to be able to change windows 8.1 apps default drive to external sd card to save fixed drive space

Anonymous
2014-03-01T11:31:46+00:00

Dear sir /madam

I am a new windows user ,

And been disabled after a stroke left me with out right side function, which left me less feeling  a person.

But with windows 8.1 on a tablet has opened up a whole new world .

The only problem is that their are so many types of windows tablet out , and also different specs.

With many People on a budget it is important that the tablet you buy is right.

Their are different CPUs , ram, hdd, sizes .

But I assumed that if the tablet could run windows 8.1 , then the tablet would be pretty good spec.

I brought a 8 inch touch Lenovo mix 2 8. Which is a Intel quid core , with a 2 gb ram and 32 gb had .

And it has windows 8.1 and office student included for £240

The problem I have learnt know after using for one week is the hdd space has dropped from 32gb to just 10gb

And I found out every time I install a windows 8.1 app it installs to the c: drive as default.

and you cannot change drive to install to.

I.e I have put in a micro 64gb ad card and I could install windows apps to that card I would free up main c: drive.

Why can't you change Install  Drive for apps .

It just seems to me that Microsoft don't want you use windows 8.1 and to get so fed up that people shy away from it.

Because of range of different specs from smart phones and tablets , they all have one thin in common , they have expansion slots.

And in order for customers to use windows 8.1 properly people need to have access to their sd card as a drive for windows apps to save to.

At the moment I have had to format my tablet 5 times to free up my main hard drive , just so I can install different apps to try .

And unless I have a massive budget to buy a tablet with a say 250 gb main drive , then I cant enjoy windows properly

.and I would have thought that windows want you to buy as many apps as possible .

I here windows are doing a spring update , I think they should include a patch so people can change the default drive for window's apps

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Files, folders, and storage

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments

55 answers

Sort by: Oldest
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2015-04-14T04:09:07+00:00

    same error code is with me....  is there any solution to it beside reinstalling windows

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2015-06-03T19:08:44+00:00

    Ganesh Achar B ,

    This is a serious problem and limitation, that has rendered many 32 GIG devices useless.  I have a Windows phone HTC 8X with only 8 gigs of storage and no SD slot al la WIndows phone standard specs at the time of sale.  My phones battery is also not replaceable.  This has limited the APPs I buy on the phone.  Now after buying another MS supported device (they sold it themselves from their store) I am attacked again from a different vector affecting device usability (Not allowing SD cards to save certain data) with the same consequences as my phone.  MS has disabled even the registry hack proving the intentional nature of the downgrade.  That I do not have default ownership of "Appx" is glaring; why limit the user if you are allowing a full copy of 8.1 to run?  Why are the design differences in the tablet operating system not listed anywhere?  How does this conform to Satya Nadella's vision of a unified operating system; surely not one with arbitrary file save abilities on different devices?  

    My question is, when will MS flip this obvious toggle switch and stop diminishing the life and value of the devices it has promoted itself in its store, without listing such glaring limitations.  IF MS has done this to force a purchaser to buy a device with more memory, then listing the SD card save limitation may have drove us to a different purchase, with more on board memory.  The expandable SD card was noted in sales literature, as an advantage for those who chose the 32 gig model win 8.1 tablet devices.  It is not.  We are many and our demand here needs addressing.  Where we install apps should be our business, the device is not 64 bit.   Why is the feature to save Windows apps and app data to a SD card not available on a "Full Version" of windows 8.1 for tablets?

    The above registry hack doesn't work, and since you Ganesh, have not followed up with further comment or explanation and the reassurance that "it is being worked on," in other strings has also not being followed up on, I demand (on behalf of all who have purchased 32 gig MS devices running full windows 8.1) that this feature be reimposed, or refund me the value of my device your software has castrated.

    This is not poor design, it now looks like deliberate design obsolescence.  We were not warned of this loss of feature and it has had a fiduciary impact on countless user's certified windows 8.1 devices, rendering the implied features, functions and benefits, given at the point of sale, fraudulent and requiring either immediate attention, followup and a fix and or patch, or inversely,  rescission on the part of MS and it's partners.

    Ganesh Please respond immediately and watch the posts you comment on for outcomes.  Take your position seriously and this problem seriously, or cease commenting on problems altogether.

    Justin Strachan

    I believe a class action should be looked into. This is clearly a cover up and a violation of consumer rights. Please respond if interested in pursuing this matter. I am not an attorney but I do know a few who would be very interested in helping. 

    PLEASE CONTACT ME AT:

    ******@gmail.com

    B. DAVIS

    POWDER SPRINGS, GA  30127

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2015-06-03T19:31:21+00:00

    My 32 GB Windows 8 tablet has 10GB free on C drive after moving all my personal data (including 13GB of OneDrive) onto an SD card.

    Ditto my 8GB Lumia 635 which has 3GB free, so I'm not sure what your beef is...

    You should have asked some questions about storage before purchasing...

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  4. Anonymous
    2015-06-03T22:28:45+00:00

    I found a solution that worked for me.

    I have a win 8.1 tablet with a 64GB SDcard

    First mount your SD card to C

    http://garvis.ca/2013/02/21/converting-an-sd-card-to-permanent-storage-in-windows-devices/

    To install programms automatic to your SD Card go to

    http://www.thewindowsclub.com/change-default-program-files-directory-windows

    Now all the programms will install on your SD Card (some files wil install on C equal to Vista or Win 7)

    After that i got a lot of free space.

    I even installed AMIDUOS, a Android emulater and installed a lot of apps froom the google play store.

    http://www.amiduos.com/

    http://amiduos.com/support/knowledge-base/article/installing-google-apps

    To move the installed Android apps to your SD card go to

    http://amiduos.com/support/topic/installation-location

    download and install WinLN-1.0.zip

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  5. Anonymous
    2015-06-03T23:00:30+00:00

    My 32 GB Windows 8 tablet has 10GB free on C drive after moving all my personal data (including 13GB of OneDrive) onto an SD card.

    Ditto my 8GB Lumia 635 which has 3GB free, so I'm not sure what your beef is...

    You should have asked some questions about storage before purchasing...

    Hi Gordon,

    Most casual users of computers will not notice anything nor understand the limitations of Windows 8 tablets. I think users who fully utilize the tablet are the ones who are disappointed. Also to help clarify, this article refers to apps which is in reference to Windows 8 Metro apps. Apps in this article are NOT Program Files applications (usual Windows programs) nor personal data etc.

    Story:

    I purchased mine when it was Windows 8(not 8.1 yet) and it allowed metro apps to be moved to sd card. This was the biggest change to Windows, the tiles combined with touch friendly system. I researched and read every manual, spec, etc. (I'm a nerd) before purchasing. This tablet was to be my new portable on-the-go tablet that could be a Windows laptop too.

    Well when I received the tablet, the system updated to 8.1 and I proceeded to look thru the marketplace for apps to download. After downloading 6 apps the memory was full! I looked everywhere online and many sites instruct me you can move data to other storage devices. Well it ended up Microsoft has just disabled the move to sd card feature for metro apps with 8.1 update so I can no longer use metro tiles to install apps. I feel that if I wanted a half Windows I would've purchased Windows RT. This negates the purpose of purchasing a $300 tablet plus a $100 128gb sd card. I could've just stayed with my Windows 7 laptops or Android tablets. As my Windows 8 tablet started accumulating updates I now only have room for 2 apps. This is without any programs, antivirus, browsers installed.

    I currently install Windows programs on sd card while keeping personal data on private storage servers networked at various sites, but I cannot install metro apps due to the change with Windows 8.1. So basically I don't use this tablet as a tablet since I have no memory. I can only use the normal Windows programs that allow me to choose which drives to install on.

    So in summary, yes even with research the result is still the same. Microsoft created a limitation instead of resolving the issue. Just like when I bought Windows 7 for the gadgets and they told people it's not safe and removes the gadgets so what was the point in buying Windows 7.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments