Have 2 disk drives want one to be my main one

warfareDigital said:

but now C drive still have program files (x86) on it and stuff and whenever i want to download something it wants to put it on my C drive not J so how do i make it to where all my files and downloads go directly to my J drive?

Hello warefareDigital,

What Internet browser/Download Manager are you using to download your files?
(The answer to your question depends on it)

warfareDigital said:

Well my browser just puts everything into my downloads folder which im fine with it when i run the .exe' when they want me to choose where i want the program to be installed it automatically puts in on C drive i have to click browse and change it to my J drive.

Oh, that's what you meant. This by design in Windows, warfareDigital.

Most installations (run from setup.exe files), point to the C:\ drive by default.

There is a way to change the default location that setup programs will point to when installing programs, but it involves your registry, so proceed with EXTREME caution:-


1) Press Start, type in regedit, and press Enter.


2) Navigate to the following registry key in the Registry Editor:

Code:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion

3) Locate the value named “ProgramFilesDir” and change the default value “C:\Program Files” to your new directory path(address).

(For 32 bit programs installed on a 64 bit Windows 7 OS, change the "ProgramFilesDir (x86)" value instead)

Since you want J:\Programs to be your new destination you would change it J:\Programs like below.

Repeat the procedure again for the entry "ProgramFilesDir (x86)" if you want both 32 bit and 64 bit installers to point to the same destination on your J: partition.




4) Close the registry editor and reboot.


Hope that helps!

The first thing right off when going to reformat your drive you also apparently repartitioned it as well explaining how one single primary became two separate partitions. The options in any browser will allow you to choose where to save each download where you can create a totally separate folder outside of the "C:\users\user account name\downloads\" folder or even anywhere else in the user account sub folders.

If you still have nothing much on the drive at present only just having redone things over the option to nuke the J partition to expand C outward with a regular drive partitioning program while booted live from disk will allow expanding out to full capacity or reserved a certain amount for a second storage partition to be created after the expansion.

For most however that want a large single primary wiping the drive clean and creating the one large primary would be the thing seen to when planning a drive wipe as well as insuring the best results since resizing existing partitions can come wirh risks at times if something goes wrong during the resize. This is also why backing things up first from the drive before proceeding is advised as well.

If it works out you would simply nuke the J partition off of the drive as I was saying before in order to expand the C primary outward to fill the drive in. Or as the last resort clean the drive off entirely to see a brand new single C primary created.

You can't simp[ly combine or merge two partitions except in the case of expanding one into a large space of unallocated raw drive space where nothing is on it. If you look at the unallocated space as a second partition then that would be a merger of two when expanding into it.

But the J volume either needs to be reduced in size and "moved" towards the back of the drive to expand C while present or totally removed from the drive unless you start all over fresh. Moving a good sized partition is time consuming for sure where most would simply nuke it!

warfareDigital said:

lol have no idea what you just said so ill prob just nuke it XD thanks!

That would be best. Nuke it and just make one partition to cover the whole drive for simplicity's sake.

Once you get familiar with how to partition and format drives you'll be surprised at how relatively easy it is! After wiping the drive again and going to see 7 put back on you will want to see how to use the drive tools on the 7 dvd for a start at seeing a single OS primary created. Partition the Hard Drive in a Windows 7 Install