Relocation of the Users and the ProgramData directories to a drive other than the drive that has the Windows directory

This article describes the changes in policy for the relocation of the Users directory and the ProgramData directory to a drive other than the %systemdrive% drive in Windows operating systems.

Original product version: В Windows 10 — all editions, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2012 R2
Original KB number: В 949977

Using the ProgramData setting to redirect folders to a drive other than the system volume will block your ability to upgrade to future versions of Windows.

By changing the default location of the user profile directories or program data folders to a volume other than the system volume, you cannot service your Windows installation. Any updates, fixes, or service packs cannot be applied to the installation. We recommend that you do not change the location of the user profile directories or program data folders.

Beginning with Windows 10, OS upgrades are supported even if user profiles are redirected to another drive. For example, if you are using Windows 8.1 with ProfilesDirectory set to D:\, you can upgrade to Windows 10.

More information

%systemdrive% is defined as the drive that contains the Windows directory. There are various reasons why you may want to relocate the Users directory or the ProgramData directory to other drives.

For Windows, the most common reasons are as follows:

• It is easier to back up data from a single drive and from a drive that contains only user files.
• It is easier to rebuild the operating system drive on a user’s computer if user data is located on a separate volume. In this case, the drive that contains the Windows directory can be formatted, and Windows can be reinstalled without having to worry about how to remove user data.

For Windows Server, the most common reason is as follows:

• There are performance improvements when you relocate the Users directory and the ProgramData directory to a drive other than the operating system drive.

For information about how to use the answer file setting, see Answer Files Overview.

If you use the FolderLocations unattend setting to move user data to a location other than the %systemdrive% drive, some servicing components may not be installed. These components may include critical updates, security updates, hotfixes, and service packs.

Information that is documented in the current release of the Windows AIK and the Windows OPK

The Windows Automated Installation Kit (AIK) and the Windows OEM Preinstallation Kit (OPK) for Windows and Windows Server contain documentation warnings that are related to the usage of the Profile Directory and ProgramData unattend settings. These are the settings that let you relocate the Users directory and the ProgramData directory to locations other than their default locations. This includes other drives.

These warnings were included before the servicing stack update (update 937287) was available. This update addresses the issue that is discussed in the warning text. Windows AIK and the Windows OPK documentation reads as follows. You cannot upgrade such installations to the next version of Windows.

Setting information from the Windows AIK and Windows OPK documentation:

The Profiles Directory setting

The Profiles Directory setting specifies the path of the user profile folder.

Use this setting to move the user profile folder (typically %SYSTEMDRIVE%\Users) to another location during Setup or Sysprep. The destination path can be on a volume other than the system drive, as long as it meets the following requirements:

• It must be on an NTFS volume.
• It must not be the path of another operating system user profile folder.
• It must not contain any serviceable components.

This setting can be used to keep system data separate from user data. If Windows is reinstalled on the system volume, a user who has administrative rights can manually recover data from this location.

Using ProfilesDirectory to redirect folders to a drive other than the system volume blocks upgrades. Using ProfilesDirectory to point to a directory that is not the system volume will block SKU upgrades and upgrades to future versions of Windows. For example, if you use Windows 8 together with ProfilesDirectory set to D:\, you cannot upgrade to Windows 8 Pro or to the next version of Windows. The servicing stack does not handle cross-volume transactions, and it blocks upgrades.

The ProgramData setting

The ProgramData setting specifies the path of the program data folder.

These settings should be used only in a test environment. By changing the default location of the user profile directories or program data folders to a volume other than the System volume, you cannot service your Windows installation. Any updates, fixes, or service packs cannot be applied to the installation. Microsoft recommends that you do not change the location of the user profile directories or program data folders. This is especially true for Microsoft Store apps. Changing the location of %programdata% will cause errors when you install, uninstall, or update these apps.

If you use the unattend settings to set up the operating systems that are listed in this article, we will provide commercially reasonable efforts to support your scenario.

Manage User Accounts in Windows Server Essentials

Applies To: Windows Server 2016 Essentials, Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials, Windows Server 2012 Essentials

The Users page of the Windows Server Essentials Dashboard centralizes information and tasks that help you manage the user accounts on your small business network. For an overview of the Users Dashboard, see Dashboard Overview.

Managing user accounts

The following topics provide information about how to use the Windows Server Essentials Dashboard to manage the user accounts on the server:

Add a user account

When you add a user account, the assigned user can log on to the network, and you can give the user permission to access network resources such as shared folders and the Remote Web Access site. Windows Server Essentials includes the Add a User Account Wizard that helps you:

Provide a name and password for the user account.

Define the account as either an administrator or as a standard user.

Select which shared folders the user account can access.

Specify if the user account has remote access to the network.

Select email options if applicable.

Assign a Microsoft Online Services account (referred to as a Microsoft 365 account in Windows Server Essentials) if applicable.

Assign user groups ( Windows Server Essentials only).

• Non-ASCII characters are not supported in Microsoft Azure Active Directory (Azure AD). Do not use any non-ASCII characters in your password, if your server is integrated with Azure AD.
  • The email options are only available if you install an add-in that provides email service.

To add a user account

Open the Windows Server Essentials Dashboard.

On the navigation bar, click Users.

In the Users Tasks pane, click Add a user account. The Add a User Account Wizard appears.

Follow the instructions to complete the wizard.

Remove a user account

When you choose to remove a user account from the server, a wizard deletes the selected account. Because of this, you can no longer use the account to log on to the network or to access any of the network resources. As an option, you can also delete the files for the user account at the same time that you remove the account. If you do not want to permanently remove the user account, you can deactivate the user account instead to suspend access to network resources.

If a user account has a Microsoft online account assigned, when you remove the user account, the online account also is removed from Microsoft Online Services, and the user’s data, including email, is subject to data retention policies in Microsoft Online Services. If you want to retain user data for the online account, deactivate the user account instead of removing it. For more information, see Manage Online Accounts for Users.

To remove a user account

Open the Windows Server Essentials Dashboard.

On the navigation bar, click Users.

In the list of user accounts, select the user account that you want to remove.

In the Tasks pane, click Remove the user account. The Delete a User Account Wizard appears.

On the Do you want to keep the files? page of the wizard, you can choose to delete the user’s files, including File History backups and the redirected folder for the user account. To keep the user’s files, leave the check box empty. After making your selection, click Next.

Click Delete account.

After you remove a user account, the account no longer appears in the list of user accounts. If you chose to delete the files, the server permanently deletes the user’s folder from the Users server folder and from the File History Backups server folder.

If you have an integrated email provider, the email account assigned to the user account will also be removed.

View user accounts

The Users section of the Windows Server Essentials Dashboard displays a list of network user accounts. The list also provides additional information about each account.

To view a list of user accounts

Open the Windows Server Essentials Dashboard.

On the main navigation bar, click Users.

The Dashboard displays a current list of user accounts.

To view or change properties for a user account

In the list of user accounts, select the account for which you want to view or change properties.

In the Tasks pane, click View the account properties. The Properties page for the user account appears.

Click a tab to display the properties for that account feature.

To save any changes that you make to the user account properties, click Apply.

Change the display name for the user account

The display name is the name that appears in the Name column on the Users page of the Dashboard. Changing the display name does not change the logon or sign-in name for a user account.

To change the display name for a user account

Open the Windows Server Essentials Dashboard.

On the navigation bar, click Users.

In the list of user accounts, select the user account that you want to change.

In the Tasks pane, click View the account properties. The Properties page for the user account appears.

On the General tab, type a new First name and Last name for the user account, and then click OK.

The new display name appears in the list of user accounts.

Activate a user account

When you activate a user account, the assigned user can log on to the network and access network resources to which the account has permission, such as shared folders and the Remote Web Access site.

You can only activate a user account that is deactivated. You cannot activate a user account after you remove it from the server.

To activate a user account

Open the Windows Server Essentials Dashboard.

On the navigation bar, click Users.

In the list view, select the user account that you want to activate.

In the Tasks pane, click Activate the user account.

In the confirmation window, click Yes to confirm your action.

After you activate a user account, the status for the account displays Active. The user account regains the same access rights that were assigned prior to account deactivation.

If you have an integrated email provider, the email account assigned to the user account will also be activated.

Deactivate a user account

When you deactivate a user account, account access to the server is temporarily suspended. Because of this, the assigned user cannot use the account to access network resources such as shared folders or the Remote Web Access site until you activate the account.

If the user account has a Microsoft online account assigned, the online account is also deactivated. The user cannot use resources in Microsoft 365 and other online services that you subscribe to, but the user’s data, including email, is retained in Microsoft Online Services.

You can only deactivate a user account that is currently active.

To deactivate a user account

Open the Windows Server Essentials Dashboard.

On the navigation bar, click Users.

In the list view, select the user account that you want to deactivate.

In the Tasks pane, click Deactivate the user account.

In the confirmation window, click Yes to confirm your action.

After you deactivate a user account, the status for the account displays Inactive.

If you have an integrated email provider, the email account assigned to the user account will also be deactivated.

Understand user accounts

A user account provides important information to Windows Server Essentials, which enables individuals to access information that is stored on the server, and makes it possible for individual users to create and manage their files and settings. Users can log on to any computer on the network if they have a Windows Server Essentials user account and they have permissions to access a computer. Users access their user accounts with their user name and password.

There are two main types of user accounts. Each type gives users a different level of control over the computer:

Standard accounts are for everyday computing. The standard account helps protect your network by preventing users from making changes that affect other users, such as deleting files or changing network settings.

Administrator accounts provide the most control over a computer network. You should assign the administrator account type only when necessary.

Manage user accounts using the Dashboard

Windows Server Essentials makes it possible to perform common administrative tasks by using the Windows Server Essentials Dashboard. By default, the Users page of the Dashboard includes two tabs: Users and Users Groups.

• If you integrate your server that is running Windows Server Essentials with Microsoft 365, a new tab called Distribution Groups is also added within the Users page of the Dashboard.
  • In Windows Server Essentials, the Users page of the Dashboard includes only a single tab — Users.

The Users tab includes the following:

A list of user accounts, which displays:

The name of the user.

The Logon name for the user account.

Whether the user account has Anywhere Access permission. Anywhere Access permission for a user account is either Allowed or Not allowed.

Whether the File History for this user account is managed by the server running Windows Server Essentials. The File History status for a user account is either Managed or Not managed.

The level of access that is assigned to the user account. You can assign either Standard user access or Administrator access for a user account.

The user account status. A user account can be Active, Inactive, or Incomplete.

In Windows Server Essentials, if the server is integrated with Microsoft 365 or Windows Intune, the Microsoft online account is displayed.

In Windows Server Essentials, if the server is integrated with Microsoft 365, the status of the account (known in Windows Server Essentials as the Microsoft online account) for the user account is displayed.

A details pane with additional information about a selected user account.

A tasks pane that includes:

A set of user account administrative tasks such as viewing and removing user accounts, and changing passwords.

Tasks that allow you to globally set or change settings for all user accounts in the network.

The following table describes the various user account tasks that are available from the Users tab. Some of the tasks are user account-specific, and they are only visible when you select a user account in the list.

If you integrate Microsoft 365 with Windows Server Essentials, additional tasks will become available. For more information, see Manage Online Accounts for Users.

User account tasks in the Dashboard

Task name	Description
View the account properties	Enables you to view and change the properties of the selected user account, and to specify folder access permissions for the account.
Deactivate the user account	A user account that is deactivated cannot log on to the network or access network resources such as shared folders or printers.
Activate the user account	A user account that is activated can log on to the network and can access network resources as defined by the account permissions.
Remove the user account	Enables you to remove the selected user account.
Change the user account password	Enables you to reset the network password for the selected user account.
Add a user account	Starts the Add a User Account Wizard, which enables you to create a single new user account that has either standard user access or administrator access.
Assign a Microsoft online account	Adds a Microsoft online account to the local network user account that is selected.

This task is displayed when your server is integrated with Microsoft online services, such as Microsoft 365. Add Microsoft online accounts Adds Microsoft online accounts and associates them to local network user accounts.

This task is displayed when your server is integrated with Microsoft online services, such as Microsoft 365. Set the password policy Enables you to change the values of the password polices for your network. Import Microsoft online accounts Performs a bulk import of accounts from Microsoft online services into the local network.

This task is displayed when your server is integrated with Microsoft online services, such as Microsoft 365. Refresh Refreshes the Users tab.

This task is applicable to Windows Server Essentials. Change File History settings Enables you to change File History settings, such as backup frequency, or backup duration.

This task is applicable to Windows Server Essentials. Export all remote connections Creates a .CSV-format file of all remote connections to the server that have occurred over the past 30 days.

Managing passwords and access

The following topics provide information about how to use the Windows Server Essentials Dashboard to manage user account passwords and user access to the shared folders on the server: