New install on SSD

I just bought OCZ 128GB Vertex 4 and have been attempting to make it a system only drive. However I've run into more than a few snags and I'm wondering if anyone has any solutions.

• First getting Users off of the SSD. I tried linking the users file and putting it directly on the HDD using this method. This failed miserably and just ended up with a broken User directory that would fail to load when you try to login. Each time I would put in my password it would give me something about profile service unable to load or something. So doing anything in that borked my install and I had to reinstall. Is there any way to accomplish this? Also, do links just not work at all or can you only rely on soft links not hard links?
  
  Now I realize that my SDD is big enough to have the users directory however I was just trying to minimize the writes to this drive to lengthen the life of the SSD (ironically in trying all this I've probably worsened it anyway ).
  
• Second moving the default install directory (Program Files) to the HDD. Now if I wanted EVERYTHING to be on the HDD it might be okay but if I hack the registry with things installed (browser, certain, utilities) any shortcuts to anything on the SSD break and even recreating them doesn't help. Would I have to manually alter the shortcuts to get them to function? Is there a better way to accomplish this?

I can live with Users directory having to be on the SDD but is there anyway to change the current default program files without ruining all shortcuts to anything on the SDD.

Thanks for reading and I appreciate any help I can get.

As long as the user folder isn't shared as part of a homegroup, then it's just a matter of opening the Properties sheet of the user folder(s) you want to move, and selecting the Location tab--> Move button. You can then move the contents of the user folder(s) to a previously created folder on your HDD. Moving the entire user profile folder to a different location is a different matter altogether, and as you found out isn't guaranteed to work.

And as far as changing the default install directory by modifying the ProgramFilesDir DWORD value, unfortunately that only applies to the installation of new app's, and not to the location of existing ones. It would be a nightmare trying to change the location manually for any and all currently installed app's, including redirection, registry edits, changing ownership and permissions, etc.

Well I changed the registry value for ProgramFilesDir but it seems alot of the shortcuts must be using %ProgramFiles% because they then tried to run off the HDD even tho the program was installed on the SDD. I still want some things to run off the SDD.