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So I've had an external drive that I kept plugged into my laptop that later started having connection issues. I decided to use Robocopy to transfer the files over to a new drive with (effectively) the following command:

"E:\" "D:\" /E /Z /J /COPY:DATSOU /DCOPY:DATE /XD "E:\System Volume Information" /R:5 /W:480 /LOG:"C:\[...]\Backup.log" /TEE

Afterward, I disconnected the Elements (E:) drive, and changed the (D:) drive to (E:), alongside changing the label to Elements with Windows Explorer. From the small amount of testing I've done since, taskbar items, default programs for file extensions, and desktop shortcuts all seem to be working and properly redirecting to the new drive. However, I've noticed that folders from the (E:) drive that I pinned to my Quick Access are missing, and I also noticed that custom Libraries that pulled from (E:) directories are not working. Both of them act as if the drive is not connected. When reconnecting the old drive, even when it's using a different letter, the Quick Access and Libraries start working, but direct to the old drive.

So how can I copy the directories from the old drive to the new one in a way that maps the Quick Access pins and Libraries to the new drive? For some added context, the old drive was an HDD, the new one is an SSD, and both are formatted as NTFS, with the new drive having been prepackaged as ExFat. Additionally, recent files that had been added to Quick Access while I was using the old drive did transfer over; it's only the directories that didn't.

Also, and this isn't necessary for an answer, but if there are other similar compatibility issues you think might arise from my methods, please let me know.

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  • You could remove the old shortcuts and recreate them.
    – harrymc
    Commented Nov 12, 2023 at 14:40
  • My choice would have been to 1. Make a drive image. 2. Restore the image to the new drive, making it a clone of the old. 3. Keep the image as backup. BTW, cloning a drive can be 10 or more times faster than copying files.
    – DrMoishe Pippik
    Commented Nov 12, 2023 at 16:10
  • @DrMoishePippik I would've done a drive image, but the old drive's connection issues meant that it couldn't create a full image without automatically disconnecting part-way through. I used Robocopy since I needed a method that could continue when interrupted.
    – woashi
    Commented Nov 12, 2023 at 16:14

1 Answer 1

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Libraries are essentially saved searches defined by .library-ms files found under:

  • shell:AppData\Microsoft\Windows\Libraries

And Quick Access pinned folders are stored in

  • shell:Recent\AutomaticDestinations\f01b4d95cf55d32a.automaticDestinations-ms

in a proprietary format.

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