Install Windows 7 on D Drive

heimdal · 13 Jun 2015

I have just built a new PC and I am about to install windows 7 64bit. I have looked online for help on this issue without luck.

I have the following set up:

1. 250GB SSD
2. HDD 1TB
3. Motherboard Gigabyte Z97-D3H Z97

I need to set the HDD 1TB as C Drive. This is due to migration of a carbonite backup and the wish to avoid re uploading all my data.

I would then set the SSD as d drive, install Windows and boot from d drive.

However when I install windows 7 it always sets the SSD as C and posts suggest you can't change the drive mapping after installing Windows. I don't seem to be able to set the drive letter during install and the BIOS doesn't seem to have the ability to set drive letters or primary/slave drives.

I thought this should be a relatively simple process but I have not been able to get it to work or find instructions on how to do it.

Any help would be much appreciated.

gregrocker · 13 Jun 2015

Win7 will always see itself as C when installed correctly from booted installer, and there is no reason I've ever found to not want it to be C and plenty of reasons to assure that. You may be misunderstanding the need to have the hard drive as C. But even if so, you can have ten OS's on five different hard drives on a system and all of them should be C when booted.

The way some err during install to make Win7 not be on C is to run the installer from another OS so that C is locked from use. In this case the next available drive letter is issued.

AddRAM · 13 Jun 2015

Where is all this data now ?

The cloud ?

And how much data are we talking about ?

heimdal · 14 Jun 2015

My current computer has a folder on C Drive that is current synchronized with a Carbonite account, it sits at about 250gb. Carbonite does not seem to have the capability to change the location of the synchronized folder.

I have built a new PC and have a SSD drive for window, with a capacity of 250gb.

I seem to have only two options:

1. Install my 1TB as C, install windows, transfer my files to the new C and then resync with Carbonite. But this means I can't use my SDD for my Windows install.

2. Install Windows on SSD and set it as C. Make the HDD D drive and place files on this disk. Then re-backup my files to Carbonite. An estimate is it will take 59 days to resync my files.

I figure that Option 1 will work, but if I can make the SSD D drive, install windows here and boot from here I will still get the benefits of the SSD.

GokAy · 14 Jun 2015

I wonder if you can make use of a symbolic link, OS will believe the files/folders inside Carbonite folder are still in C SSD).

MKLINK – Create and Use Links in Windows
It is real easy, if you need help just give the folder name of Carbonite on your old C, and new folder on D. I will write you the command. Or someone else will until I am back (have to go out now for 1.5-2 hours)

heimdal · 24 Jun 2015

Hi GokAy - Sorry for the late reply. Your suggestion worked a treat. Thanks it has saved me a lot of hassle.

GokAy · 24 Jun 2015