown in your directories?