Help Switching Boot Drive from SSD to HDD

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  1. Posts : 9
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
       #1

    Help Switching Boot Drive from SSD to HDD


    I built my computer the other day, and I had not planned to have an ssd at all, but somehow ended up getting a 64 gigabyte Samsung SSD. It is very fast, which is good for the boot, and i just told myself i would put all programs on the HDD. I did that, Windows installation took up like 25 gigs, and since then I've been watching the disk space slowly drop. without even putting anything on it. So i need to switch the boot drive to the HDD, i dont know how to do this. Can i just copy and paste the entire ssd onto the HDD? or do i need to install windows on the HDD. how exactly can i accomplish this. I actually prefer this solution because this way i can have all my more used (large) programs on the ssd operate very quickly and just have to have a longer boot time. If you are going to try and change my opinion, then do not post please, because i am doing this.
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  2. whs
    Posts : 26,210
    Vista, Windows7, Mint Mate, Zorin, Windows 8
       #2

    You are doing it backwards. The system must stay on the SSD and the user data and the programs have to go on the HDD (if they are big - probably games). Putting the OS on the HDD defeats the purpose of the SSD.

    And no, you cannot just cpy/paste the system over. It is a bit more complicated.

    So what I suggest. Uninstall all the big programs and reinstall them directing them to a folder on the HDD during installation time (the installers usually give you that option). But leave all the system files on the SSD.

    For the user folders, you can change the default location to the HDD: User Folders - Change Default Location

    You probably also want to delete the hiberfile. The command is powercfg -h off
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  3.    #3

    I would move the User folders first.

    Only if you absolutely need the space would I move off any programs as they will lose speed on the spinner. Same with the paging file, not so much the hiberfile.
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  4. whs
    Posts : 26,210
    Vista, Windows7, Mint Mate, Zorin, Windows 8
       #4

    Some of your disk space probably also disappeared in restore points (shadows). Run this command to limit it to 5% (3GB) of the SSD:

    vssadmin Resize ShadowStorage /For=C: /On=C: /MaxSize=5%
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  5. Posts : 9
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
    Thread Starter
       #5

    @WHS

    what else am i able to move from the SSD to the HDD? I haven't tried moving the User data yet. But im going to considering that the space went from 31.4 to 30.9 in an hour and a half, without doing anything but playing a game. i doubt a save game is that large.... I cant help but feel something is wrong, why else would space just be slowly draining away?
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  6. whs
    Posts : 26,210
    Vista, Windows7, Mint Mate, Zorin, Windows 8
       #6

    If you move the user folder (documents, pictures, videos, music) and the large games, plus delete the hiberfile, your system should stay below 30GBs. Also resize the shadowstorage with the command above.

    If you end up with more than 30GBs, then you have a lot of OEM junk which you can just uninstall.

    No need to move anything else. Non of my SSDs has a system of more than 25GBs - and I have a lot of (normal) programs, no games.

    Run WinDirStat. That will tell you what is on the system - but not the shadowstorage. For that you have to run this command: vssadmin list shadowstorage
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  7. Posts : 9
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
    Thread Starter
       #7

    whs said:
    If you move the user folder (documents, pictures, videos, music) and the large games, plus delete the hiberfile, your system should stay below 30GBs. Also resize the shadowstorage with the command above.

    If you end up with more than 30GBs, then you have a lot of OEM junk which you can just uninstall.

    No need to move anything else. Non of my SSDs has a system of more than 25GBs - and I have a lot of (normal) programs, no games.

    Run WinDirStat. That will tell you what is on the system - but not the shadowstorage. For that you have to run this command: vssadmin list shadowstorage
    I tried moving the user files to the hdd by inputting: >robocopy "C:\Users" "E:\Users" /E /COPYALL /XJ

    however it told me i do not have the manage auditing user right....

    uuuuuhhhh
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  8.    #8

    Follow the steps given to do this in the blue tutorial link:

    whs said:
    For the user folders, you can change the default location to the HDD: User Folders - Change Default Location
    You can also move everything at once by moving your named User Account: User Profile - Change Default Location
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  9. whs
    Posts : 26,210
    Vista, Windows7, Mint Mate, Zorin, Windows 8
       #9

    Don't use robocopy. Do as Greg says - i did give you that link earlier too. That's what you get if you don't read.
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  10. Posts : 9
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
    Thread Starter
       #10

    alright, thanks much, and i did read, i just saw the second option which seemed... sloppy to me. i didnt realize there was a link to another option. now. is there anything else i can move to the hdd, like in program files? im assuming the folder program files (x86) is not movable, but what about normal program files?

    This is what is in my C drive
    (they're all folders)

    Intel
    Perflogs
    Program Files
    Program Files (x86)
    RaidTool
    Users (not a problem anymore)
    Windows
      My Computer


 
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