users location

[mnkeybsness]

is there any way to change the location of the users folders in os x?

i would like to actually be able to change the directory to a different hard drive...

 

[timbloom]

There ARE ways to do this, but I would not reccomend them because it can cause all sorts of oddball problems that are probably more than they are worth. Here is a thread at MacOSXHints on what some people have tried, please read through the whole thing, as there are different methods mentioned there and many people's results, good and bad.

http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20010325102750788

 

[howard]

i really dislike how os x sets up the users folder. i wish you could bypass that feature, i mean its good for if multiple people log on to your computer but if they don't its a pain in the butt...i got all my things not in the users folders but preferences are still in there...i wish i could just completely get rid of it...a well, thats enough ranting on that

 

[timbloom]

Originally posted by howard
i really dislike how os x sets up the users folder. i wish you could bypass that feature, i mean its good for if multiple people log on to your computer but if they don't its a pain in the butt...i got all my things not in the users folders but preferences are still in there...i wish i could just completely get rid of it...a well, thats enough ranting on that

Well the reasoning for this is, increased security and organization. Also, if it truly wants to be a Unix distribution, it has to follow the guidelines. It is actually a great way to organize things... What many people need to do is think outside of OS 9. It makes it possible for me to backup everything that is important to me, other than apps, by just backing up one folder. It contains all my photoshop work, random documents and personal files, in the documents folder, all my music and photos in their respective folders. All my personal additions to the OS and preferences in the library.

Really an efficient structure, but something that you will have to get used to if you are still thinking about putting files all over your drive and desktop.

Also makes it so that my friends and girlfriend can log into their respective accounts, have everything there as they left it last time, without messing up my stuff or even having access to it. This in itself is a nice feature, since in older OS's it took me quite a while to get my machine back in working order when unknowledgeable people started moving things around, and jacked up my whole file system.

Really, I suggest embracing this way of doing things. I really did not like it at first either, but once I gave in, and decided to try it, to see if it worked for me, I really started to enjoy how well it helped me keep my things in order, and makes it much easier to find things, and backup everything personal.

Of course I still have an archive drive which I keep my backups, large movies, and downloads. Really works out nicely when you let it do it's job.

Force yourself to try it for a month and find how it best suits you.

 

[howard]

i think i will try it again...in a few months i'm gonna do a full reinstall and start fresh...

for one thing i hate when i want to open something and it automatically goes to users and i have to backtrack to where i have it..(i have a files folder in the same place as the system folders and applications folders) by the way...when you use the users folders do you put ALL the applications in that folder?? or in the system applications folder? just curious

 

[timbloom]

Originally posted by howard
by the way...when you use the users folders do you put ALL the applications in that folder?? or in the system applications folder? just curious

I don't keep any apps in the users folder, maily because I want them accessable to everybody, and they are not vital to backup. I can always reinstall apps from their original disks, and a download can be re-downloaded. But photos and personal documents can never be replaced.

Also, I don't know if this is exactly what you mean, but by opening the finder preferences, you can have it open a new window to the "computer" difectory rather than your home folder.