How to make External Hard Drive act as Main Hard Drive in Windows 10?


  1. Posts : 1
    Windows 10
       #1

    How to make External Hard Drive act as Main Hard Drive in Windows 10?


    I have attached an external hard drive to my D: drive. I went to "settings > system > storage > Change where new content is stored" and I set every single setting to my new D: drive except Change where you store your offline maps.

    However, when I downloaded the Discord and Spotify applications, they both installed and saved to my C: drive instead of my external hard drive in the D: drive.

    I was wondering how to change it so that applications, downloads etc. are by default saved on my external drive.

    I am using bootcamp on my Macbook Pro, which is why I barely have any space on my C: drive and would like to save on my external hard drive. I am using Windows 10 Home version 1909.

    Thank you in advance.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 42,634
    Win 10 Pro (22H2) (2nd PC is 22H2)
       #2

    Hi, please be aware there are two paradigms applicable to programs and applications.

    a. The older 'desktop' programs you can download from anywhere on the web- exe/dll/msi files
    b. The newer largely Store-based UWP apps.

    What you have done only applies to (b).


    Change Save Location for New Apps in Windows 10

    In Windows 10, users can select where new Windows apps from the Store will install and save data to by default instead of on the default Windows "This PC (C)" drive location.
    You can select to install new Windows apps to any internal or external drive, including SD cards, USB drives, and USB flash drives. You cannot use mapped network drives, and you can only use one location at a time to save apps to.

    Windows 10 will only install new apps to the currently selected location. Existing apps do not get moved to the new location by default, but you can select to move apps to another drive.
    It is usually of little meaning to specify the installation path of a tradionational exe/dll based program to be to a different disk or partition; that has limited application and you need to be aware of how such programs are structured and how that applies e.g. in terms of size to a particular program.

    Even if you specify a program to be installed to D:...... many folders and files may be created on C: along with start menu entries, temporary storage and registry keys.

    You do NOT want to do this.

    Truly portable programs
    These only use their current folder- no registry keys, no start menu entries..

    These you could store wherever you like. There are quite a number and special packages of them and tools to support them.
      My Computers


  3. Posts : 2,111
    Windows 11 Pro (latest update ... forever anal)
       #3

    Programs installed on external portable drives ... flawed and potentially fatal (to the system). It can only end in tears.

    Assuming there is no personal data stored on the C:\ drive, if it's that small and space is that tight and at a premium, then an upgrade is necessary.
      My Computers


 

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