Is it possible to expand the C:\ drive with another volume?

[SealBall]

Hi, so, I got an OCZ Agility 60gb SDD for cheap while I was building my computer, thinking that Windows 7 couldn't possibly use all of that and that I'd be able to prevent programs from installing into my C:\ drive. I tried and tried but somehow, my C:\ drive is now at 4.55GB remaining and I'm afraid that it'll run out soon, is it possible to expand my C:\ drive using another volume? I have a 1tb Seagate that I honestly don't have anything on and I'd like to allocate my C:\ drive, maybe 250gb, if it's not possible, does anyone have any recommendations to help keep my C:\ drive as empty as possible? Thanks a lot for your help. I've been running CCleaner but it only helps a tiny bit.

I've heard about converting the two drives in question to a dynamic drive and spanning the two but I don't know if that's safe for a drive containing the OS.

 

[LMiller7]

A volume can only be extended to unallocated space on the same physical drive.

 

[SealBall]

A volume can only be extended to unallocated space on the same physical drive.

Ah, I'm sorry. I used the wrong terminology then.

 

[LMiller7]

Drive spanning is for data drives only, not those containing an OS. Spanned volumes require drivers which are on the Windows volume. But the volume cannot be read without the drivers.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

does anyone have any recommendations to help keep my C:\ drive as empty as possible?

Can you do without hibernation? It would save you 16 GB.

You could adjust the page file.

You might be able to clean up things a bit with Disk Cleanup, the built in Windows tool.

 

[MrNeeds]

It's possible to use a RAID 0 configuration to achieve this but it does mean that if either your SSD fails or the hard drive fails then the data is lost on both drives, however, you do need to do a fresh format on both drives to do this, also your SSD will become the same speed as the mechanical hard drive, the other solution is to install non essential programs to your other hard drive in a standard sata config to save space, and just use windows OS on the SSD for lightning fast boot times and load times.

 

[LMiller7]

A RAID 0 array is made up of 2 or more equal size physical drives. In theory you could combine the SSD with 60 GB of the 1 TB drive into a 120 GB RAID 0 array. The rest of the drive could be used but would be outside the array. The SSD would contribute 60 GB of space but with no performance benefits whatsoever. Assuming that the controller supported such an unusual combination. Software RAID is for data drives only.

All of the problems of RAID 0 with none of the advantages. Not really a viable option.

 

[SealBall]

does anyone have any recommendations to help keep my C:\ drive as empty as possible?

Can you do without hibernation? It would save you 16 GB.

You could adjust the page file.

You might be able to clean up things a bit with Disk Cleanup, the built in Windows tool.

Yeah, I could easily do without hibernation, how could that save me 16gb?
Could you go more into depth about disabling hibernation and/or adjusting my page file or give me some more information? I'd be really grateful. After a windows update last night, I only have 2.55gb left.

 

[SealBall]

It's possible to use a RAID 0 configuration to achieve this but it does mean that if either your SSD fails or the hard drive fails then the data is lost on both drives, however, you do need to do a fresh format on both drives to do this, also your SSD will become the same speed as the mechanical hard drive, the other solution is to install non essential programs to your other hard drive in a standard sata config to save space, and just use windows OS on the SSD for lightning fast boot times and load times.

That's what I've done, or at least, attempt to have done. I have a my 60GB SSD, a 500GB HDD that is nearly full because that's where I've been directing my files to be installed to, and a 1TB HDD that my friend gifted to me. Somehow, my C drive STILL managed to get this full. >_<.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

does anyone have any recommendations to help keep my C:\ drive as empty as possible?

Can you do without hibernation? It would save you 16 GB.

You could adjust the page file.

You might be able to clean up things a bit with Disk Cleanup, the built in Windows tool.

Yeah, I could easily do without hibernation, how could that save me 16gb?
Could you go more into depth about disabling hibernation and/or adjusting my page file or give me some more information? I'd be really grateful. After a windows update last night, I only have 2.55gb left.

Go to an administrator's command prompt and type powercfg -h off and hit the enter key.

That will save you either 12 or 16 GB---either an amount equal to installed RAM or 75% of that amount.

You can check and change the page file by typing "virtual" into the start menu search box and following the link to virtual memory. Mine is set to a custom size--1024 MB minimum; 2048 MB maximum.

Some would tell you to get rid of it entirely since you have so much RAM, but a better move is to keep a relatively small one.

Run disk cleanup and tell it to clean up system files. You have to check a box to do that.

You can also download and run a program like Treesize Free to see what's using the space on the drive.

 

[rvcjew]

This program https://windirstat.info/ is super old but will show you what is huge on your drive and give you an idea if its filled with just windows or programs you can't move out of program files. like APPDATA for example, this can get huge and can be relocated, then in environment variables set to the new location (technical and only should be done if you need to as messing up can break windows). Post a shot of what that shows you if you need help understanding it.