[SOLVED] Help! Can't delete stuff from C Drive after moving it to D drive

[av8er]

Basically title. I've moved stuff from C to D, due to C only having 3g of space left. Now it still says there is 3g of space left, but when I try and delete the files from C drive, it says they cannot be found.

 

[USAFRet]

Much more detail needed.

Type of drives, what you moved or deleted, what OS, etc, etc,etc.
Move or Copy? There's a difference.

As much detail as you can give us.

 

[av8er]

Much more detail needed.

Type of drives, what you moved or deleted, what OS, etc, etc,etc.
Move or Copy? There's a difference.

As much detail as you can give us.

Windows 10 OS

moved from my C to my D Drive.

Moved various files, Discord, Steam, Ubisoft, like gaming hubs for multiple games. (Start it up and it allows you to start multiple games from one source).

Drive C:
Description Local Fixed Disk
Compressed No
File System NTFS
Size 232.29 GB (249,414,283,264 bytes)
Free Space 2.54 GB (2,723,852,288 bytes)
Volume Name
Volume Serial Number 6EF56D7D

Drive D:
Description Local Fixed Disk
Compressed No
File System NTFS
Size 1.82 TB (2,000,381,014,016 bytes)
Free Space 691.36 GB (742,343,405,568 bytes)
Volume Name
Volume Serial Number 2EF16951

Drive E:
Description Local Fixed Disk
Compressed No
File System NTFS
Size 3.64 TB (4,000,768,323,584 bytes)
Free Space 3.64 TB (3,997,702,438,912 bytes)
Volume Name New Volume
Volume Serial Number C219D21C

 

[USAFRet]

oooo...you can't move applications around like that.
Bad juju.

Let's take Steam, for instance.
Did you 'move' the actual Steam application, the .exe? Or did you possibly just move the shortcut?
For instance, the "Steam" install is several hundred files, not counting the actual games.

 

[av8er]

oooo...you can't move applications around like that.
Bad juju.

Let's take Steam, for instance.
Did you 'move' the actual Steam application, the .exe? Or did you possibly just move the shortcut?
For instance, the "Steam" install is several hundred files, not counting the actual games.

Yeah I believe I moved the .exe... and I was starting to wonder what happened when I couldn't start discord, and I figured it was because my shortcuts path was no longer valid... so now.. yup.

 

[USAFRet]

You absolutely cannot move applications around like that.
When something is installed, it creates dozens, sometimes thousands of entries in the Registry and elsewhere. All those references are now wrong.
In addition, the actual Steam client is a efw thousand files and folders.

Finally, even though they may be several thousand files, thy are 'small' in the grand scheme of things.


How to "fix" ?
Move something else off that SSD. Movies, music, downloaded stuff, etc. Those don't care. Free up a couple dozen GB.
Once you have some free space on that drive, reinstall all those applications you previously 'moved'. Reinstall them on the C drive SSD.

 

[USAFRet]

And its more than just the shortcut pointer being hosed up.
When you try to start that application, it is looking for other resources in that same folder tree. Not finding them, it will die a quick death.

 

[av8er]

And its more than just the shortcut pointer being hosed up.
When you try to start that application, it is looking for other resources in that same folder tree. Not finding them, it will die a quick death.

so, basically, i have to reinstall everything i just moved?

 

[USAFRet]

so, basically, i have to reinstall everything i just moved?

If you want them to work, yes.
And leave them on the C drive. Look to other things as space suckers.

Steam games can be moved. The Steam client, no.

 

[av8er]

If you want them to work, yes.
And leave them on the C drive. Look to other things as space suckers.

Steam games can be moved. The Steam client, no.

dang, so... is there anyway i can get them to my D drive? I don't want so many things on my C drive

 

[USAFRet]

dang, so... is there anyway i can get them to my D drive? I don't want so many things on my C drive

What type of drives are these?
The C is an SSD...the others? HDD or SSD?

If the C is the only SSD, you really do want these applications on the SSD.
Having them on a slow spinning drive negates the purpose of having the SSD.


Yeah, you could put them on the other drive.
But, you'd need to reinstall them in the current original place, then Uninstall them, then Reinstall again, but this time selecting a top level folder on the D drive as the install location.

Any particular reason you don't want them on the SSD?

 

[av8er]

What type of drives are these?
The C is an SSD...the others? HDD or SSD?

If the C is the only SSD, you really do want these applications on the SSD.
Having them on a slow spinning drive negates the purpose of having the SSD.


Yeah, you could put them on the other drive.
But, you'd need to reinstall them in the current original place, then Uninstall them, then Reinstall again, but this time selecting a top level folder on the D drive as the install location.

Any particular reason you don't want them on the SSD?

I understand wanting them on the SSD, but it's too full and I don't want to degrade the integrity of the SSD for having it so full. The D is an HDD

 

[USAFRet]

I understand wanting them on the SSD, but it's too full and I don't want to degrade the integrity of the SSD for having it so full. The D is an HDD

TooFull is better handled by moving other files. As said, Doc/Music/Video/Pics/Downloads. Those are easy.
Steam games can also live on the HDD. CSmall Steam clint on the SSD, games on the HDD. A single Steam game will more than make up space for all those applications you tried to move.

And yes, you don't want the drive too full. For that, don't let it go over 200GB.