SSD as 'C' OS only, install all other apps etc on other HDs

I’ve just freshly reinstalled Windows 7 64bit on a small 120GB SSD on my PC which is my ‘C’ drive. It shows up as 111GB in size in My Computer and of this, a mere 58GB is shown as free.
My PC also has a 1 x 1TB and 3 x 2TB mechanical HDs.
‘D’, a 2TB HD, has been reformatted and is empty except for a newly created Windows Image Backup folder.
The ‘E’,’F’ and ’G’ HDs contain a mixture of data (separately backed up), apps, utilities etc. The 1TB drive has been used for temporay storage of things which may, or may not, eventually find a permanent home on the 2TBs.
I know that the 58 GBs on the SSD will be swallowed up in no time if I start installing space hungry apps like MS Office, Photoshop, audio apps, the odd game and flight sim program on it. Furthermore, my understanding is that constantly writing to a SSD is to be avoided if possible.
Ideally I want to leave the SSD with just the OS on it with the benefit of a speedy system start up time.
I would very much like to
1. Install all apps, or as many as possible on ‘D’, not ‘C’
2. Transfer every folder appearing under the PC’s name folder to ‘D’
3. Get rid, permanently of the Libraries feature in Windows 7. I tried some time ago to get rid of libraries feature in Windows 7 by following forum advice without success.
4. If possible run my email program (the old Windows Mail from Vista on ‘D’
Finally, any hints on where best to install Photoshop would be welcomed.
How effective is using the “send to” feature to transfer ‘Contacts’, ‘Desktop’, ‘Downloads’, ‘Favorites’ etc , which are listed under the PC name folder? Is everything being shunted first through the SSD, (which seems to defeat the aim of not using it unnecessarily) before ‘D’ is reached?
I have read in old posts that this can be done but that the process is complicated and very risky. I’m wondering if, in since then, anyone has devised a simpler and safer way of doing it? Even half a solution would be better than none at all and I look forward to suggestions.
All best wishes and thanks in advance to everyone who has any ideas on how to achieve any of these aims.

Why leave all of that space unused and accept slower programs by installing all of them to mechanical hard drives?

I would install your most used programs to the SSD in order of importance, to benefit from the faster speeds as programs do. Only install excess programs to the spinners, along with your User folders which do not benefit as much from the speed.

User Folders - Change Default Location

oscarcat said:

Furthermore, my understanding is that constantly writing to a SSD is to be avoided if possible.

That's vastly overdone and overstated, unless you have a VERY unusual situation or an antique SSD. VERY unusual would typically mean a corporate situation where a database is being constantly hammered, 24/7.

SSDs are tools. Use them in a way that takes advantage of what they can offer (speed). I doubt if you'd buy a wrench and then refrain from using it for fear you would "wear it out".

If your SSD proves to be a disappointment, it's much more likely the disappointment will be for reasons unrelated to the amount written---failed controller, failed connectors, bad firmware, bad customer support experience, or something totally unforeseeable. In my case, it was failed connectors. They can drop dead for no apparent reason, just like any other device.

Hi,

AddRAM - 'Computer' shows 57.3 free of 111GB total. But goinginto it I se Windows taking 19.7GBsthe two Progarma folders 3.5 (all that's been installed is an antivirus and LG's Cyberlink Bluray suite and the rest come to less than 1GB.
So totting these up shows 24GBs used whereas 'Computer' shows 54GB used ie only 57GBs free! What's going on?
I don't use hibernation. By 'turning off' do you mean just don't select it or somehow permanently disable it? How does it use up space?

Ranger 4 I do use Google mail but so many people still reply to my ISP's Windows Mail that I've kept it. And after reading much criticism of Windows Live and Outlook, I decided to stick with Windows Mail which can be made to work happily on Windows 7 with a a couple of registry and program alterations. There was a tutorial by Poppa Bear back in Nov 2009 (even then some of the links were obsolete but I downloaded and kept them in my archive of "possibly useful things to know about"!


Ignatzatsonic - Just reiterating what the PC mags and forums were saying a couple of years ago - though I often wondered why none of my flash drives ever had any wear problems! The SSD undoubtedly gives a much quicker start up than my standby PC but it did fill up over 2 - 3 years.

The decision to make a disc image at this stage was deliberate. I'm quite happy to be able to go back to a an install containing essentially just the OS, the drivers and updates as of that date.

So, back to my questions in my original post, given that no-one is ecstatic about my proposals, can they nevertheless be achieved?

Did you reinstall any of the factory crapware? If this is the Aspire in your specs, then compare the install you did to the perfect install compiled in Clean Reinstall Windows 7 as you might want to do it over if you reimported any of the factory junk. All drivers should come from Windows Updates then after all of those are installed with no more offered import only those still missing in Device Manager without any of the bloatware.

Hibernate - Enable or Disable - Windows 7 Forums

The paging and hibernate files should be no bigger than the size of your RAM.

If you do reinstall, let us know the size after all Updates and drivers are installed before installing any Programs. Then install whatever Windows Mail you're using with workaround and compare the size.

What Bluetooth software is needed beyond bluetooth drivers and for what exact functions?

Use Wiztree to see what it shows for where space is used.
They have a portable version, no installation needed.
Antibody Software - WizTree finds the files and folders using the most disk space on your hard drive

What anti-virus are you using ?
Avast can cause problems.

oscarcat said:

I would very much like to
1. Install all apps, or as many as possible on ‘D’, not ‘C’
2. Transfer every folder appearing under the PC’s name folder to ‘D’
3. Get rid, permanently of the Libraries feature in Windows 7. I tried some time ago to get rid of libraries feature in Windows 7 by following forum advice without success.
4. If possible run my email program (the old Windows Mail from Vista on ‘D’

Could you do those 4 things, smart or not?

You can pretty much do the first 3; I'm not sure about 4, but I think Windows Mail is extinct.

Regarding 1: Doable; some programs may demand to be on C; I've never installed anywhere but C.

Regarding 2: You can in effect get C:\users to point somewhere else. Tutorials on this site.

Regarding 3: I've pretty well got rid of libraries and rarely notice it. I just save everything to D directly. I used the tutorials on this site.