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Save to MicroSD as Default Question

greymetro

New Member
I just ordered a Surface 3, which should be arriving in a few days. My plan is to insert a 128 GB SD Card and have that be the default save location for media, files, etc.

I've read a few instructions on how to do so and then I came across this which states it's an easier and "better" method. Was wondering what some of your thoughts are:

"I am using a faster method to use the SD card for storing the user personal files (libraries).
Open Registry Editor and go to this key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionProfileList
Replace the value of entry ProfilesDirectory (%SystemDrive%Users) with D:Users (instead of D: use the drive letter for your SD card).
Now create a new user and login to the tablet with the new credentials. The new user profile, including all its libraries will be created under D:Users on the SD card. This method has the advantage it stores on the SD card all the user profile files, including Internet Browser caches, Microsoft profile related files, etc…
Make sure you format your SD card as NTFS, so you can store files larger than 4 GB on it."
 

malberttoo

Well-Known Member
I just ordered a Surface 3, which should be arriving in a few days. My plan is to insert a 128 GB SD Card and have that be the default save location for media, files, etc.

I've read a few instructions on how to do so and then I came across this which states it's an easier and "better" method. Was wondering what some of your thoughts are:

"I am using a faster method to use the SD card for storing the user personal files (libraries).
Open Registry Editor and go to this key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionProfileList
Replace the value of entry ProfilesDirectory (%SystemDrive%Users) with D:Users (instead of D: use the drive letter for your SD card).
Now create a new user and login to the tablet with the new credentials. The new user profile, including all its libraries will be created under D:Users on the SD card. This method has the advantage it stores on the SD card all the user profile files, including Internet Browser caches, Microsoft profile related files, etc…
Make sure you format your SD card as NTFS, so you can store files larger than 4 GB on it."

Welcome!

The only caution I have with this-- and I'm no expert, so if anyone knows better than I, please speak up-- is that SD cards have a finite number of reads and writes. So does everything, really, but it seems like when some buddies and I had this same conversation, we all agreed that the SD card was really not suitable for constant reads and writes, and won't hold up to it nearly as well as the SSD. The SSD within your device is a much more robust storage medium than the SD card, and I just don't know if I could really fully trust an SD card to be my system drive.

My two cents' anyways... :)
 

GreyFox7

Super Moderator
Staff member
Let us know how slow it is browsing the Internet with this setup. you'll have two users right, one on the SSD and the other on micro SD. Also let us know your card selection and read/write speeds from CrystalDiskMark. Should be interesting.
 
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