120GB SSD Running Out Of Space

Skoegahom

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Jan 27, 2012
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I have a 120 GB SSD and I'm running out of space. I have a ton of regular hard drive space. What should I do?

1. Move Users off of the SSD. If so, what's the correct method?
2. Buy another SSD. If so, should I buy the same size and brand? Can I create a raid out of both discs without re-installing everything? My Program Files (x86) folder is 42.5 GB, can I or should I try to move it to a second disc?
3. Should I buy a 256 GB SSD and move everything to the larger drive? Can I do that without re-installing?
 

Skoegahom

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Jan 27, 2012
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Thanks, but I have 8 TB of HDD and my iTunes library is placed on one of them. It's my Program Files folder that's the issue, specifically WoW takes up 26 GB.

Can you relocate your Program Files (x86) folder to a second SDD?
 
1) To move your documents to the D drive:

.. 1. Create a new documents folder on the D drive.
.. 2. Right-click the new folder and click Include in Library > Documents .
.. 3. Click Start > Documents .
.. 4. Double-click My Documents to show its contents.
.. 5. Drag and drop the files to the new folder.
.. 6. Press F5 to refresh the view.
.. 7. Under Documents Library , click locations .
.. 8. Right-click the new folder and click Set as default save location .
.. 9. [Optional] Click My Documents and click Remove .

2. Raid0 not recommended, and yes you can get a 2nd SSD (all My systems are setup w/2 SSDs. You will need to uninstall some programs and direct them to the 2nd SSD.

3. Yes You can clone your "C" drive (using windows 7 back up function in control Panel. then restore this image to the larger SSD. Then Use4 Disk management to expand to fill the drive.

Also:
.. Have you disabled Hibernation - save disk space = to amount of Ram.
.. Set min Max page file to the same size - try 1024 mb. You can also move the page file to another HDD with a very slight performance hit.

 

Not in one fell swoop. What you can do is
1) If RetiredChief's post is on target, and your My Documents or My Pictures or My Whatever is on the SSD, move the My Whatever to the HDD.

2) Run a utility like WinDirStat to see where all the space on your SSD is being used up. Maybe you can free up 16 GB of Hibernate File, or 20 GB of System Restore Points, or some huge amount of patch rollback space.

3) Finally, to answer your question. The most common solution is to re-install large games, like WoW, on another drive. Those people with one SSD bite the bullet and install them on the slower HDD, those who get a second SSD install them on the second SSD. ** I have no idea how to preserve your status when doing this. **

Create a directory on the other SSD called "Other Programs." Uninstall WoW. Then try to re-install it. If the installation process offers a choice of where to install it, install it under "D:\Other Programs." If it does not so offer, cancel the installation and change the two registry entries for where programs are installed by default. One is for 64-bit apps, the other for 32-bit apps. By the way, what version of Windoze are you running, and 32 or 64-bit?

I'll search the forums for the tweaks and edit if I find them. I used to have the relevant articles tagged as Favorites, but the entire Favorites mechanism seems to have died a few months ago.

EDIT: Look at http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/240738-45-program-files-directories
or http://www.mydigitallife.info/how-to-change-default-windows-installation-path-to-your-desired-path/ (for an older OS)
 

Wamphryi

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If you have a large RAM configuration it pays to set the swap file to say 2 GB and disable the Hibernation feature which will use up as much space on the SSD as you have RAM. I have 16 GB RAM in my system so I saved 30 GB of SSD space just by taking those two steps. If you have 4 GB of RAM the return is a lot less and you have to be careful about how large you set your swap file.
 
WyomingKnott may be correct on changing the registry pointer for installing programs as I have not tried this - and probably would not.

Seems there was a post a day-or-two ago dealing with changing the registry default program installation path. A couple recommended this was not a good Idea.

Would suggest reading the following Link - Do not read just the Microsoft answer at the top ( makes it sound so easy a caveman could do it) , run through the posts. Seams that you can run into all kind of problems. Such as uninstalling programs that were installed prior to the switch, and for programs that read this entry to fine files, again probably with programs installed before regedit change.

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-windows_programs/how-do-you-change-the-default-installation/73450b25-d794-4f18-9add-75253b893343
 
Concur, both on loosing where some files are located and also about Johnny's knowledge.

Just some of the comments that were in that post made sense. I think I would bite the bullet and only install programs to other than "C" that allowed for the change.

I think I'd opt for the Larger drive, then reuse the smaller SSD as a Scratch/work disk, But thats me.
 

Skoegahom

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Jan 27, 2012
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Thanks for the great feedback! I have the money to get another 120GB SSD so I think I will probably exercise that option and then move WoW and maybe a couple of other easily uninstall/reinstall programs to a new Program Files II (x86) and possibly move my Users over to that disc as well. That way it will be the more heavily WR disc whereas the first SSD will be more static. I'll explore moving the paging file as well, but I'm not sure about the consequences of disabling hibernation until I get a more reliable UPS. My current one is being a little flaky...

Most of all, thanks for the tip on WinStatDir. I know I could have waded through the marshes of my SSD, but WSD made it very easy to see that: (1) Wow is my main problem; (2) my pagefile.sys is 16 GB & my hiberfil.sys is 12 GB; and finally (3) I have 3.9 GB tied up in the Battlefield 3 beta(!) I had forgotten about and 7.8 GB in Crysis II, which can be moved as well. Oh, the color visual aid is pretty cool too.

So, if buy a new 120 GB SSD and just move the games, it won't be as tight as 4 thumbs up a frogs butt anymore...