Boot drive?

I gave you a video tutorial how to set a drive Inactive with Partition Wizard in post #10.

If you have an SSD large enough to put the OS, data, paging file, and Hibernate file on it, as it appears you do, then there is no reason to have them on a separate drive. As Brian suggests you can save image and file backups to another drive or external.

There is a benefit to having a separate data partition from C, which is to have a smaller image backup. This way if Win7 becomes irreparable or needs reinstall you can reimage C from its disk and the stored image to C while the data remains current and safe in its own separate partition.

You can move the actual User Folders - Change Default Location (Documents, Pictures, etc) to the data partition but it requires using another imaging app than Win7's own built-in app. I recommend free Macrium Imaging - Windows 7 Help Forums.

I move my User folders into the OneDrive folder on a separate data partition, so that I can simultaneously Sync, Backup and Store your Files to the Cloud with OneDrive which has worked perfectly for two years here.

AddRAM said:

Is disk 0 476 GB an ssd ?

There is no need to put any data on it, unless windows demands it be there.

If disk 0 is an ssd, I would use the entire drive for windows. But if you delete the system reserved partition and add it to C you can leave Disk 0 as it is and hold onto that extra un allocated space til you need it.

Yes, AddRam, my 512 GB (in reality, 476 GB; where the heck di the other 36 GB go?) is an SSD. I would gain some speed if I move all data to the SSD. I would keep the HDD as a spare.

Regards,

Hans L

gregrocker said:

I gave you a video tutorial how to set a drive Inactive with Partition Wizard in post #10.

Yes, you did. However, I wasnot sure whether I could use the free MW version for that. I also have Easeus installed, so I updated it and checked it out, but it cannot Inactivate. So, I will install the Free PW and inactivate.

gregrocker said:

If you have an SSD large enough to put the OS, data, paging file, and Hibernate file on it, as it appears you do, then there is no reason to have them on a separate drive. As Brian suggests you can save image and file backups to another drive or external.

Great.

gregrocker said:

There is a benefit to having a separate data partition from C, which is to have a smaller image backup. This way if Win7 becomes irreparable or needs reinstall you can reimage C from its disk and the stored image to C while the data remains current and safe in its own separate partition.

I did just that. I used a rescue disk and was able to move my C: image to the new SSD.

gregrocker said:

You can move the actual User Folders - Change Default Location (Documents, Pictures, etc) to the data partition but it requires using another imaging app than Win7's own built-in app. I recommend free Macrium Imaging - Windows 7 Help Forums.

I have used Macrium Reflect for years now (after having had nothing but trouble with True Image, sorry to say), and I image every night, saving 5 images on an external drive, and, to avoid disaster in case of fire or burglary, I keep a copy that I replace once a month in a neighbor's house.

An initial backing up top the Cloud would take a week or more, and incremental backups (or rather, recovering form incremental backups) would, as far as I can gather from reading about it, be a real ordeal.

As I write this, I do realize that data drives do not need to be imaged (just backed up), but since my images are being done while I sleep, I do one image of all my disks (~200 GB). And, as I said, I had absolutely no problems recovering only my C: drive a couple of days ago. And I have recovered individual files and folders in the past. Macrium Reflect is one heck of a good app,

gregrocker said:

I move my User folders into the OneDrive folder on a separate data partition, so that I can simultaneously Sync, Backup and Store your Files to the Cloud with OneDrive which has worked perfectly for two years here.

I presently have only an iPhone, which I use only if I remember to take it with me when I leave the house So, syncing is not a priority for me.

I do not know the workings of the more sophisticated aspects of Windows, so let me ask: Are all settings in User? That is, no settings in the Windows folder? So, is that the reason you are backing up only User, because, in a case of a crash, you simply reinstall Windows and recover User?

Regards,

Hans L

Again the blue link is a tutorial which shows the answers to your question. I only move the User folders which are actively used. The hidden Appdata folders do not need to be backed up because they are in the image and not a priority for file backup, in a reinstall they should not be reimported since they are a corruption path into a fresh install.

gregrocker said:

Again the blue link is a tutorial which shows the answers to your question. I only move the User folders which are actively used. The hidden Appdata folders do not need to be backed up because they are in the image and not a priority for file backup, in a reinstall they should not be reimported since they are a corruption path into a fresh install.

Got you, Greg. Thank you for all you great advice and help!

Hans L

HELP!!!

I wanted to put all my data on the SSD (I have space, as I mentioned before). I installed and used PW (free), and reduced the C: partition, still so that is was 30 GB larger than the used space. PW did its thing, but after the last restart, the PC got stuck already at the ASUS (mobo) "Welcome" page (the first thing I see when startimng up the computer). I clicked to get into BIOS POST MESSAGE, and it gave basically this info:

Entering Setup
PC2-4300 Dual Channel Asymmertric Initialization USB Controller .. Done
USB device(s): 1 Mouse, 1 Hub
Autodetecting AHCI Port 1 .. [stuck here]

I have not yet investigated what this might mean, and while I will, I am still asking here, what does it mean?

By disconnecting the SSD and starting with the rescue disk, I am back to where I was the day before yesterday, namely to recover an image of my previous C: drive. Not terrible, but I want to avoid getting into this situation again. HELP!

Hans L

PS. Using my wife's computer. She just left town, thank g-d.

AddRAM said:

There was no need to reduce C, you already had un allocated space on the ssd, you could have made a partition and put the data on that. We told you not to store data on C. Why don`t you listen ?

You have a 476 GB ssd, (according to windows) not a 512 GB, there is nothing missing.

It only says 512 on the packaging.

You can research this yourself

AddRAM, Greg said I could put my data on the SSD (I never intended to put it in the C: partition; I just reduced it to get some more space). I do not see why one could not.

And I am sure you do not mean that PW punished me for trying to reduce the space. It practically invited me by having reduction as an option in its menu. The C: partition used 97 GB, had about 60 GB free space, totalling 157, so I reduced the total to about 130. More than enough for Windows to expand, if needed. What is wrong with that? I don't think PW minded. I believe it might have had something to do with AHCI and the fact that I did not install Windows, but recovered an image of it. If you know something about that, kindly let me know. I actually do listen, but I don't always do as I have been "told" (just ask my wife).

Regards/Hans L

AddRAM said:

LOL Ok fine, I seriously doubt PW messed anything up, it works perfectly 99.9% of the time.

You didn`t switch from IDE to AHCI or vice versa after the re image did you ? You shouldn`t attempt that.

Are you installing PW on windows or did you create and use the Boot CD ? Which is much better and safer.

Bootable Partition Manger | MiniTool Partition Wizard Bootable Edition

I will respond tomorrow. Right now, I am too verkhadet (upset) to even think about this. But I want to say that I am very grateful for your response and help.

Regards.

Hans L (in Cleveland, Ohio)