How do I change default "save as" location

[ronbar]

I want to set up a new hard drive so that applications are on one partition, and data files are on another partition.

How can I change the default path that is used to store (save as) a data file I've created (in Word or some other word processing program, or an email message, or a works document, or a scanned image) so that it is saved to a location that I specify?

In Word, the default path is to
"C:\My Documents".
Suppose I want it to be saved to
"D:\My Documents "?

In Netscape Mail, the default path is
"C:\Program Files\Netscape\Users\myname\Mail".
Suppose I want it to be
"D:\Netscape Mail\myname\Mail".

In Microsoft Works, the default path is to
"C:\Program Files\MSWorks\Documents".
Suppose I want it to be saved to
"D:\My Documents\MSWorks\Documents"?

In Microtek Scanmaker, the default path is
"C:\Microtek\Document"
Suppose I want it to be saved to
"d:\Microtek\Images"

How can I effect these changes?

[HAL9000]

Each one of these things are going to have a different way to do it. For example, in Word (Office 97), you have to click on Tools > Options. Then you will see the "File Locations" tab where you can change the defaults.

In Netscape, go Edit > Preferences > Mail & Groups > Mail Server > More Options. From there you will find the path for setting your mail location directory.

Don't know about Works or Microtek Scanmaker.

Some of my programs I had to do a search through the registry and modify them there.

[reboot]

Take a look for HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell
and:
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders in regedit.
Change the "Personal" key to whatever folder you want.
I think it's the same in 95/98...may not be.
In any case open regedit and search for "My Documents", and you should find it. I think it's in "DefaultPathC" no, that's not a typo.

[archie]

The default save location for some apps can also be modified simply by changing the "START IN:" information in the line just under the target location in the shortcut's properties [right click on icon, select properties, and go to the second line]. This will not apply to all apps but to some like older versions of MsWorks and possibly the newer ones, Write, Paintbrush, and several others. It is easy to make this change to check if it will work with the particular application. Also, some will save to where they saved last.
As mentioned in the previous replies, some would have to be done through the Option menu or somewhere within the software [a good place to check first] ... which makes changes to the registry, or these changes can be done manually by editing the registry.
As you may have figured by now, all the applications wil have to be checked one by one to confirm that the file save locations are being defaulted to the correct path.

[archie]

Another thing to try here is to make the C:\My Documents Folder point automatically to D:\My Documents [or rename this folder d:\data if you prefer. This is how it's done ... in explorer, go to My documents about halfway down the list, highlight it, right click, select Properties and put the information in "target". The actual folder on D may have to be created manually.