If I want to have an SSD for Windows and an HDD for my programs etc. once I create the drives in management, how do I set things up so I can boot from the SSD yet access the HDD while working; it is to assign a letter that I can click on under Computer and if so could you elaborate. I am over my head here but am going to build my own and will need to either know this or get one larger SSD drive.
Hi
Once you have completed your hardware build and have both the SSD and HDD connected, you will need to boot with the Windows installation disk inserted in a DVD drive. However as you have two physical drives, you will need to identify which one contains the operating system. This is specified within the BIOS and is easily configured.
As you boot the PC, with the Windows disk in the DVD drive, you will see a text statement on how to edit the BIOS displayed on screen - normally you will need to hit either the F2 or Del key. This will then display the basic functions of your PC, use the arrow keys to select the menu 'Boot Sequence'. Make sure that the SSD is first in the list and the DVD drive is second.
Once this is done select 'Save and Exit' and the PC will reboot again. Don't touch any keys this time and the PC will load Windows from the DVD disk as the OS won't exist on the SSD yet - subsequently it will boot from the installed OS on the SSD. Follow the installation wizard and make sure that you install Windows on the SSD - you will be able to select this during the installation wizard.
Once the OS is installed and you have removed the disk, type 'Computer Management' in the search box near the Start button and then select 'Disk Management'. You will see your SSD as drive C and the HDD below it, come back to this thread when you have reached this point and show a screen capture of the Computer Management screen. (I've attached mine below so you know what to look for)
Regards
UKMedia
Last edited by UKMedia; 24 Feb 2017 at 12:03.
Your C drive appears to be 1 K GB's and may be an indication you have a high end machine. Although mine is going to be quite a bit lower, the principle is the same for which I thank you. I noticed the subtle way the C drive is placed on the SSD.
It will be an interesting adventure.
Hopefully unnecessary, but if there is an error is this reversible by using the installation media to delete the drives created the first time and concurrently establish the correct ones? Or do you delete all and start all over again?
A few things -
I would recommend a 240 GB or 480 GB SSD. The purpose of the SSD is to improve the performance of the computer overall and installing desired programs as well as Windows itself to the SSD will improve performance overall. Leave the HDD for storage of data files such as documents, music, photos, movies and
Even though the SSD is set as the first boot device in UEFI - be prepared for a boot error of "Operating System not found" or "No boot device" or something similar. Some computers will not automatically move on to the DVD or USB flash drive to boot from if an OS is not found on a HDD or SSD selected as the first boot device.
A lot of long time members here on this forum will caution you to have only the SSD (and DVD drive if needed) connected to the computer when installing Windows 10. This will prevent Windows 10 from installing the boot files onto any other undesired drives. If you don't know exactly how to prevent it otherwise, leaving all extra hard drives disconnected while installing Windows 10 is the easiest way to make sure all the partitions for Windows booting get put on the SSD. I like to connect the SSD to the first SATA port, leave the next number of SATA ports empty for the number of additional hard drives I am going to connect, then the DVD to the next SATA port after that. After Windows is installed and running, then connect extra hard drives.
When you start Windows installation, select the custom install option. The SSD drive should show as one big unallocated space. If there are existing partitions on the SSD, delete each one until you get to one big unallocated space. Click on that to highlight it, then click Next. Let Windows set up the partitions for you, you do not need to do that manually.
Last edited by NavyLCDR; 24 Feb 2017 at 12:41.
I do understand what you said. Your last paragraph sounded like typical installation. I never just click next but always click 'new' so the reserve partition is established.
I will likely do as you recommend or, use just a 240Gb SSD for the pc with no HDD. When I image my pc it shows only 35 GB. I do not use much space; 425 free of 465. And again, TY for allowing me the opportunity to learn.
On an UEFI computer, clicking on next with the unallocated space, Windows will set up the drive as GPT partitioned with an EFI System Partition the computer boots from, a small MS Reserved partition (reserved for future use), the OS partition, and a recovery partition. (I can't remember if it does the recovery partition in front of or behind the OS partition).
Modern SSDs usually have over provisioning built into them and the firmware, so manual over provisioning is not required. But if you really want to do that yourself (and I would look at the manufacturer's specs and recommendations first), after Windows is installed you can just shrink the OS partition by the amount you want to keep unallocated for over provisioning.
Best advice for low level user is to not click next with an SSD, just the HDD?
Would the reserve partition be created and visible in disc management if I never clicked 'next' at all, even with the HDD?
Having never managed disc size, is it true that if I were to shrink my C drive by 200 of the 500 GB that it would not affect Windows or any files I have on the drive but only reduce the empty part of the drive?
I watch videos of shrinking then creating a new simple volume but never undertook the task.
I know skilled users place the OS on one partition, docs on another and then programs on another.
I wonder at times, except for recovery purposes, If I am not just as well of keeping it simple with one drive/partition and everything on it. If I image, to an external drive, I create about a 35 GB one so am not dealing with sophisticated large volumes. I never game nor do I do music. The only non document task I do is burn DVDs of family videos.
After replacing a hard drive and a PSU with some help on the latter, I am fairly sure of the build. Cables are my only concern even with the manual b/c if you pass the point of the manual and deduction, and with extra or not enough cables, you are into a guessing game. Would the semi modular PSU seems my best way to go?
Sorry about being off topic with the last paragraph.
Last edited by maranna; 25 Feb 2017 at 07:23.
There is very little advantage to installing programs to a separate partition because most Windows programs install components of themselves, such as DLL files and registry entries, into the Windows operating system - so when a user does a clean install of Windows, most programs need to be reinstalled anyway.
The reason people store their data on separate partitions is so that if they want to wipe the partition Windows is installed on and do a clean install, their data files such as documents and photos are not affected by it. If you don't put your data files on a separate partition, and you do backups of your OS partition, you should be able to retrieve your data files from the backup image.
This question I don't understand, "Best advice for low level user is to not click next with an SSD, just the HDD?" The best advice, in my opinion, is to always install Windows 10 to unallocated space by clicking next instead of new regardless of if you are installing Windows to an SSD or a HDD. The only reason I would recommend manually creating a partition when installing Windows is if you do want a separate data partition, create that one first at the end of the drive, then select the remaining unallocated space to install Windows to.
Can't really offer much in the way of power supplies. I've never used a modular one. I would assume it would free up some of the mess of not having extra cables in the computer. I've always just used less expensive, but name brand power supplies, usually in the 550 - 650 watt range for a single video card computer and they have always lasted at least 5 years.
I'm a firm believer in K.I.S.S. - Keep It Simple. The desktop computers I build have 1 SSD and 1 HDD installed internally. Windows gets installed to the completely blank SSD - no partitions on it - highlight unallocated space and click next. My user account folders also just stay on the SSD. Permanent data files like photos and music get saved to the HDD. Backup images of the SSD get saved to a second partition on the HDD. I have a Network Attached Storage drive, which is equal to, basically, an external hard drive, it just connects to the network instead of a USB port. Backup images of the SSD and the data partition on the HDD get saved to that also.
One important piece of advice, in my opinion. Make sure you create the rescue USB flash drive or DVD for whatever backup method you are using and make sure you can boot the computer from it BEFORE you need to use to restore something!
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