How to move part Users folder from optibay HD to SSD boot drive

[msriotdoll]

Long time reader here...I posted this in the OSX forum but have not gotten any responses to i figured i'd try here

So i've found tons of how to move your home folder to the secondary HD but I'm looking to move my users folder back to my SSD. I would like to keep my docs, music, and downloads on the HD and everything else on the SSD. The operating system as well as applications are already on the SSD.
Does anyone have a 'how to' or could point me in the right direction in doing this?
I know you can fudge things up if you do it wrong!

Thanks!
macbook pro i5 w/ owc 60ssd OSX 10.6.7

 

[MikeDTyke]

Long time reader here...I posted this in the OSX forum but have not gotten any responses to i figured i'd try here

So i've found tons of how to move your home folder to the secondary HD but I'm looking to move my users folder back to my SSD. I would like to keep my docs, music, and downloads on the HD and everything else on the SSD. The operating system as well as applications are already on the SSD.
Does anyone have a 'how to' or could point me in the right direction in doing this?
I know you can fudge things up if you do it wrong!

Thanks!
macbook pro i5 w/ owc 60ssd OSX 10.6.7

From your post i'm assuming you've already moved your entire home folder to the secondary HD, so i'll proceed from this basis. I'm assuming the drive is called Secondary and the your user is called mike, replace as appropriate.

• On secondary drive create a new folder in the root of the drive ie. Media
• Move your Docs, Music & Download folders into Media.
• Then Copy your homedir back to the ssd, personally i'd use the cmd line for this, something like.
• sudo cp -r /Volumes/Secondary/Users/mike /Users​
• Now create softlinks to the folders you left on the secondary drive. ie.
• cd /Users/mike​
• ln -s /Volumes/Secondary/Media/Docs Docs​
• ln -s /Volumes/Secondary/Media/Music Music​
• ln -s /Volumes/Secondary/Media/Downloads Downloads​
• Open the Users panel in System Settings, click on the user your moving, advanced and where it says Home Directory put in the location on the ssd you've copied the homedir to, ie. /Users/mike.
• Whilst you are in the user panel create a 2nd admin user called something like admin, (if you haven't one already), you never know when you lock yourself out and need to get back in.
• Now restart the machine, you should now have your homedir on SSD but those 3 folders are on the secondary. Once you are satisfied, then you can remove the old home folder on secondary.

EDIT: hold on, completely forgot about iTunes, evil PITA that it is.

Don't move it to Media by hand, use the iTunes consolidate library steps, detailed here!


Cheers M.

 

[msriotdoll]

hey Mike,

Thanks for the detailed instructions! I'll try it when I get home and let you know how it goes. The entire users folder is currently on the data drive and i'm just trying to move the system and library files to the ssd keeping doc, itunes, downloads, etc on the data drive.

Does this give a bit more clarity?

thanks!

 

[odinsride]

Great post Mike, I was needing instructions for this as well.

Thanks!

 

[Zombii Matt]

thanks so much this will really help

 

[MikeDTyke]

hey Mike,

Thanks for the detailed instructions! I'll try it when I get home and let you know how it goes. The entire users folder is currently on the data drive and i'm just trying to move the system and library files to the ssd keeping doc, itunes, downloads, etc on the data drive.

Does this give a bit more clarity?

thanks!

Thats what i'd guessed, if you follow the steps above you'll be fine.

 

[msriotdoll]

hey mike,

I'm gonna try this tonite. fell asleep last night!
when you say move the music folder using the apple link you mean just move the music folder to media but then don't use the command line? use the consolidate media?

thanks!