SQL Server configuration - default file locations

How do you make sure that any user database created is created on the disks that you have set aside for the data, transaction log and backup files. A lot of installations end up with their user databases in the default installation directory.

Example: C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10_50.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\DATA

All you need to do is to change the default file locations.

Server Properties -> Database Settings -> Database default locations.

Since SQL Server 2012 you can now easily specify the default backup location which previously had to be done through the registry.