How do I combine C drive and New F drive for more storage.

[birbwithcomputerparts]

I got a TB HDD to add space to my PC. But I would like to just have to have it as if it were the same drive/partition as my original C drive. Is there any way to do this? Thanks.

 

[Darkbreeze]

There is, but you don't want to do that. It's more trouble than it's worth and can end up causing you a lot of issues in the end.

You would be far better off just using the new drive to store everything that cannot easily be replaced in the event you have to reinstall Windows at some point, like in the case of an infection or system corruption, or drive failure. Combining old and new storage into one volume is a very bad idea.

If this is a gaming machine, I'd move or install all the game files on the new drive, as well as moving any pictures, movies, music or personal documents you would like to NOT lose if something happens to the C: drive, onto that drive.

In addition, it would be a VERY good idea to also either obtain another drive, to BACKUP that information onto, or at the very least get a spindle of DVDs and backup all your important files onto optical media so you have a copy of it in the even something goes wrong with the storage drive, which it will, sooner or later.

 

[SkyNetRising]

Do you have single physical drive or multiple physical drives? This was not clear.
Can you show screenshot from Disk Management?

 

[Darkbreeze]

Well, since he said he got a new 1TB HDD to "add space to my PC", I'd assume he meant two physical, separate drives.

 

[nobspls]

Much better to keep the 2 drive separate. You don't want to lose all your data just because one out of the two drives died.

But if you insist, you can always try to raid 0 your drive, but that reduces your reliability by 50%. Lose one drive lose all your data. Not the trade I would ever make.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Actually, there are other ways than RAID. They are still unreliable in the event of a failure and they tend to slow read/write speeds as well. Spanned volumes have been around a long time, however, there is another caveat as well.

Technically, this can't be done on a drive that is to be used for installing Windows. Primarily, it needs to be done IN Windows, so you can't very well span a drive in windows and then install Windows on the spanned drive. For storage, it will work, but I still think it's pointless. For your OS drive, forget about it.

You might be able to extend the C: drive partition to another drive using a third party utility like Easus partition master, but again, it's a bad idea even if it works.

 

[birbwithcomputerparts]

Would moving it to Disk 0 be the same as combining the two?

 

[jojesa]

The system selects which drive is a Disk 0 and that by itself is not the same as combining the disks.
But when you combine both disk, let's say in a RAID, they both could appear as a Disk 0.

If you want to go ahead and setup a RAID, combining both disks, after the warnings you got from the post above, let us know and provide your system info.
Again all your data on the disks will be wiped.

 

[USAFRet]

"How do I combine C drive and New F drive for more storage."

You don't.
You use them as 2 individual drives.
You can have many, many things default to the new 1TB drive.

But you do not "combine" them.

Pay attention to the Windows version:
Win 7 & 8: http://www.tomshardware.com/faq/id-1834397/ssd-redirecting-static-files.html
Win 8.1 & 10: http://www.tomshardware.com/faq/id-2024314/windows-redirecting-folders-drives.html



Steam games:
Steam games location
In the steam client:
Steam
Settings
Downloads
Steam Library Folders
Add library folder

To move an already installed game
Games library
Right click the game
Properties
Local Files
Move Install Folder

 

[USAFRet]

Would moving it to Disk 0 be the same as combining the two?

Disk 0, Disk1, Disk 2, etc is simply determined by which port on the motherboard you connect it to.
Has nothing to do with what you're trying to do.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Yeah, "You don't", was pretty much my consensus too.