How Do I have a SSD and HDD in the same pc

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jamtube47

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Sep 7, 2017
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Ok so I have a HDD and i now want to add a SSD. What do I do. Do I just put the ssd in the pc and then drag the games and other things I want to be in the SSD so they have a faster boot up. Is this all i do? People told me to like install all of these things. I really dont know. Can you please teach me how to install a ssd please.
 
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Above, I linked a tutorial on how to install the OS on your SSD.

Here it is again:
How to do a CLEAN installation of Windows 10

If you do put the OS on your SSD, you'll have to take a few other steps to manage where stuff goes between them.
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 on multiple drives:
Steam games location
In the steam client:
Steam
Settings
Downloads
Steam Library Folders
Add library folder
q24sFfe.png



Will all your "data" still be on the HDD?
Yes, but...

You can't use the applications on it.
And your other personal files will be stuck inside the original user account. Yes, they will be there, but annoying to access.
 
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So are these the steps of how to install a SSD? 1. Put the SSD in the pc 2. Put the Window disc in and then select SSd 3. move what you want in the HDD to the SSd. And you are finished? how do you put that everything you download will go to HDD and only things you tranfer will go in the SDD
 
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And that would be a clean install on the SSD.
(No, I'm not going to watch a 6 year old utube video. Things have changed)

Disconnect ALL other drives, and follow the exact procedures in the link I posted.


You're using Windows 10, right?
 
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You're looking at too many steps at once.
 
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1. Document all your current username/passwords

2. Download to a USB stick all the drivers for your current hardware. GPU, mouse, etc.

3. Create a Win 10 USB (yes a different USB stick) to install with.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

4. Verify all of the above.

5. Know whre to get all the install files for whatever application you use. Steam, Chrome, etc, etc, etc.

6. Disconnect ALL drives except the new SSD

7. Clean install on the SSD
How to do a CLEAN installation of Windows 10

8. Let the new Windows install do ALL of its existing updates

9. Verify it actually works.

Now, you can begin actually using your system.

10. Install your applications on the SSD. Steam, Chrome, AV, whatever.

11. Power off, and reconnect the HDD

11. Your HDD is now full of unusable crap. But you're the only one who knows what is on it.
Ideally, I'd recommend a full wipe of everything on the HDD. Start with a blank drive.

Steps above list how to use Steam games on multiple drives.
Other steps above show how to have things save to the HDD instead of the small SSD.


Any questions so far?
 
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Step 1 is so you actually know your username+passwords. It's a pain if you've forgotten one.
Step 2 is so you don't have to go get them later. Either before or after, you'll need them.
Step 3 is to actually create the Win 10 USB install. You need this.
Step 4 is just to make sure you haven't forgotten anything.
Step 5 Is so you don't have to flair around later, and ask "where can I find...?".
Step 6 ....Yes, do this. Trust me on this.
 
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My advice would be to follow USAFRet's step by step list and quit watching YouTube videos -- at least half of what's on the is either outdated or just wrong. USAFRet gave you the answer -- just follow it. Last post for me in this thread, good luck.
 
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I chose to use the Samsung Data Migration Software which is provided for Samsung SSD drives, when I migrated from HDD to SSD.

It was a painless cloning process that avoided a clean install of Windows, however there are two catches to doing this.

1. Your SSD needs to be the same or larger capacity than your existing HDD.

2. You will need a spare SATA port on your PC, or a USB/SATA adapter to temporarily connect the new drive for cloning.

After the clone is finished, it is a snap to physically swap in the SSD and reboot. Done!

If your SSD doen't meet the requirements of #1, you will need to follow USAFRet's process. Those are very clear and correct instructions, that anybody who can read should be able to follow.

Personally I would just get a jumbo SSD, then clone my HDD onto it, and call it a day!
 
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The instructions given so far is very solid. But there is one thing you have not mentioned. Have you bought the SSD already? And how big is your budget?
If you want to learn how to build a PC, then, by all means, follow the instructions suggested by all the knowledgeable people here. Do allow time for this exercise! Do not expect to accomplish it in an hour. From what I have read, you seem to be a total beginner. Everyone got to start somewhere. I did.
It will really help if you compile a list of things that you are going to do. Step by step, tick each one off as you go by. Please Please Please, list removing screws, unplugging which device, what cable, everything in detail. We, as experienced PC builder, have them all in our head. Oh, I don't mean to be funny. Do list "Powering off" before opening your PC as one step. Don't laugh, I blew a motherboard and brand new memory modules. That really hurt. Oh, I didn't get electrocuted, but my wallet and my pride, right down the drain.
After so many years of building PC, if you can afford it, get Acronis True Image. I got the 2018 version. I do believe a cutdown version comes free with a brand new Seagate HD. A similar software comes free with Samsung SSD. You see, since you are a beginner, trust me from my experience, you will have enough pressure of avoiding PC not coming on due to cable not plugging in properly, card(s) got dislodged. Oh, one more thing, do avoid wearing nylon clothing. Static will kill anything you touch. Again, I learnt from disheartening experience, resulting in a blown AMD CPU together with two memory modules. Always earth yourself before touching any components in your computer.
I am from the UK, Acronis cost me £35 which is about US$50. Install it and run it before opening up your PC. You can create a backup of everything within 20 minutes. You can even create a boot disk or a bootable USB from which you can recover everything. I hope you have an external HD onto which you can save your backup image. If not, then you will have to follow the list religiously.
Now, it may take you about 30 minutes or 45 minutes if you are extra careful to open up your PC, repositioning drive, installing SSD, etc. Yeah, do it slowly but surely, tick off the list. After you have installed the new SSD, boot up the PC and go into the BIOS and make sure that you see the new SSD being picked up. Now save and exit. PC will boot up as normal into Window. Follow the instructions as mentioned in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxNyDBSBNxg. Acronis is very simple to use. It can clone a hard drive that is larger than your target drive. It should see your new SSD drive. Just make sure you don't copy the brand new drive onto your existing HD. But if your existing HD is 1TB and the SSD is 120GB, you will be very unlikely to be able to "clone" it because your existing data will be too large to fit into a 120GB. You didn't mention how much stuff you have on your existing 1TB hard drive plus no information on your limit of the budget, I am guessing that a 1TB SSD is out of your reach, financially. By the way, I don't recommend getting a 2nd hand SSD. All SSD has a definite lifespan. Their lifespan is actually the amount of data written to the memory chips. So, once that figure is reached, the SSD will stop working. Each model will have a different figure. You can Google it yourself. And for this reason, you never know how much a 2nd hand SSD has been used. It really not worth the gamble despite how the seller claims. Anyway, back to Acronis, once your existing HD is cloned to the new SSD. Reboot the PC and go into the BIOS straight away. Assign the new SSD as the boot device. Save and exit. Now, the PC will boot up to your new SSD. Once it is booted up, then you can use Acronis to wipe and format your old HD.
If your budget is limited, and you cannot afford a 500 Gb SSD, nor 250Gb SSD, I really recommend you to invest $50 in Acronis. Oh, I just checked for you, there is Paragon which is much cheaper, doing the same thing. There you go. I haven't used Paragon so I cannot give much advice to you. I know one thing about Acronis, you can choose which folder to be cloned across though I don't like this idea as you will never know what to expect. This is because the registry of your Windows will still have those programs in it but they are not there because you have not "cloned" it across. One way to do it is either deleting most if not all your games, I presume that you are a Steam user. I am a Steam user. I went through that stage where my boot drive was running out of space but I didn't want to remove the games that I loved to play. Yes, you can remove the games and then reinstall them later. That is if you don't mind the long downloading time. My area doesn't have fibre optics available so I have to rely on copper wire internet connection. So, I have to follow Steam's instruction to move the installation files of my favourite games to another drive. This is another solution provided that you have another storage device, like another HD or an external HD. You haven't mentioned either so I guess that you have not got this option. If you don't have a bigger budget, then I can only advise you to follow the instructions that you have been given here to install Windows 10 from scratch, onto the new 120 Gb SSD that you are going to get.
One last advice on how to lengthen the life of your SSD, search on Youtube on how to speed up your SSD. Pay particular attention to setting up the temporary folder on your HD instead of the default. The default for the temporary folder for all the temporary files, like while you are watching Youtube videos is on your boot drive, or your C drive, i.e. it will be on your SSD if you leave it as default. It is straightforward and my temporary folder is on my D drive, which is not an SSD.
Oh, one final advice, SSD tend to have firmware issue though the situation has improved by now, compared to a few years back. When it happens, you lose everything. Having Acronis, you can create an image of your SSD and HD, so you won't have a worry about losing everything. And by the way, I don't work for Acronis. I just have been using it, oh, over 10 years now. It came free with a Seagate hybrid drive years ago. It was a breeze for cloning. I like it so much that I bought the full version and stay with it since.
I hope I have not wasted your time reading this and I hope the information here useful to you. Good luck and have fun. Probably see you in COD WWII.
 
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