Dual Booting SSD + HDD

[HoboCannibaL]

ok i could use some suggestions, here is what i'm planning to do:

Dual boot on the SSD (windoze7 ulti and ubuntu)...i only really want the operating systems on the ssd.
Hdd will be used as the data/storage drive
i want to move \user and /home dir's from the ssd to the HDD (i want to write as little on the ssd as i can)
i plan to game on the linux os as well, so i was thinking about making the swap partition on the hdd 16-32gb

i plan to take this on one os at a time to get it right, so i suppose i'll deal with windows first so i don't have to replace the grub files later. So i guess i won't be adding the linux os until i get the windows setup correctly.

is this possible? Is there a better way to achieve this or something similar? my current understanding of the ssd (brand new to me) is that writing on it alot degrades the life quite significantly, is this information still accurate?

Or is all this too much trouble than what it's worth? {=^.^=}

 

[spawnkiller]

i don't know what SSD you have but i know Intel certifies 40GB by day for 10 years on their 5xx series of SSD

Crucial M4 are rated 1 millions MTBF (most SSD are at this kind of MTBF) and even 24/24 365 days per year it's more than 114 years so personnally i don't mind writing on it everyday... anyway they come more and more cheap nowadays and they have 3 years warranty so even if it fail, in 3 years it'll surely be outdated and newer/faster SSD with maybe SATA4 will be out...

I'd say format 2 equal partitions on your SSD 1 for windows and 1 for Linux, make the paging file on your HDD but keep the most programs, user data on the SSD (don't move all to the HDD) and all the stuff you need to load at startup too as it'll really be a lot faster...

 

[HoboCannibaL]

i have 120gb samsung 840 ssd, and 2tb seagate 7200rpm

 

[Chicano]

If you clone Windows 7 from HDD to SSD you'll probably have to Repair (Upgrade) Install it, after installing the image on the SSD... but since you can't do it from an unbootable OS, and you have to start/execute the Repair (called Upgrade Install in Windows 7) from within Windows 7 itself, that becomes next to impossible. Ubuntu is a different story, it doesn't have the Microsoft's antipiracy restrictions so it should boot on any hard drive or ssd you clone it to.

Moving the User folder to the HDD is no problem... if you want the Documents folder moved only, just click on Start \ Documents right click \ Properties \ Find Target \ browse to the desired location and Apply. To move the user profile folder... you need to edit the Registry changing the Sell Folders and User Sell Folders data path which is a bit impractical so it's better doing it with applications like;

"User Profile Wizard 3.6"
http://www.forensit.com/domain-migration.html.
http://www.forensit.com/downloads.html

About SSD longevity: Accordidng to a Tom's Hardware investigation, you'd have to write some 10GB a day for at least 18 years (smaller SSD) before you notice it starting to lose their ability to retain data. Conclusion is that SSDs can be more reliable than HDDs.

Investigation: Is Your SSD More Reliable Than A Hard Drive?
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-reliability-failure-rate,2923.html

 

[HoboCannibaL]

yeah i don't plan on cloning windows from hdd to ssd (gonna do a fresh install on the ssd)

forensit link didn't work showed me this "The Page Cannot be Found"

with putting the \user on the hdd, and the rest of the os on the ssd, will i still see an increase in performance on the operating system?

also, if i make an image? is it possible to make one image of the ssd+hdd that way for restore, it puts everything back the way it was?

 

[spankmon]

Last year I dual-booted Win7 and Xubuntu, with both partitions on my 128 Gb SSD. Within three months the SSD became too full for comfort. So I re-thought my scheme and moved Xubuntu to the hard drive and kept the SSD exclusively for Windows. In my opinion a 128Gb SSD is too small for dual-booting and gaming combined. It will work, but you'll find yourself overburdened by the vigilance required to keep it tidy. If you are interested, here is a link to my solution.

http://spankmon.wordpress.com/2012/05/08/windows7-on-ssd-plus-xubuntu-on-hdd/

P.S. And now with Win7 as the only OS on the SSD, I still find myself wishing for a larger SSD.

 

[Chicano]

yeah i don't plan on cloning windows from hdd to ssd (gonna do a fresh install on the ssd)

forensit link didn't work showed me this "The Page Cannot be Found"

with putting the \user on the hdd, and the rest of the os on the ssd, will i still see an increase in performance on the operating system?

also, if i make an image? is it possible to make one image of the ssd+hdd that way for restore, it puts everything back the way it was?

You should see some improvement from the newly installed Windows not because you moved the user folder to HDD, the folder is to small to make any difference but as it grows it would start making a difference in performance on slower systems, not so noticeable on faster systems.

Right, an image is an exact copy (therefore the name "clone") of the system the day it was taken, So restoring an image would be like Restoring the System to the date the image was made. Why make an image of two partitions? why not two images one of each? so you can restore them independently. You can even make an image of the files only, not the complete partition. It's the same results but easier and more compact image files.

User Profile Wizard 3.6
http://www.forensit.com/downloads.html

Application Mover
http://www.funduc.com/app_mover.htm

 

[HoboCannibaL]

right, the entire objective for the ssd was for the os, to get better os performance, if i move the user folder to the hdd, can i still put some programs on the ssd and access them? or will i always have to use app moving software to achieve this?

 

[HoboCannibaL]

i really want to cut out the big temp files that windows uses out of my ssd equation lol

 

[Chicano]

right, the entire objective for the ssd was for the os, to get better os performance, if i move the user folder to the hdd, can i still put some programs on the ssd and access them? or will i always have to use app moving software to achieve this?

Not sure if I understand correctly, but; If you mean not having to reinstall programs, I see several options:
1. Use Application Mover to migrate them from the HDD to the SSD before formatting Win 7 on the HDD.
2. Leave them where they are; (don't format Win 7* on the HDD), and run them from SSD through shortcuts.
3. Use portable apps versions when possible, and locate them in the HDD. Also install the application "PortableApps" with it's own Start Menu to access them like installed versisons.
4. Install new programs (installer versions) on a folder in the HDD.. this may make them slightly slower (probably unnoticeable), but save you space on the SSD.
5. For your final question: When you install programs you most always get prompted to decide where you want them installed, so instead of C:\Program files, just change the drive letter to X:\Program files. If you leave Win 7 on the HDD intact, you can keep installing programs there, and the user start menu will go to the X:\Users\your user acct\Application Data\program name\. A part of each installation goes to the Windows folder which can't be moved but it's a minimal part.

* Leaving Win 7 on HDD intact, you can even keep using the same User Profile folder setting the same folder in the new installation, as the "Users" folder, or the User Profile folder. The larger temps are locaten in the user folder (C:\Users\Your user acct\Local Settings\Temp and Internet Temp files), the System temp files are in C:\WINDOWS\Temp but system temps are a lot less... and you can clean them regularly through Start\Run\type: "temp" and the System Temp folder opens.

Any questions, doubts?

 

[HoboCannibaL]

Best answer selected by HoboCannibaL.

 

[HoboCannibaL]

no i see what you're saying, i think i've looked up a thousand different ways to achieve stuff lol....i'm going to install the os to the ssd and keep everything where they're at, when i save the data for the programs i'm using (example microsoft office) i'm gonna direct it to a file on the hdd but keep the actual software on the ssd.

i'm gonna disable the paging file (i have 16gb of ram) and disable hibernate and make other optimization choices and have TRIM enabled.

games will be stored to the hdd (i have A LOT! of them) and only keep the ones i play most frequently on the ssd (ex: killing floor, battlefield 3, maybe a couple others)

do you see any problems with this? any other suggestions?

 

[HoboCannibaL]

correction: i'm going to move folders like (my documents) over to the hhd as well...but not the whole user folder. that way if my hdd goes i can still boot completely into windows and log in. plus it'll be a lot easier to image in case i get a larger ssd in the future.

 

[Chicano]

correction: i'm going to move folders like (my documents) over to the hhd as well...but not the whole user folder. that way if my hdd goes i can still boot completely into windows and log in. plus it'll be a lot easier to image in case i get a larger ssd in the future.

That's a good idea; System files on the SSD and personal files on the HDD... you may also want to move the Temp files folder (which is not necessary for the user profile to run) to the HDD.. the application mentioned before may be helpfull on that.

Forgot to mention; I you leave the OS in the HDD intact or at least system files behind, you may encounter access issues, so you may want to configure the security permissions to Take Ownership of the HDD... see the article on how to.

How to Take Ownership & Grant Permissions to Access Files & Folder in Windows 7
http://www.blogsdna.com/2159/how-to-take-ownership-grant-permissions-to-access-files-folder-in-windows-7.htm

 

[HoboCannibaL]

yeah thanks for your help, i really wish there was a standard to running ssd and hdd, there's just too much different information out there on how to set it up, each with their pros and cons lol....trial and error approach i suppose, try something logical and if that doesn't work, try something more logical {=^.^=}