New Windows 7 install - Common Files location and USB 3.0 hub not recognized

[fohat.digs]

Problems, problems

After a new Windows 7 install, about 3 tries, I have just about gotten it together. However, I still have a couple of lingering problems.

First, I have a SIIG 4-port powered USB 3.0 hub that has worked properly for months with my previous Windows 7 installation. I have plugged and unplugged every connection several times, hot and cold. The power indicator light comes on, and whenever I plug in a peripheral such as an external hard drive, the indicator lights light up on both the hub and the drive itself, suggesting that both are satisfied. But it is not recognized in the system by Windows Explorer or the disk manager. SIIG does not provide a driver because they say it will be recognized automatically (as it was last in the previous installation).

Second, I have a small SSD (aka C:) that I want to use only for the basics, so I want to get "Program Files" and "Common Files" onto my large hard new drive (aka D:) because they are what are most resource-intensive. I found the proper regedit instructions to change "Program Files" along with what seemed to be a similar process for "Common Files" but the second part did not work.

Naturally, Microsoft "does not support" moving the "Common Files" location but it seems asinine that they would truly prevent it, even for Microsoft. That is probably the area that sees the most read/write action, and would seem to be the primary object that a user would want to customize.

Can anybody help me here? So far, there is nothing yet in those folders to lose.

Thank you in advance.

[tp4tissue]

What's the chip on the siig..

[oscillik]

Windows 7 doesn't support USB 3.0 without additional drivers, according to this

[fohat.digs]

I did find this which may help part of my problem. It is very hard to use and apparently does not work for some things like "Music" but if it will work for "Documents" and "Pictures" then it will solve 90% of my aggravation.

http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/how-move-windows-7-personal-folders-my-documents-another-drive.htm

[IvanIvanovich]

You can move just about anything if you make symlinks. Though really with certain things like common files, app data, and so on it really is better to simply leave them on the ssd. On modern ssd there really is not any need to worry about writes, most people will replace the ssd due to obsolescence long before it has reached it's write limits. The most straight forward solution, is simply create D:\programs and install things there.
You can certainly move all the personal folders without issue. They all have a location setting. Otherwise, you can be lazy and create new folders for your files and use the libraries feature.

Perhaps you could set it up as a caching ssd. If your board supports IRST, or if your ssd has dataplex support.

[fohat.digs]

Thanks for all the help. I think the folder situation is acceptable, but my SIIG USB 3.0 hub is still not working.

The computer seems very unhappy just to have it plugged in, and for a long while would not even boot until I unplugged it.

It was working fine 2 days ago in the old installation of the same OS.

[Leslieann]

First, I have a SIIG 4-port powered USB 3.0 hub that has worked properly for months with my previous Windows 7 installation. I have plugged and unplugged every connection several times, hot and cold. The power indicator light comes on, and whenever I plug in a peripheral such as an external hard drive, the indicator lights light up on both the hub and the drive itself, suggesting that both are satisfied.

This is a mechanical connection, indicating that something is drawing power. It has nothing to do with software.

SIIG does not provide a driver because they say it will be recognized automatically (as it was last in the previous installation).

You probably need to enable the system to go online and fetch the drivers.
Factory systems are setup this way, manual Win7 installs have it disabled by default.

Go into system settings,  advanced, hardware tab, device install settings.



I agree with Ivan about everything he suggested.
I do however disable browser cache. Chrome makes this a nightmare and is the worst offender regarding cache  (500megs! WTF?).

[fohat.digs]

You probably need to enable the system

RTFM

I am such a dolt, and I should be embarrassed to post my stupid problems and obvious solutions, but I try to assume that maybe I can help someone else.

I found the motherboard installation disc and - surprise! - there is a utility ("Etron") to activate the USB 3.0 ports. All I had to do was install it and I was good to go.

So now I will ask a far more frivolous question - what does it take to reset a desktop icon that has lost its "special" image and reverted to one of the defaults?

[Leslieann]

If it's a stock windows Icon, Right click on the desktop and hit personalize.
Top left, click "change desktop icons".
Just remove it and restore it.

Otherwise you may have to manually change the icon, by right clicking on it. Go to properties and change icon.

[fohat.digs]

If it's a stock windows Icon, Right click on the desktop and hit personalize.
Top left, click "change desktop icons".
Just remove it and restore it.

Otherwise you may have to manually change the icon, by right clicking on it. Go to properties and change icon.

Thanks, I was talking about when a program has "its own" icon that you get during installation, for example, Firefox, that "gets lost" and then Windows 7 substitutes one of its own generic icons in its place. Non-Microsoft icons are not found in the shell32.dll or wherever.

[Leslieann]

The second part works for that.
The icon  is usually stored in the programs EXE file.

[Hak Foo]

you likely need to install drivers for the USB3.0 controller on the board.