W7 on a new SSD - keeping my options open..?

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sijones

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Sep 27, 2014
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Hi - I've had a look around the forum, but can't find anything that quite applies to me, so please can I ask...

My son & I built our PC about a year ago, for gaming (him) and general family use. I just bought a cheap (but only 120GB) SSD, partly to improve the PC's boot time, but mainly just for a Dad-and-son project so we can install it and have a tinker.

The SSD may not end up as a long-term part of our PC. In future I may remove it and use it in a laptop or elsewhere. I'd like to know if I can leave my original W7 installation on the existing HDD in case that day ever comes. It's not quite as simple as unplugging the HDD, as you'll see. Here's the current setup:

HDD1 in 2 partitions:

  • C: Windows 7 + programs (200GB, 125GB used)
    J: Files (730GB, only 40GB used. This partition is pretty empty as the family's files all live elsewhere, on our home server).
HDD 2, 1 partition

  • G: All my boy's Steam games + a few non-Steam games (1.8TB, 1.2TB used)
HDD3, 1 partition

  • L: This is the IDE drive from my old PC, full of old stuff, fitted using an IDE to SATA adapter. Just in case I need anything from those days. (460GB, 320GB used)
Here's my little scheme:

    * Fit the SSD & do a clean install of Windows.
    * Re-install my programs on J: - there's plenty of room and it's not being used for anything else.
    * Ask the PC to boot from the SSD, and run programs from J:
    * Ask the PC to ignore C: completely until further notice (obviously I can't simply unplug the drive - as I'll lose all that free space on J: which is a partition on the same disk).

So if I decide to remove and repurpose the SSD in a few months, I can go back to my original setup very quickly - booting and running programs all from C:, just like I'm doing right now.

Is that possible, and if so, how do I make the computer ignore C: until further notice? Does this sound like a reasonable thing to be doing, or am I mental for considering this approach?

Thanks in advance for any advice & opinions!
 
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Y
Instead of running programs from J: install the programs on the SSD. As you install your programs on the SSD (New C: drive) go into the program's settings options and tell the program to keep the program's data on J:. Programs don't take up much room, it is all of the data that they generate that takes up so much space.

Yogi
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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When you install the OS on the SSD, that will become the C. Your current C drive (HDD) will be some other drive letter. Actually, 2 drive letters, 1 for each partition.

Install on the SSD, with only the SSD connected.
After everything is working, get into the BIOS and have only the SSD in the boot order.
It will then no longer attempt to boot from the Windows install that exists on your current C drive.
Install your applications wherever you want.

A better way might be to create an image of the current C drive. Save that image on HDD 3.
You can then reclaim all that space in your current C (200GB).
In case you ever need that image, there it is, and you can use that to put back onto HDD 1.
 
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Y0GI

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Jul 22, 2013
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Instead of running programs from J: install the programs on the SSD. As you install your programs on the SSD (New C: drive) go into the program's settings options and tell the program to keep the program's data on J:. Programs don't take up much room, it is all of the data that they generate that takes up so much space.

Yogi
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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Agreed. A 120GB SSD can hold more applications than you might think. That is what I use, and it contains ALL my applications.
Games live elsewhere, as does all those other file types that do not need the speed benefit.
 
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sijones

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Sep 27, 2014
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Thanks to both of you for these suggestions, I hadn't considered that approach. I'd assumed that my new SSD should be reserved for the OS only, but of course that would leave most of the drive under-utilised. I might mix & match your answers: install OS & programs on the SSD, using J: for program data. But also keep the (current) C: intact but removed from the boot order in case I want it back. I'm not short on HDD space, so I don't mind tying up a 200GB partition.
 
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