164 - Best Compromise to Assign Windows Video folders on a Partitioned Harddrive

Best Compromise Method to Assign\Set Windows Media Music and Video folders on a Partitioned Harddrive
=== by JCPMA  October 29, 2018===

A "Windows10 Home" laptop often comes with a single harddrive named "C". This Drive will have Documents, Pictures, Video, Music saved to C somewhere.

You can partition your drive into 2 or 3 sections and choose to have the media default save to one of the non-OS containing partitions.  For instance, the main partition is shrunk to 40% and it contains the Windows10 OS.  And, the subsequent 60% branch partition, "E", can contain Videos, Documents etc.

Windows10 file manager lets you choose a folder for media.
Right click on a media folder, like Music,> select properties> select Location tab> set location etc.
On first glance this seems straightforward.

But, another dialogue in Windows10 doesn't seem to recognize this change. This is the Settings' Default Save Locations dialogue.  In Cortana's search field type in "default save locations".
This dialogue lets you select which "drive" to save new content such as documents, music, pictures, and videos to. You can also choose which drive to save "new apps", and "offline maps" to. The folder will be called "WindowsApps".

The confusion arises when Windows file manager lets you choose the folder of your choice for, let us say, "Documents"
in Drive E;
  Drive E:\Documents \

And, Windows Settings Dialogue allows us to choose Drive C (or Drive D) for "default save location for new documents". This new folder is named "Documents" but is set up like this.
  Drive E:\username\Documents \

So, confusingly, we can have two "Documents" folders on the same or different partitions. (Similarly we can also have two sets of
"Music"
"Pictures" and
"Videos" folders too).


My Method
---------
To avoid this duplicate naming situation, this is (the compromise), how I structured these folders:


* Partition hard drive, into main and secondary.

* In this next step, you are instructing the Default Save Locations feature, where to save new content, specifically these 6 types of new content:
 offline maps, apps, documents, music, photos, movies.

In the Settings > type "default save locations">, assign Drive E for Documents, Music, Photos and Videos, movies and TV shows.  Leave the location as "Drive C - This PC" for default location of NewApps, and OfflineMaps

(I do not know where offline maps are kept, perhaps,
C:\ProgramData ... \mapscache  OR
C:\Windows ... \Resources \ Maps
Similarly, I am guessing that apps are kept here, (this is only a guess),
C:\Users\username\AppData\Apps \  OR
C:\Users\Default\AppData\Local\WindowsApps \
C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\WindowsApps \
)

  Windows10 will automatically and forcibly create these
   E:\username\Documents \
   E:\username\Music \
   E:\username\Pictures \
   E:\username\Videos \


We want to verify, that the Default Save Locations app has done this correctly so that the rest of Windows10 concurs with it.
in "This PC", right mouse click, in the left column, the respective icon folder's properties (eg, Music icon), then choose the Location tab, to ensure the folder Location is indeed listed in the field as E:\username\Music

Alternatively, using file explorer, go directly to the newly created folder E:\username\Music \> right mouse click it to proceed to its Properties> and choose the Location tab>  the dialogue field should say
"E:\username\Music"
If it is blank or different then you must use the Move button, or Find Target button to set it as such.
Repeat this procedure for the other three icons
   E:\username\Documents \
   E:\username\Pictures \
   E:\username\Videos \


* Now, for the next bunch, we will be using the same method as above for specifically these three folders: 3D Objects, Desktop, and Downloads.
What is different is that, this will NOT involve the Default Save Locations app. Also, the folder can be in ANY location and on any drive/partition of your choice.
For simplicity, choose short straightforward folder names.

In file manager OR "This PC", right mouse click, in the left column, the respective icon folder's properties (eg, Desktop icon),> then choose the Location tab,> and you will assign a Location for folder on Drive E to be your Desktop.
Repeat this procedure for "3d Objects", and Downloads.

  Windows10 can create this as
   E:\3dObjects \
   E:\Desktop \
   E:\Downloads \

 (Except for NewApps, and OfflineMaps files), this configuration will let me keep my Media, Documents, Downloads and Desktop outside of the main C partition, that is, I get all these items on Drive E partition. And without duplication of folder names.