Make a SSD "spillover" to a hdd?

[1zacster]

Me and a buddy are going to start selling computers and to make them boot quickly we are using ssds as the boot drive but our customers might not be computer literate so we want to make it only appear as one to the os. Is there any raid setup to do this?

 

[RealBeast]

No the only option there is the Intel RST caching and that would not be the best set up. Also computer illiterate users would have issues with RAID.

I would install the OS, updates, and core stuff to the SSD then change the location that programs and user documents are saved to the HDD.

In regedit go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion and change the DWORD key ProgramFilesDir to the HDD from C, also if you use a 64 bit install change this key to the HDD also: ProgramFilesDir (x86).

To change where User data is stored, navigate to this key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList
and change the ProfilesDirectory DWORD to D:\Users -- and then create the User accounts for the customer.

 

[ss202sl]

"our customers might not be computer literate "

This looks like an opportunity!

 

[johnbl]

-mount your hard drive into a subdirectory of your SSD.
-use junctions to redirect key portions of your SSD to your HDD

 

[ss202sl]

I wouldn't do something like Junctions or raid unless you teach (there's the opportunity) your clients about what you did and why. The training they receive will make your products and services worth more than your competitors.

 

[1zacster]

No the only option there is the Intel RST caching and that would not be the best set up. Also computer illiterate users would have issues with RAID.

I would install the OS, updates, and core stuff to the SSD then change the location that programs and user documents are saved to the HDD.

In regedit go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion and change the DWORD key ProgramFilesDir to the HDD from C, also if you use a 64 bit install change this key to the HDD also: ProgramFilesDir (x86).

To change where User data is stored, navigate to this key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList
and change the ProfilesDirectory DWORD to D:\Users -- and then create the User accounts for the customer.

So I would do all this while logged in as the hidden admin account. Then while still logged in delete the default account I made during setup, change the reg keys, then make a new account that will have those locations applied?

 

[RealBeast]

So I would do all this while logged in as the hidden admin account. Then while still logged in delete the default account I made during setup, change the reg keys, then make a new account that will have those locations applied?

Yes, and you can still give them different admin level accounts that are created after the key changes. It works fairly well to keep them from overloading the SSD with junk.

 

[1zacster]

Best answer selected by 1zacster.

 

[1zacster]

Yes, and you can still give them different admin level accounts that are created after the key changes. It works fairly well to keep them from overloading the SSD with junk.

Thank you!

 

[johnbl]

junctions and drive mount would fulfill the request that they have one c: drive.
just fyi.