New SSD install partition help.

dsullivan02 · 23 Jul 2020

Hello. I am installing a new ssd and I need help with the partitions.

I purchased a WD Black SN750 1tb. I installed it in my laptop (Alienware M15). I downloaded the windows 10 disc image iso file on a USB. I am in windows setup and I selected custom install and I'm on the "where do you want to install windows?" page. These are the partitions I see.

Name total size free space type
Dr 0 Par 1: ESP 650.0mb 570.0mb system
Dr 0 Par 2 128.0mb 128.0mb MSR(Reserved)
Dr 0 Par 3: OS 914.0gb 531.0gd primary
Dr 0 Par 4: WINRETOOLS 990.0mb 513.0mb recovery
Dr 0 Par 5: Image 14.6gb 147.0mb recovery
Dr 0 Par 6: DELLSUPPORT 1.2gb 487.0mb recovery
Dr 0 Unallocated Space 11.0mb 11.0mb
Dr 1 Unallocated Space 931.5gb 931.5gb

I want to delete as much as I can without loosing what I currently have on my HDD. I plan on using the current HDD for storage so it's not wasted. The new SSD will be used to boot from and be my main drive. If that makes sense.

What can I delete? Does it make sense to keep the old HDD for storage? This may seem like a stupid question but after I delete what I can, what partition should I use to install the OS. Im assuming Dr 1 Unallocated Space.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Ghot · 23 Jul 2020

dsullivan02 said:

Hello. I am installing a new ssd and I need help with the partitions.

I purchased a WD Black SN750 1tb. I installed it in my laptop (Alienware M15). I downloaded the windows 10 disc image iso file on a USB. I am in windows setup and I selected custom install and I'm on the "where do you want to install windows?" page. These are the partitions I see.

Name total size free space type
Dr 0 Par 1: ESP 650.0mb 570.0mb system
Dr 0 Par 2 128.0mb 128.0mb MSR(Reserved)
Dr 0 Par 3: OS 914.0gb 531.0gd primary
Dr 0 Par 4: WINRETOOLS 990.0mb 513.0mb recovery
Dr 0 Par 5: Image 14.6gb 147.0mb recovery
Dr 0 Par 6: DELLSUPPORT 1.2gb 487.0mb recovery
Dr 0 Unallocated Space 11.0mb 11.0mb
Dr 1 Unallocated Space 931.5gb 931.5gb

I want to delete as much as I can without loosing what I currently have on my HDD. I plan on using the current HDD for storage so it's not wasted. The new SSD will be used to boot from and be my main drive. If that makes sense.

What can I delete? Does it make sense to keep the old HDD for storage? This may seem like a stupid question but after I delete what I can, what partition should I use to install the OS. Im assuming Dr 1 Unallocated Space.

Thanks in advance for your help.

ALWAYS unhook the other drive before installing Windows 10. This will make the installation very straight forward.

AFTER the successful install of Win 10 on the SSD, THEN you can rehook the HDD? and grab files from it, format it for storage, etc.

dsullivan02 · 23 Jul 2020

Thank you. That makes a lot of sense. I appreciate your help.

ignatzatsonic · 23 Jul 2020

What do you intend to do with the original drive?

The Windows install on the new drive will likely take up less than 5 percent of it. It won't include several of the partitions that you now see on the original drive.

AddRAM · 24 Jul 2020

If you can get by without using the hard drive at all, that would be best, it creates a lot of heat if it`s constantly spinning. But you can also have it shut off after so many minutes. Then if you need to use it you just click on it and it will wake up.

But a M.2 will get hot too, it needs a heat sink and a fan blowing on it. IMO

Word Man · 24 Jul 2020

@dsullivan02 - What is included in what you have on your HDD that you don't want to lose? Does that include program installs you don't want to lose?

You can clean install Windows on the SSD but, if you have a complete and reliable image of your HDD (externally stored image taken by something like Macrium Reflect free or another reliable disk imager), you could selectively restore the HDD OS install (on C : drive) to the SSD OS partition (C : drive), replacing the clean installed OS and retain all of your program installs. If you don't have an external drive to store an image of your HDD on, you could (temporarily) use part of the SSD, a separate partition created on it at the END of the disk, to store an image of the HDD and then do the clean install leaving the partition with the image as is for later use and then delete that partition when done.

I would hope you are regularly imaging your disk to an external storage device as most people here would recommend. If you need to know more about that, there will be plenty advice available here.

Of course, depending on the age and "cleanliness" of the existing OS install on the HDD, I understand if you prefer to clean install to the SSD and then reinstall all of your programs along with any license key transfers required.

dsullivan02 · 24 Jul 2020

Thank you so much Word Man. I appreciate the advice.

I ended up unplugging the HDD before attempting the windows 10 install. This helped with the partition issue.

After the install, I had a fresh desktop. I plugged back in my HDD and rebooted. My new SSD shows up as the C drive and the old HDD shows up as the D drive. Plus it has all of my old files. I've began pulling over what I need and deleting what I don't. I think it will work out well as backup storage. Is there something else you would recommend using it for?

I will definitely look into imaging my disk. Thank you.

AddRam- I'm just now seeing your message. I didn't know you could have it shut off automatically after a certain amount of time. I will research how to do this. That seems like a great idea to keep it from running constantly. And yes, the M.2 gets hot. I definitely need to look into a heat sink. Fortunately I haven't been running a whole lot on it so it doesn't get that hot. So far...

Thank you all for your advice.

ignatzatsonic · 24 Jul 2020

dsullivan02 said:

I think it will work out well as backup storage. Is there something else you would recommend using it for?

I will definitely look into imaging my disk. Thank you.

Many would tell you to put your personal files on a separate partition on the new drive---rather than on C. But it's a personal choice.

I'd just let the old drive stay where it is. Delete its partitions as you see fit and then use it as an internal backup drive---via a "file by file" backup program, unrelated to imaging. There's a bunch of free programs that work well.

Then use a separate imaging program to make an image file of ALL partitions on your new drive and save that file to the old drive internally as well. Maybe make a new image monthly. Or weekly. Personal choice.

Just use a folder structure that makes sense to you on the old drive.

Many would tell you to also back up personal data externally in some way. You could do that using a dock and your old drive, rather than leave it inside the case.

Ztruker · 24 Jul 2020

You could use the old drive as a place to store backup image files, that's what I do. That way I don't have to connect and/or turn on an external drive when IO want to run Macrium Reflect to do an image backup.

I have a 1TB SSD where Win 10 is installed and two 2TB HDDs for everything else. I use the 2nd 2TB HDD primarily for storing Macrium Backup images. Every couple months I copy the Macrium backup images to an external HDD.