Question How do I proceed wanting Windows 7 on SSD and Program Files on HDD?

[conceptualclarity]

I'm setting up a new computer that will have a 250 GB Samsung EVO 850 SSD and two 1 TB Seagate Barracuda hard drives. I want the SSD to be the boot drive and have the Windows folder with the operating system (Windows 7 Professional 64 bit). I also want to have a few programs on the SSD: browsers, email, and VLC Player. I prefer to have a lot of software programs. (That's just me. I have my reasons; don't waste your time trying to talk me out of it.) I don't want to overcrowd the SSD. I want to keep the great majority of programs and of the application data folders on one of the Seagate drives. I guess you could say I basically want a big Program Files folder on a Seagate drive and a mini-Program Files folder on the SSD.

What's the proper way to proceed? Install the whole system drive package, with Program Files and user profiles/accounts as well as the actual OS (which I assume is synonymous with or subsumed in the Windows folder) on one of the HDDs, and then migrate just the Windows folder to the heretofore blank SSD and set the SSD as boot drive in the BIOS?

Or should I install Windows 7 to the SSD and then create parallel Program Files and application data folders on the Seagate hard drive? Or maybe move Program Files to the Seagate if possible, and just have my small number of programs on the SSD in their own folders there?

 

[NightHawkRMX]

Install windows on the ssd as normal.

When you go to install programs, select the install path in a folder on the hard drive.

 

[Wolfshadw]

What I would do is remove the Seagate drives from the system and install Windows with only the SSD connected. Once Windows is up, running, and updated, then you can reconnect your two Seagate drives.

Most program installation packages give you the option of where you want to install them. Some files will need to go onto the OS drive as well as registry entries, but the bulk of the files will be written to where ever you decide the installation location is going to be.

-Wolf sends

 

[USAFRet]

No, I WILL try to talk you out of this.
Given a 250GB SSD, there is little or no reason to have applications on other drives.
Applications, apart from games, take up very little space.

Having your applications on other drives tosses out a lot of the benefit of having the SSD to begin with.

But, if you must....
All you need to is select Custom or Advanced during the intsll process, and select some top level folder on the other drive.

And, contrary to popular belief, that folder on the other drive does NOT have to be named "Program Files" or "Program Files (x86)"
You can call it ClaritysOtherApplications...

For your data files? Sure. No problem. The Libraries have specific functionality to do this.
Win 7 & 8: https://forums.tomshardware.com/faq/new-ssd-now-what-redirecting-static-files-elsewhere.1518605/
Win 8.1 & 10: https://forums.tomshardware.com/faq/how-to-redirect-folders-to-other-drives-in-windows.1701731/


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

 

[USAFRet]

What's the proper way to proceed? Install the whole system drive package, with Program Files and user profiles/accounts as well as the actual OS (which I assume is synonymous with or subsumed in the Windows folder) on one of the HDDs, and then migrate just the Windows folder to the heretofore blank SSD and set the SSD as boot drive in the BIOS?

And that process absolutely will NOT work.
Can't be done like that.