Ok got Win 10 installed on my SSD but have questions about old HDD!

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Savannahmick

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I have added a SSD but I want to keep all media and certain folders/files from old HDD that was my main drive. How should setup old drive to hold media and use it for certain programs? Should I rename it from local disc and can I delete old program folders/files and old windows folders/files or not? Can someone PLEASE give me a basic guide to setting up second drive without formatting and losing my stuff? I have got everything visible and reconized on the old HDD but not sure what I should do next? Should I delete old system reserved partition on HDD since the SSD has a new active one? Any advice or help would be great! Thanks again!
 
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mjslakeridge
Do you have enough free space on your new SSD to temporarily copy the media and folders you want to save? Or an external drive you can copy the files to? Personally, I would copy the stuff you want to save somewhere else, and then format the old HDD and copy the files back. That would be the cleanest way to re-use the old HDD and free up the most space on it.
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mjslakeridge

mjslakeridge

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Do you have enough free space on your new SSD to temporarily copy the media and folders you want to save? Or an external drive you can copy the files to? Personally, I would copy the stuff you want to save somewhere else, and then format the old HDD and copy the files back. That would be the cleanest way to re-use the old HDD and free up the most space on it.
 
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boosted1g

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Ideally the best situation is to offload your files to another drive, format the hdd and put files back on that drive.

If you do not have another drive but have a good amount of free space on that drive then you can shrink your partition on the HDD, create a second partition, offload files to that, wipe your windows partition, and then resize the partition your files currently are on to the whole drive.

Worst case scenario you can just delete the windows and program files folders to gain more room on the drive and it will not hurt the files.
You will just have a bunch of other hidden folders and other things taking up unneeded space on the drive. Not to mention everything being in user folders instead of the root of the drive.



Once you get your drive setup, you can go into your OS and change the directory of your documents/music/pictures/videos to that of the HDD.
 
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JackNaylorPE

JackNaylorPE

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1. Disconnect HD Data and ethernet cables; install SSD connected to lowest numbered SATA port.

2. Install Windows to SSD

3. Stop Windows from installing any hardware drivers
http://winsupersite.com/windows-10/stop-automatic-driver-updates-windows-10

4. If you don't like the tracking features and want privacy, Install Spybot Ant-Beacon
https://www.safer-networking.org/spybot-anti-beacon/

5. Install all hardware drivers from manufacturer web sites.

6. Connect SSD cable. Run Windows update the 16 times or whatever it needs to update everything.

7. Connect HD Data cable and make sure system boots of new SSD.

8. All your old programs are probably now In D:\ProgramFiles and D:\ProgramFiles(86) ... reinstall all your old programs to THAT location not where Windows wants to do it (C:\ProgramFiles). If you select custom install you should have no problem w/ most programs.

9. You could delete the Windows directory, users directory and all the root files on the HD but I don't recommend doing so ... if ya SSD goes south, you can still boot from the HD in an emergency
 
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boosted1g

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The OP just wants help with the files on this drive, nothing about programs on his old drive.
 
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JackNaylorPE

JackNaylorPE

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Then I don't understand why OP wrote ?

How should setup old drive to hold media and use it for certain programs? Should I rename it from local disc and can I delete old program folders/files and old windows folders/files or not?
Click to expand...

At the very least, it's not quite clear what is intended so I thot best to cover all bases. I also wanted to make the OP aware that it is advisable to keep the windows install in case SSD dies. We set up every new build this way with the OS on both the SSD and HD so failre of one still allows one to boot from the other. The only way that's possible tho is if he is advised before he deletes the necessary files.

If he move all the programs on the SSD, (that wasn't stated), and he has at least a 240 GB SSD, then I would revise as follows:

a. Copy each folder for programs one wants to keep from D:\ProgramFiles to C:\Program Files. This will retrain all user file links, menu customizations etc.

b. Then install the program over itself to set up registry

None of our users every have to deal with ProgramFiles directories as for the last 25 years, every machine has been set up with only the OS on its own partition. Makes it a bit easier when upgrading an OS or moving to an SSD

It also keeps any licensing information, product keys etc. Id also add.... if ya haven't done so already... and if you can still boot to the OS install on the HD...

Boot to the OS on the HD and run Belarc Advisor, save or print the section which includes all licensing information / product keys. Keep in a safe place.
 
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boosted1g

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From a system administrator standpoint this seems very undesired.

So you now have an OS on the SSD and an OS on the hdd. I get the fall back which is nice for immediate usage, but the last thing I want is for the user to not even know that the SSD drive fails (and thus not report it) and keep using the system running under the HDD, and then the HDD drive fails and you are really hosed.

Not to mention the OS on the HDD will have no security patches or updated virus definition files on it when it is booted from (unless you manually boot the PC into the HDD OS every single patch cycle).

Nor does this in any way make fixing the SSD any easier if windows gets messed up or any other type of system corruption.

Up to date disk images to a local or networked disk seems tremendously easier with minimal downtime, and it is not like SSDs have a high failure rate anyways.
 
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Savannahmick

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Hey thanks guys I decided to move files temporally to ssd and format old hdd. Then I created new folders on old hdd and moved files back! I understand why keeping a os that would be good to fall back on but will just restore or try again! Thanks!
 
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