Solved SSD Full,How to keep OS only and use HDD for everything else

[beserkur]

Hi all,new to this forum.I've been browsing here and haven't quite found the solution I need,although several come close..here is what I want,I just want to know the best and easiest way to go about it.

My 120Gb SSD with Windows 7 on it is full,(some DL's just got sent to the ssd without even asking where to install grr.)
I want to keep 7 on my ssd but put everything else onto a new hdd-is there a way to move the unwanted files on the ssd without corrupting any data? Seem to me I would have to reintsall windows and find a way to direct everything else to hdd.

Am I being clear or should I elaborate?

Thanks for taking the time to read this and any help you can give.

 

[AddRAM]

You just install another hard drive for data and copy and paste the data over.

Why would you think you have to reinstall windows ?????????

You should not be storing data on the ssd anyway.

Example:

 

[Layback Bear]

Brian.
That is what I call a proper Disk Management. Good job.

 

[whs]

Impressive - but we have a saying: "People who keep order are only too lazy to search" - sounds better in German, LOL.

 

[beserkur]

You just install another hard drive for data and copy and paste the data over.

Why would you think you have to reinstall windows ?????????

You should not be storing data on the ssd anyway.

Example:

Thanks for the reply,I know to not store data on the ssd,but my wife and son use this pc also and they have inadvertently put stuff on the ssd-and have used all the space.There must be a way to direct any downl;oad to the disc I want it to go on without having to specify each time,right?

As for reinstalling windows I thought anything I transfer will get corrupted.

I'm checking out some of the tutorials and it seems there are ways,just haven't found it yet
Again thanks for the reply,much appreciated.

 

[whs]

If you let your family play with your computer it will be difficult to keep a clean system. I would get them their own toy.

Regarding the downloads - they usually default to the folder that was last used for downloads.

 

[beserkur]

another build is in the works but for now,we all must share.
I'm looking for the way to designate all downloads go to the hdd-it would solve 90% of my problem.

 

[whs]

Just make a first download to a folder in the HDD and ask your family not to change that. This should then always be the default.

 

[beserkur]

whs,I have done that and stuff still gets sent to my C drive(the ssd) sometimes you don't even get the option to where to send it,example origin-just installed to the ssd even though there is a download folder in place on the hdd.

 

[whs]

Something is wrong here. I have several systems with 60GB SSDs and none was ever really full. The highest I have ever had is 42GB. Matter of discipline.

 

[AddRAM]

Origin will install to the ssd yes, in fact you want it to, but when you install a game you install it on the other hard drive, look at my photo again.

One drive is dedicated to games, and on that drive I have a Steam folder, an Origin folder, and a Uplay folder, each time you download a game you change the C in the path to the letter of the other drive, you do that once for Steam (example) now you shouldn`t have to change that install path ever again, but you always look at the path before you install it.

The client, Steam, Origin, or Uplay has to be installed on C, the games get installed on the games drive.

And even if something other then a game gets downloaded, it will go to your downloads folder, after that you simply copy it to the other drive, then delete it from your downloads folder.

A 120 GB ssd, should last the life of a pc, it should never have more then 50 to 60 GB on it, ever.

 

[AddRAM]

We also have a saying "People who use the search box are lazy, real lazy"

 

[AddRAM]

You just install another hard drive for data and copy and paste the data over.

Why would you think you have to reinstall windows ?????????

You should not be storing data on the ssd anyway.

Example:

Thanks for the reply,I know to not store data on the ssd,but my wife and son use this pc also and they have inadvertently put stuff on the ssd-and have used all the space.There must be a way to direct any downl;oad to the disc I want it to go on without having to specify each time,right?

As for reinstalling windows I thought anything I transfer will get corrupted.

I'm checking out some of the tutorials and it seems there are ways,just haven't found it yet
Again thanks for the reply,much appreciated.

I don`t understand, you`re not going to transfer any windows files, you are just going to copy and paste your data, you don`t touch the windows folder. I told you, just copy and paste, then verify the file, it`s as simple as that, you don`t need any special programs or anything like that.

 

[beserkur]

Thanks for clearing that up for me addRam-in fact that is what I do,install games on hdd but I didn't know the client should be on the ssd,as for the rest I understand now.
But,I still have a question-the User files on the ssd,can I move them?

 

[AddRAM]

Of course you can, make a folder with your name on it on the hard drive, store your files there.

I`m talking about user data, not anything that windows sets up, open your user folder, click on your name, open each folder and you can copy and paste that data to your hard drive.

Then after you verify it`s on the hard drive, you go back and delete it from whichever folder you copied over.

You would only do that from The Documents, Pictures, Video, Download or Music folders, you don`t touch the others.

But you don`t change or alter any windows folders or files.

On the other hand, you can install any program you want on the hard drive, and it will be accessible from the ssd, you just go to your start menu and click on its icon or pin the icon to the taskbar or copy and paste the icon to the desktop (never recommend that though) but it is a real bad idea to do that, because when you create a disk image, then you reinstall windows with that image all those links would get broken, it`s best to install all your program on C, but you store the data for that program on the hard drive, (Excel files, Office files, Game files etc) those files wil always be there and can be accessed again even if you buy a larger ssd and install windows on it.

I just installed a whole new system in my box and guess what, every single file I ever had, every program I ever downloaded, all my game files are still there on all those other hard drives.

You`ve got to think of other hard drives as just an extended partition of your main drive and use it like that, all your drives are just a collection of books on the shelf and you need to store all your data in it`s particular book, but windows and your programs (minus games of course) and all windows updates stay on C, that way you can create proper images and use them to restore windows instead of reinstalling all over again.

This should go without saying, but I`m sure someone would bring it up and totally miss my point.

If you had money falling out of your pockets and could afford a 500 GB, or 1 TB ssd, then of course you could do whatever you wanted, still a bad idea in my opinion.

 

[beserkur]

Cool,just want to be sure before screwing it up. Thank You for your help and infinite patience