How to transfer Windows Desktop onto SD card?

delfyn0

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I want to have all my data files and folders all the time on my Windows Desktop.
At the same time, I want to have all my data files and folders stored on my microSD card.
So, can I transfer my Windows Desktop onto my SD card? Thanks.
 

Tejas Javery

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I want to have all my data files and folders all the time on my Windows Desktop.
At the same time, I want to have all my data files and folders stored on my microSD card.
So, can I transfer my Windows Desktop onto my SD card? Thanks.

You just attach the phone to the desktop and copy everything and paste it on your sd card or phone. Or just take the sd card out of your phone, put it in a usb adapter, and plug it in your desktop and then transfer the way you want. Not sure if this is what you asked. :-\
 

delfyn0

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I am sorry, this is not answering my question.
I have no issue with any phone.
Desktop refers to the Desktop screen of a Windows 10 laptop or tablet, not to a desktop PC.
The microSD card is in the slot of the laptop or tablet ;)
 

shmsnh

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So... wait. You want just your desktop to pull files from the microSD card by default?

You do realise that the files being displayed on your "desktop" is in a user folder named "Desktop"? It might be possible to edit your registry or something, but would it be worth it?
 

delfyn0

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oh yes, you got it and it would be surely worth it, as I could move the microSD from one tablet or PC to another and have my desktop all the time exactly with me
 

shmsnh

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The simplest thing I can think of is creating a shortcut to your microSD card on your desktop. That way, whenever you plug in your microSD, you can access it right from your desktop.
 

jmshub

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I don't think you'll be able to do what you are hoping to do here. Windows will allow you to move your profile over to another storage device, like the SD card. However, I'm pretty certain that you won't be able to sign in with that profile on another Windows machine, even if you're using the same Microsoft account.
 

Tejas Javery

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I don't think you'll be able to do what you are hoping to do here. Windows will allow you to move your profile over to another storage device, like the SD card. However, I'm pretty certain that you won't be able to sign in with that profile on another Windows machine, even if you're using the same Microsoft account.
thank you moderator sir. :)
 

RumoredNow

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What you really want is a bootable USB stick or external HDD with Windows on it and make every machine boot from that.

Windows has a Primary Partition where the OS and the user files reside. "Desktop" is a location inside that partition. Usually at C:\Users\your designate\Desktop. By having Windows on a bootable USB stick or external HDD you retain the reference to Desktop in context so as to make it usable.

Otherwise you need to mod every machine you come in contact with to reference Desktop on an "ad hoc" partition, which might have a differing designation depending on the machine and how many drives are installed and in what order.

For example: on my laptop C=Windows (internal HDD), D=DVD R/W drive (a physical device or DVD tray), E=Virtual CloneDrive (a virtualized DVD "tray" for playing disk images stored on C) and if I plug in an SD card to the slot it mounts as F. However, If I first plug in a device like a phone it mounts as F and then I when I next add an SD card it would mount as G...

So you see part of the difficulty is that the volume "SD card" may mount as a different designation depending on the pre-assigned, dedicated hardware/software bits which can vary from machine to machine. My wife's laptop is identical to mine except that she does not use Virtual CloneDrive so she has E available for the first ad hoc plug in... Similarly, your laptop likely has a D drive which is a physical tray for reading optical disks. It is doubtful to me that your tablet has a corresponding D drive so immediately you are out of sync for the Partition label. Even if you are diligent in making the "Desktop SD" the same designated drive letter on the same machine each time you add it, there would likely be disparity between machines.

To counteract that, you could use a consistent lettering system across machines by creating an arbitrary volume label far enough down the alphabet to make it assured that no machine you use this "Desktop SD" on would already have assigned the letter. So you either force every machine to mount the card as "Q" or you must exercise diligence in remembering the letter assigned to the removable "Desktop SD" upon insertion and make sure it is mounted at that point in the order each and every time on each and every machine.

Desktop is a file read by Windows Explorer. Now you have to mod each and every machine to have Windows Explorer pull Desktop from the correct path which you no longer wish to be C:\Users\your designate\Desktop, but rather Q:\Desktop or a floating designation if you cannot force every machine to mount the "Desktop SD" as Q...

This, sir, is a LOT of work. I cannot tell you the specifics of making it happen. It does sound semi-feasible as I can imagine the mechanics even if I can't do the actual mods without tons of research and quite possibly much trial and error.

I understand that what you want is the same look and data to Desktop across every device upon boot. The better solution would be to use a portable, bootable Windows install that is your one and only copy that you use and to treat every machine as a dumb terminal that you plug into.

I suggest you look at PC sticks or, better yet, something like the Kangaroo.
 
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delfyn0

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Wonderful review, RumoredNow, thanks a lot indeed.
You got to the relevant points of my question.
Now, I can explain better my need, though I thought my question would not raise so many issues.
Actually, I have a Windows 10 new tablet, to which I want to transfer all my present Windows XP laptop working Desktop.
The problem is not the transfer of course, I can do that with the help of a microSD or an external HD.
Apart from being able to make my Desktop appear on more than one PC, the real problem is that the tablet hasn't got very much memory space, therefore the idea to get, as you said, a Q:\Desktop, where I can organize all my files.
I find the way Windows works, with Desktop, Documents, etc not very functional, as you dont organize your wotking files like Music, Photos, etc but most efficiently like Rome, Istanbul, Recipes, Admin, Home, Salary, Ford, GM, Apple, etc etc with all sorts of files inside each folder and subfolder, files like .jpg, .pdf, .xls, .doc etc
I normally organize all this on my Desktop, so that I have it directly under my eyes and it is also a way not to forget important things and files before archiving them in the right folders.
So, I am not so concerned by the issue of the partition, actually at the moment my issue is how to create a simple D:\Desktop on the microSD card which can be recognized by Windows as the Desktop of my "username" (a username with administrator power, of course).

Hopefully, it is clearer to evrybody what is my question, probably the result of my own way to use a PC, but that's the way I use it since 25 years and unfortunately Microsoft didn't change it in the mean time.
I really hope that with the growth in the memory space on SD cards and the shrinking of memory space on the PC HD (SSD mainly), where Windows is installed, Microsoft can change this obsolete system setup.
On the other side, I amnot vey interested to put Windows entirely on a misroSD card, as 1) I'd not have the booting speed of both the OS and programs and apps and 2) I'd have again a memory space problem.

In one line: I just want all my working personal files on my Desktop folder and the OS and programs and apps on the machine, or, in other words, as said in the beginning, just my Desktop on my SD card. )))) Thanks a lot for all your contributions!
 

shmsnh

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Thanks, RumoredNow, for explaining this.

Looks like I was right when I thought it would be complicated... and ultimately pointless. But that's just my opinion.
 

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