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

[oscarcat]

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.

 

[gregrocker]

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

 

[AddRAM]

a 120 GB drive is only 111 in windows, totally normal, 3 things that take up space on your ssd are

The page file, yours is tiny
System Restore
The hiber file, turn it off if you don`t use hibernation.

Keep all your programs on C

You can install games to the hard drive if you want, there`s no speed gain needed for games and they can take up a lot of space.

Windows fully updated only takes up 18 to 20 GB top, if you`ve already taken up 53 GB, you`ve installed alot on C.

You shouldn`t even use a mail program, just use your ISP program or something like Yahoo. Look at your mail on any computer anywhere in the world

The problem with installing programs to another drive is, you can`t make a proper image.

 

[Ranger4]

Hi oscarcat. As far as I know the old Vista Windows Mail will not work on Windows 7. You will have to use Windows Live Mail or Windows Outlook. If you have MS Office installed then Outlook will be part of it.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

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.

 

[Layback Bear]

A quality SSD will last as long as a hard drive if not longer. Babying a SSD is B/S.
Manufactures don't recommend defragging a SSD but that is it.

Just use the SSD and enjoy it.

 

[oscarcat]

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?

 

[gregrocker]

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?

 

[DavidE]

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.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

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.

 

[oscarcat]

Good Day again everyone.
Gregrocker and DavidE – Please ignore specs as shown – I was using a clapped out old Acer laptop to post at the time. I’ve done a clean install with MS Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit disc on a reformatted drive, no extras.
I used drivers from the Gigabyte site, Nvidia and Intel. There’s much conflicting advice as to whether to rely on Windows Updates (which failed half the time on the first attempt or manufacturer’s sites.
The antivirus was Avast and I now suspect did cause problems. But again the majority view is to install an anti virus app before using Windows Updates; I’m beginning to wonder about that.
I don’t have hibernate as an option.
No programs (apart from avast and LG’s Cyberlink Bluray drive utility are installed as yet. The sizes are as stated in my earlier post.
I’ve used Wiztree.
The first entry in the list is “ [12 files in C:\]” totaling 52.4 % of parent with a size of 28.2GB
When expanded, the list shows page file.sys is 56.7%, size is 16,0GB
And Hiberfil.sys. is42.5%, size 12 GB
The rest are MBs only
Windows is 35.9% 19.3GB
System volume information is 10.4% of Parent with a size of 5.6GB
The two prog folders are 3.5GB in total.
The remaining items in the tree total just over 1 GB.
I hope this provides useful information and if I need to take any remedial steps please let me knw.
I’m OK with Windows Mail – it’s happily running on my back up PC. It uses Vista program files and a couple of registry tweeks – I did this because years ago Windows Live and Outlook kept causing problems – and this didn’t.
Ignatzsonic - your links haven’t shown up. Any tutorials on this that work would be worth reading!

 

[ignatzatsonic]

You can get rid of the hibernation file entirely and save 12 GB. See post 8.

You can reduce the page file size easily from 16 GB to 1 or 2 GB and save 14 or 15 GB. Control panel/system/advanced system settings/advanced tab/settings button/advanced tab/change button in virtual memory section. Choose the custom size radio button and enter your initial size and maximum sizes in those 2 boxes. I use 1024 initial and 2048 maximum (aka 1 GB initial and 2 GB maximum).

I didn't supply any links and haven't looked through the tutorials for you, but I assume they are still there and can be found by using search terms from "advanced search". I did all of this 4 years ago when I last installed Windows.

 

[AddRAM]

Well there you go, pagefile and hibernation are using 28 GB.

System Restore also takes up space, as I`ve already mentioned.

 

[gregrocker]

What conflicting advice re: Windows Update? WIth no SP2 the OS is heavily patched and cannot be expected to run correctly without all Important and Optional Windows Updates installed. This includes drivers. If you don't have all Windows UPdates then you effectively don't have Windows 7.

I don't' care what XP-era advice you're given about Windows Updates drivers not being advisable. The definitive study on this is the 1.5 million consumers who have followed Clean Reinstall Windows 7 methods without a single complaint or problem reported. So while this may have been debatable five years ago, it isn't any longer no matter what XPired advice you may have picked up online. The proof is in the pudding and there is no other sample of this size which comes close, and a sample of this size is not debatable by hearsay.

If you installed the Intel or Nvidia or mobo drivers then you probably have a lot of crapware which tags along with driver that starts with Windows and freeloads on resources. Be sure to turn it all off in msconfig>Startup and >Services after Hiding all MS Services. This is why to first accept the drivers Win7 wants and not force drivers it may not want which often include a lot of crap which is never needed.

The links for User Folders - Change Default Location
Change Virtual Memory Paging File

I already gave you the link to disable Hiberfile, however I would not do so as this is one of the modern conveniences perfected in Win7 so that you can walk away and not worry about coming back to Shutdown and your work will still be saved, RAM not worn by endlessly sleeping.

 

[oscarcat]

Hi guys,
Everything is up and running.
A couple of general questions on best practice.
Opinions on this and other forums seem split on whether to use drivers which Windows Updates will load or whether the manufacturer's are really the best. Would Windows Update really find all of them or ia it really essential to rely on the set up disc that came with the MoBo or the manufacturer's sites for some - eg USB 3 and audio?
Secondly is it better to postpone installing an antivirus app until Windows Updates completes (avoiding the web for any other activity except for updating Windows. I suspect that Avast did cause problems on the first attempt at installing Windows. Put it another way, is there any danger of attacks if a connection is made solely to run Windows Updates?

 

[gregrocker]

You should install the AV immediately after install, while you Check for Updates to begin installing all Important and Optional Updates.

Only after all Updates are installed with no more offered should you import any drivers still missing in the Device Manager. These steps are important enough they are printed in red in the tutorial so I don't understand why the question. Again as I explained in my last post, some stuck in XPired methods may still want to debate but this is not debatable after 1.5+ (now) million consumers have used Clean Reinstall Windows 7 without a single complaint or problems, making it one of the largest and most successful publications on the web.

 

[oscarcat]

A major problem to the relatively, but not totally ignorant, is knowing which advice on which forums is sound. My anti-virus app - Avast may, as someone suggested, have een a source of problems during my iniyial re-installation attempt.
Perhaps my question should have been better phrased to ask just when and how a PC with a newly installed OS is open to attack,? Is it as soon as it is connected to the internet or only after 'surfing' has started and sites opened? The question was designed both to increase my IT Knowledge but also to receive an answer to the particular problem I encountered first time -which wasted several hours before I went back to square 1. You'll appreciate the potential conflict. If Avast did make a mess of the first reinstall, it would not seem sensible to load it before updating Windows.

 

[gregrocker]

I would not use Avast. It was once co-equally recommended with MSE but gradually almost everyone here stopped recommending it because of the problems that came with it bloating up - like AVG years before.

You can be relatively assured of the advice given here because this is the undisputed top tech forums in web history, where we live and breathe Windows 7. Many of us have been here since before the OS was even released, observing trends in hundreds if not thousands of threads.

 

[oscarcat]

Thanks for advice on Avast. Is there a current "top of the pops"?
Any advice on the point raised in my second para would be welcomed - "just when and how a PC with a newly installed OS is open to attack? Is it as soon as it is connected to the internet or only after 'surfing' has started and sites opened?"
I'm pretty long in the tooth. I've long since realized that younger generations have all this know-how hard wired into them from birth. I've given up looking for books from which I can learn about all this stuff - the 'Idiots' and 'Dummies' just don't cover it. But I'm damned if I'm going to be written off as 'only fit for the scrap heap'. I didn't know about the tutorials. I did find the Newegg series on Youtube which were Windows 7 specific (not XP in the least) and very helpful - but there aren't enough hours in the day to trawl through everything. Rest assured I've saved the tutorials. The question remains, where can I actually learn all about this stuff instaed of having to rely on pleas for help?

 

[gregrocker]

Everything that works best for Win7 install is compiled in Clean Reinstall Windows 7.

Please read it through and then ask back any questions.