Setting up new SSD

[Kirano]

Hope you're enjoying the Christmas Season Hexus Collective!

So this isn't a tech headache yet, but this seemed the most appropriate place for it. After much saving, I've just bought myself an SSD for Christmas. My main question is - how do I go about setting everything up?

I currently have everything - windows, music/documents, video games - installed on a single 1Tb Hard Disk. I'd like to do a clean install of windows on the SSD - rather than copy everything across - as it just seems good housekeeping to do that. Should I disconnect the Hard Disk when I do this to avoid any conflicts during installation or whatever? What about other programs, games etc.? Can I just copy them to the SSD from the Hard Disk or will I have to directly install them on the SSD as well?

The Hard Disk is currently set as the C: drive. Is it possible to have this changed to the D: drive and have the new SSD as the C: drive?

How can I redirect things like My Music, My Documents, Downloads from the SSD install of Windows to point to the Hard Disk - preferably to the copies of those files already present there?

Finally, once everything is set up and working, can I just indiscriminately delete stuff off of the Hard Disk that's no longer needed, such as various windows files and programs now installed on the SSD?

Sorry if these all seem like basic, easily googlible questions but prudence has taught me that - with technology - if it seems like it should be a simple task... it probably won't be! I imagine many of you have had experience of doing this so can hopefully point out the common pit falls and quick fixes too me!

Many kind, seasonal regards,

Kirano

[stilkun]

Plug your SSD into the fastest SATA port you have available on the computer. You can disconnect the HDD to install Windows onto SSD to avoid conflicts or confusion but make sure to configure your BIOS boot order so that it can start to SSD is first before HDD when you have finished. If you use steam for games, follow this instructions: Moving a Steam Installation and Games. Some programs depends some registry key entries or license stored in registry key so it would be tricky to know which program will run fine if move across.

When Windows booted from SSD it will be automatically called C: drive due to where it system/operating files are stored and that HDD will be D:, it will be E: if you still using optical drive as it occupies the D: slot.

There are other methods of folder redirection to HDD, someone else may offer better solution than mine. The one I have done so far is changing folder location from the properties of the documents, music, pictures and video to another HDD but it will only affect the current user meaning you will have to repeat same process for other users to change.

I believe there might be NTFS permission prevent you deleting files from the HDD due to previous different owner or system ID set to the Windows on the SSD. You will need to change/take the ownership and permissions as well to delete. There will be MBR or GUID entries left on the HDD when you delete the system folders meaning that if you computer boots to HDD and didn't change boot order, it will complain that your OS is not there.

[Skylark-Torch]

Hey Kirano! I happen to have done this exact setup with my own 80GB SSD and 1TB HDD, and I've thoroughly enjoyed the benefits enough that I have mirrored the setup on all my other systems.

My SSD came with free Acronis drive cloning software, and though I used it at first, I find that a clean install of Windows is generally a better thing to have.

You appear to be seeking information on how to:
- Install a fresh copy of windows onto your SSD.
- Remove the old Windows files from your data drive.
- 'Swap' the drive letters, so that the SSD is seen as the C: drive, and the data drive is D:.
- Redirect Windows library folders to locations on the data drive.
- Save as much old data as possible.

In all of these cases, I have managed to succeed. Because of this, I feel that I will be able to help you. If any part of my description seems confusing, please feel free to ask questions!

Of note, the system I primarily use and have experience with is Windows 7. If you have an OS other than this, things may differ and I may be unable to help you. I am also assuming that you only have one user on your system. If you have more than one user, you will need to repeat some of the specific steps I outline which are related to creating folders based on usernames.

This guide was designed for people who do not have an extra HDD, or external HDD of which they can transfer data to. If you do actually have access to extra storage space, I highly recommend copying your most important data and making a backup of your Windows system and putting it all onto the external drive before following this guide. If anything goes wrong, you will have your backups on the extra drive, and you can start over.

I'll also be excruciatingly detailed on some simple tasks that I can repeat, and rather vague on some that I cannot currently repeat. Apologies in advance!

DISCLAIMER:
Though I have used the utilities I mention in this guide often enough that I trust doing the process with all of my data on the system, it is fair to warn you that some of these processes change the makeup of very critical files on your hard disk. If any subsystem error occurs, there lies a risk of losing data. I could summarize this by saying: "DO AT YOUR OWN RISK."


Here is the guide of the process:

Assuming you have not already attempted to install Windows, add or change a drive, or remove any files, I will walk you through the steps I would take to arrive at your end-goal.

First, open the Disk Management utility (Start Menu, type "Partition") and shrink your current C: drive down by a large amount. Use that newly unallocated space to create your new D: drive, which will be your final data drive. At this point your "My Computer" screen sees two drives. Open the drive folders in two windows and cut-and-paste the data you want to keep from your C: drive into your D: drive.

(i.imgur.com/B3bf0e2.png)

If you would like to follow my data structure, open the new D: drive and create two folders named "Installations" and "Users". The Installations folder is meant to be designated for programs you want to install, but which you do not want on your SSD. When you're installing new programs, you can usually choose the option to manually select an installation path, and you'll normally need to create a new folder for each new program you put into this "Installations" folder. For example, if you're installing a Star Wars game, you might create a new folder named "Star Wars" in this folder before you install the game.

The "users" folder also serves an important purpose, as it is where you will be placing your personal data, like movies or music. Now, before we move on, I want you to create your account username. Write it on a sheet of paper so you make sure you know exactly what it is, you'll need it for a later step. got it? Okay, inside the "Users" folder, create a new folder with your computer account username. According to my system, it is important that you enter exactly what the username is as the folder name, There will come a time in which you cannot change this folder's name!.

So, if you're following my data structure, look at "My Computer":
- You have a C: drive, and a D: drive.
- The D: drive has "Installations" and "Users"
- "Installations" is currently empty, and will remain empty until you install programs later.
- "Users" contains your "username" folder.
- The "username" folder is empty. (though, we're about to fill it up)

Now, navigate to the C:\Users\"username" folder on your currently existing C: drive. From this folder, copy and paste the things you want to bring over. I normally copy the following: Desktop, Downloads, My Documents, My Music, My Pictures, My Videos, and Saved Games. To be clear, you are copying them to your new D:\Users\"username" folder.

For each of these folders you copy, it is important to ensure that the names remain exactly the same as they were before! This is important for the later step of moving your Windows Library locations.

In D:\Users\"username", feel free to create any additional folders or dump files directly into there. Do anything you want, as long as each of the folders you copy from C:\Users\"username" remain the same.

Your goal now is to take EVERY FILE you want to save from your old C: drive and put them all into your "username" folder.

Have you gotten every single file you want to save? double check. Some game might have a save file, or something else you need might be on the old disk partition.

Ok, got them all? Don't blame me if you forgot something! We'll be wiping this partition, so if anything is left in the C: drive, it will be deleted!

Now that you're done moving your personal data, we're ready to install Windows. You can go ahead and plug your new SSD into the computer, and get your Windows installer media ready! (Make sure the computer is off and unplugged when you're installing the new drive!)

Don't have windows installation media? Look online for ways to get a windows ISO installer file, or actually buy one, and look at this guide for how to use a special program that puts the ISO file onto a USB drive or a DVD.
social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/913.using-the-windows-7-usbdvd-download-tool.aspx

When you boot the computer up, you'll have to choose to boot from the installation file's media, unless your computer does it automatically. If you have to do it manually, though, you'll have to press a key to arrive at a menu choose from your available media. It seems like the key to do this is different on every computer I touch, though, but it could be F8. Esc, Del, F10, F12, or any other F# key. Have fun figuring it out if it isn't listed on your boot-screen!

When you install Windows, it's mostly point-and-click with following the Wizard. Follow the instructions, and I sincerely hope you have a valid license key.

There are two steps you need to pay extra attention to, relative to my guide, and they are the user account creation, and the drive installation selection.

-When you reach the drive selection and installation step:

You should see, at least, three drive partitions, the C: and D: drives on your old HDD and the unallocated area of your new SSD. Perhaps you'll see some recovery or backup partitions as well as one that is called "System Volume Information" or something similar.

Your goals here are to remove (format) the C: drive, the "System Volume" thing, and, if you decide to, the backup things. Make sure, though, that you DO NOT remove the D: partition. If you do, you'll lose all your data that you just worked so hard to move around. The only way to get it back would be to look for an "undelete" program, like Recuva, by Piriform.

You'll also need to create a new partition on your SSD. I would recommend that you make the partition take the space of the entire SSD, so there is not any leftover or "unallocated" space. On this partition that is on your SSD, install windows.

- When you create your user profile:

Just make sure you use the same username that you used when you created your "username" folder on your D:\Users\"username" directory.

When Windows completes installation and you log in, check to see if you have a C: drive, and double-check your D: data drive and ensure all your data is still there. If it's all there, open the Disk Management utility and extend the D: volume to take up all the space on the HDD. do nothing to the C: drive.

Now, you'll need to move the default library locations. Here's a picture guide I made showing what some of the steps look like: (imgur.com/a/jQ5mu#4)

Ensure that the folder names in D:\Users\"username" are exactly the same as the ones you will be moving from the C:\Users\"username" area. The folders I listed to you before include: Desktop, Downloads, My Documents, My Music, My Pictures, My Videos, and Saved Games.

In C:\Users\"username" right click on the folder you want to move and select properties. In the Properties box, go to the "Location" tab and choose the "Move" button. In the window that appears, select the appropriate folder from the D:\Users\"username" area. Then press "Apply" in the previous Properties window. A new window will appear, choose "Yes". You'll need to repeat this process for each of the folders you want to move.

Soon, you should notice that the folders in C:\Users\"username" have gone away. Now, Windows knows to send data for that library into the D:\User\"username" area rather than the default location.

So, that's it! Enjoy your awesome new setup! And don't forget to install large or less-used programs onto your HDD's "Installations" folder, rather than the default path into your SSD!

[jim]

Looks quite comprehensive, but I haven't read through everything. The one thing I did check out was the last section, which I don't really think is the best approach. Moving user data folders used to be necessary in Windows XP, but with 7 you can just use the libraries.

So, if your music is now located in D:\Music, open up Computer, go to the Music library, and at the top it will say "Includes: 1 location". Click on the 1 location, and you can add D:\Music as a location, and can set it as default. You can do likewise with documents, pictures, and videos.

Downloads you would have to move manually, but I wouldn't bother. Personally, I have a temp folder on D: that I use for downloads, and just pin it to my favourites.

[Skylark-Torch]

I opted to move the original folders because it helps, in my mind, to tie up loose ends while ensuring that any programs which dump files to 'default' locations don't add clutter to the SSD.

The first time I messed with changing the libraries the conventional way, I seem to rember that it didn't work the way I wanted it to. It's been two years, but I think that actually changing where the "Windows (user) Libraries" point to doesn't change the default folders for most programs. Thus, leaving more clutter on the SSD.

I haven't tested to prove it to myself since then. My theory could be flawed.

[jim]

Depends what you mean by clutter. If you're talking about %appdata% and the like, then no, they'll stay on the SSD, but I'm happy to let that slide. I keep an eye on it periodically with TreeSize to make sure nothing's causing problems.

Game saves and the like in my experience are perfectly happy to use the specified folder within the library, provided it's set up as a default.