New SSD.......configuring data on HDD

Hbomb7677 · 14 Aug 2013

Hey all......my current setup: win7 and some data on 500gb HDD(C: ) and all pics, music etc. on a second 320 gb drive(E: ). I'd like to do a fresh install of win7 on my new Sammy 840 Evo SSD, and have it refer to my other drives for everything. Can I set up the new SSD as drive(F: ) (first boot), and tweak its registry to refer to the HDD (C: ) and all its corresponding filepaths from there? Trying to find a simple, logical way to have OS only on SSD and not need to transfer, backup, wipe, etc, my HDD's. Thanks for the help, input, and insight.

gregrocker · 14 Aug 2013

No, you should unplug all other drives during install to the SSD to Clean Install Windows 7.
Win7 will correctly always see itself as C when booted unless installed from another OS holding C at the time. This is the preferred configuration.

After install, move the User folders you want to the HD choosing the ones already there during User Folders - Change Default Location.

Note that this will cause Win7 backup imaging to include the data HD in any image, so if you use that you may want to instead link the User folders from HD instead to the related Library - Include a Folder - Windows 7 Forums and set HD folder as default download location for each. Or you can use another imaging app like free Macrium - Image your system.

Keep programs, paging file and Hibernation on the SSD to get best performance. If it gets crowded you can in most cases set paging file to 2gb if you have enough RAM. Virtual Memory Paging File - Change - Vista Forums

whs · 14 Aug 2013

Greg gave you excellent advice. Make sure you follow it by the letter.

Just one more thing - don't mess with the drive letters. Let the system set those. Just change the BIOS to boot from your SSD as second device (the CD reader should be first).

And I always get rid of the hiberfile because I never use hibernation. The command is powercfg -h off. Saves as many GBs on the SSD as the size of your RAM.

gregrocker · 14 Aug 2013

Thanks, Wolfgang. But I must disagree about the priceless value of the modern Hibernate feature perfected in Win7. It is such a convenience I curse when I have to wait the extra time for "Starting Windows."

I also like to be able to walk away from any of my 7 PC's without a second thought about whether I'm coming back in 5 minutes or 5 weeks. My work is always saved, sleeps awhile, then hibernates with full power down. Then ready to snap back to life in seconds.

whs · 14 Aug 2013

Greg, nothing wrong with that. I guess we all have our preferences. I typically work with small 60GB SSDs and on those an extra 8GB for the hiberfile is a heavy load. That is appr. the space I need for an extra Linux VMware virtual system.

Maybe now that SSDs got cheaper, maybe I should get used to buying bigger. But my first 60GB OCZ cost $260 in 2008 and that's when it became the habit to buy 60GBs.

Hbomb7677 · 14 Aug 2013

Greg, whs.....thanks for the responses. I know to unplug other drives, etc during win7 install onto new SDD. I'm trying to preserve and utilize the filepaths as they exist on my old hdd [C: ]. I can't have two C: drives, so I thought maybe I can clean install win 7 onto the SSD (with updates, drivers, blah blah blah), install it into comp as drive [F: ], set bios to boot from there, and then adjust the new win7 registry to find my user files on the old hdd, and thus preserve any filepaths beyond that. Maybe I'm asking too much, but it seems like it would work, to me....

gregrocker · 14 Aug 2013

It really isn't workable since the OS should be on C at almost any cost.

But if you've sorted your data into the related User folders as is always a best practice then it's easy to choose those when you move the related User folder according to Brink's tutorial.

If you haven't done that yet, then I'd sort your data into User folders you create, or after you move them from the new SSD install.