Problems trying to use my new SSD and my old HDD together

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gaMOEver

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Jan 2, 2013
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Hello dear community, I recently installed a new copy of Windows 7 on my SSD and I have to say that I'm impressed with how fast it boots up. However, I'm having problems mostly with connecting to the Internet, because when I try to install the drivers for my Asus Wifi Card, it says that the card is not on my system. This is really strange since everything continues to work perfectly normal i fI boot up Windows from my old HDD.
Another problem that I have is that my SSD is only 120 GB, so I can't afford to store all my data there. Because of that I plan in using it only to boot up Windows faster and keep all my games and videos on my HDD. So I started making shortcuts from my new desktop to my HDD, only to find out that most of my games would't start , because I'm missing files that where there previously. Why does this happen? Why can't I use my HDD like I would with an external one? I mean, storing everything there but running windows from my SSD.

Thank you in advance,
gaMOEver
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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Mar 16, 2013
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For all your applications, they need to be reinstalled. You can put them on the HDD, but the new OS that lives on the SSD does not know about them.
The condition you're seeing, "missing files" is entirely normal.

They work when you boot from the HDD, because that Registry knows them as living on the C drive. When you boot from the SSD, that physical drive is now the D. Everything gets confused. Reinstall as needed.

For any games in the Steam ecosystem, you probably don't have to reinstall the actual games. See this from Steam:
https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=7418-YUBN-8129

A 120GB SSD can hold quite a lot of applications, apart from games. They are frequently QUITE large.
So, have the Steam/Origin client on the SSD, and the actual game folders on the HDD.
In the Settings, you can designate where you want things to go.

For all your other documents/music/etc, see this tutorial:
http://www.tomshardware.com/faq/id-1834397/ssd-redirecting-static-files.html
 
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MarthiniL

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Nov 12, 2013
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You can use SSD and HDD together, but you seriously cannot do anything with files... That now ain't there. xD. Try copying drivers from your old HDD, and go to device manager and scan for changes in system, so if something is not working try updating it from there. Maybe the card won't work with your current version of windows, maybe it is defected or not configured right, so check on that :D
 
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photonboy

photonboy

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Jun 20, 2006
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Ignore this if it's been answered. I started typing before I saw any replies:

Any game or program that was on the original hard drive won't work now that you have it as a secondary drive. When you install a program links are made in your REGISTRY and other places. When you reinstalled Windows to the SSD and boot from that SSD there are no links.

Thus you must reinstall your programs.

This is the PROPER procedure when you have two drives.

1. Install Windows and programs to the SSD, including your motherboard main chipset and other drivers.
2. Install Steam to the hard drive (i.e. E:/Steam)
3. Install other games to the hard drive (i.e. E:/Games) by choosing custom path

So again, you can choose the hard drive as the install path, but the installation must be done AFTER the new drive has Windows installed.

Other:
It's possible to keep your entire STEAM folder though. http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/migrate-steam-hard-drive-si/
or
https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=7418-YUBN-8129

Basically:
1. Install Steam but choose the Hard Drive so create it at E:/Steam (if E: is the hard drive)
2. Close Steam
3. Paste your Steamapps folder
4. Verify the Games Cache once you launch Steam, for each game.
 
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MarthiniL

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Nov 12, 2013
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Yes, what i too was trying to say is what people above me are saying, you cannot do anything with files on C:\program files\steam\ if they ain't there, your SSD is C: NOW . Instead all files are on D:\program files\steam , because you just swapped places of those two things but the windows still detects every file being on C even if that C now is D, so you will need to reinstall or copy back everything, in my post above i mostly tried to answer the wifi card issue, try removing it than putting it back in the mobo, and copy the driver files from your D: TO YOUR C: and it may work, scan for changes in device manager, as i said...
 
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