SSD boot and HDD storage help

[sirsaechao]

I have a new build for a 2500K and before I always just run a mechanical HDD as one (both storage and boot)...now I want to go all out and add some performance with a SSD. Problem is...I don't know how to setup a SSD as boot and turn the HDD as a storage. Any help or how to steps would be greatly appreciated. I tried reading some stickys but they seem to over complicate it and I just get lost. Please help me understand how to install W7 on SSD and make the HDD as storage. I need steps like...step one...connect SSD to SATA 6 slot 1...install W7 like I do as if I had a SSD...load W7 and etc...thanks.

 

[RetiredChief]

First off, setting up (installing win 7) is NO differnt than doing a HDD.
(1) disconnect old HDD. Connect New SSD (For new build just connect the SSD).
(2) set Bios to AHCI. IF intel chipset, use them not the marvel ports.
(3) Install windows 7
(4) let windows do it's thing (updates)
(5) Install drivers (either from MB Disk, or check MB manuf website for drivers - may have newer ones. Also if on an Intel chip set use the lates RST driver from Intel.

May want to google "tweeks for SSDs" read and apply ones you think are good.
I normally disable hibernation as an example.

If Installation went good and you are "FAT, Dumb, and Happy" then connect the HDD and ENjoy.

One thing I would do BEFORE win 7 installation is obtain a Bootable memtest86 CD. and run memtest for for a min of 6->8 hours. Noting like installing a operating system using memory that is bad.
http://www.memtest86.com/download.html

 

[sirsaechao]

After I load W7 and drivers...then and only then I should connect the HDD up? So when I d/l or install anything like drivers will I have a choice to install on SSD or W7? Do I need to install drivers and stuff on the HDD and not SSD? Cause my SSD is only 64GB.

Spec:

2500K
ASRock P67 Pro3 (B3)
8GB G.Skill Ripjaws DDR3 1600
1TB Spinpoint
64GB Crucial M4
MSI GTX 560Ti
600T SE
750 XXX XFX PSU
Corsair A70 (air cooler)
Windows 7 Pro 64-bit

 

[RetiredChief]

You can connect HDD as soon as Win 7 is installed, then download any drives an put on HDD. I normally down load and stick on a thumbdrive.
Windows will normally download updates as soon as it is 0n line. You can hold off by not connecting the internet, But windows will still put temp files on SSD.

With only 64 gig ssd, make sure you disable hiberation, will eat up 4->8 gigs (depends on system memory.
Also if you have * gigs of memory, go in and change page file (virtual memory) to a Low value ie 1 gig and set min - max to that value.

 

[Leaps-from-Shadows]

I just got done doing this a couple of weeks ago.

Drivers can only be installed on the boot drive, so you don't have any choice in the matter.

The Win7 install will take up roughly 20GB or so on the SSD. You will have plenty of room for a couple of your most-used applications/games. Just make sure you have at least 10GB or so free space at all times.

The OS install is simple -- just have only the SSD and optical drive plugged in when you do it. After the OS is completely installed, do a shutdown and connect the platter drive.

To have all of your data and documents on the platter drive:
Open up your C: drive, and navigate to the Users\YourUserName folder. Copy down all of the folder names.
Open up your platter drive (E: on my system) and create a Users folder. Then create a YourUserName folder within that. Then create all of the folders you copied down within the YourUserName folder. Close out of everything.
Open up your C: drive again and navigate back to Users\YourUserName. Right-click on the first folder in there and choose Properties. Click the Location tab and click Move. Browse to the first folder you created on the platter drive (likely E:\Users\YourUserName\Contacts) and click Select Folder. Answer Yes.
Do that for all of the folders (C:\Users\YourUserName\My Documents to E:\Users\YourUserName\My Documents, etc.). Now all of your documents and downloads will automatically save to the platter drive.

I found the above method better than the other registry-editing method (I always got error messages after doing the registry method).

You will have to manually select the platter drive as the install directory (I use E:\Programs\ProgramName) for each program you install when you install it.

For other stuff you should do: SSD Optimization Guide

 

[sirsaechao]

So drivers has to be installed on the SSD? Drivers I mean like nVidia and Mobo. How about Windows Updates? Also for example if I was to install Office 2007 on it do I get a option to select on which drive to put it on?

 

[sirsaechao]

I just got done doing this a couple of weeks ago.

Drivers can only be installed on the boot drive, so you don't have any choice in the matter.

The Win7 install will take up roughly 20GB or so on the SSD. You will have plenty of room for a couple of your most-used applications/games. Just make sure you have at least 10GB or so free space at all times.

The OS install is simple -- just have only the SSD and optical drive plugged in when you do it. After the OS is completely installed, do a shutdown and connect the platter drive.

To have all of your data and documents on the platter drive:
Open up your C: drive, and navigate to the Users\YourUserName folder. Copy down all of the folder names.
Open up your platter drive (E: on my system) and create a Users folder. Then create a YourUserName folder within that. Then create all of the folders you copied down within the YourUserName folder. Close out of everything.
Open up your C: drive again and navigate back to Users\YourUserName. Right-click on the first folder in there and choose Properties. Click the Location tab and click Move. Browse to the first folder you created on the platter drive (likely E:\Users\YourUserName\Contacts) and click Select Folder. Answer Yes.
Do that for all of the folders (C:\Users\YourUserName\My Documents to E:\Users\YourUserName\My Documents, etc.). Now all of your documents and downloads will automatically save to the platter drive.

I found the above method better than the other registry-editing method (I always got error messages after doing the registry method).

You will have to manually select the platter drive as the install directory (I use E:\Programs\ProgramName) for each program you install when you install it.

For other stuff you should do: SSD Optimization Guide

I have to do all those steps on the SSD Optimization?

 

[RetiredChief]

The downloads can be directed to the HDD, But the Drivers themself will be on "C", But these are small files.

Offise can be installed on the HDD, However depending on other programs you want to install can probably fit on the SSD - As you install programs, just monitor the amount of free space on SSD. You want to have a a MIN at least 10 gigs free on the SSD.

 

[sirsaechao]

So enable AHCI in the BIOS prior to installing OS...then install OS...let it go through the process and this and that...what I am confused about is all this tweaks and optimization stuff I am reading about???

 

[Leaps-from-Shadows]

Drivers always install onto the boot drive, as do Windows Updates.

Any programs/games that you will be using a lot (multiple times a day or whatever) would be installed on the SSD. But only a few will fit on there. The rest you would have to remember to install on the HDD during their setup routine.

The tweaks from that site that I did and didn't do:
Mess with registry regarding AHCI: No (I already knew it was in AHCI mode in BIOS)
Most up to date drivers: Yes
Disable System Restore: Yes
Disable Drive Indexing: No
Disable Defrag Schedule: Yes
Turn Off Pagefile: No (I set up a custom 2GB page file on the SSD because I have 12GB of RAM)
Turn Off Hibernation: Yes
Turn Off Windows Write Cache Buffer Flushing: No (Test both ways with benchmark programs -- some drives perform better with it turned off, but mine didn't)
Disable Prefetch and Superfetch: No
Disable Windows Search and Superfetch: No
Enable Faster Boot Through MSConfig: No
Turn Off Multi-Boot Selection: No
Disable Recycle Bin: Yes
Decrease Shutdown Time: No
Verify TRIM: Yes
Power Settings: Yes
Disable ClearPageFileAtShutdown and LargeSystemCache: No
NTFS Memory Usage and NTFS Disable Name Creation: memory usage No, name creation Yes

 

[sirsaechao]

So for example when I installed nVidia drivers and I selected E (storage drive) it just dumped a bunch of folders in it but also there is a nVidia Corporation in the C drive???

 

[Leaps-from-Shadows]

When you selected the E: drive, the install program unpacked the compressed files into folders on the E: drive. Then it copied the actual driver files it needed onto the C: drive. You can delete the folders on the E: drive if you want -- it won't affect the drivers because they are already on the boot drive.

As I said before, all of the drivers will install onto the boot drive -- you have no choice in the matter. With drivers and Windows updates, the 64-bit version of Windows Home Premium takes about 25GB of space.

 

[sirsaechao]

When you selected the E: drive, the install program unpacked the compressed files into folders on the E: drive. Then it copied the actual driver files it needed onto the C: drive. You can delete the folders on the E: drive if you want -- it won't affect the drivers because they are already on the boot drive.

As I said before, all of the drivers will install onto the boot drive -- you have no choice in the matter. With drivers and Windows updates, the 64-bit version of Windows Home Premium takes about 25GB of space.

Thanks for the help Leap. I think I got it up and running. Now just trying to remember when installing things to switch to E drive. I tell you what...W7 boots up extremely fast.