Question How would you make it so your C Drive has as much space as possible and are there any drawbacks?

[UKTone]

I currently have a Samsung SSD 960 EVO 250GB (m.2) and just got the free inland professional ssd from microcenter yesterday. I've had my windows 10 on the samsung for about 5 yrs, i currently have 85.4 gbs free on it (After using treesize professional to help delete things periodically) and also my pagefile.sys and hyperfil.sys files sometimes were/are really high in gbs (8.5gb and 6.4 gb respectively rn, but sometimes up to about 64gbs), not sure if i should want this or not.

https://valid.x86.fr/r7xs5d This is my set up (the inland isn't installed yet).

Is there a way to set your programdata, program files, program files (x86), appdata, and others to go be on an hdd instead of the C drive? Any permission problems or drawbacks that could occur? Any way to avoid them?

Overall:
I'm trying to see how i can make and keep my ssd (with windows 10 on it) as empty as possible without reinstalling windows first.

Second, i want to know how to make and keep my ssd as empty as possible with a clean install of windows 10 and 11 (not both simultaneously, but want to know for both in case they're different). Are there things that can only be done on a clean install of windows that you can't do later for making and keeping the ssd with as much space as possible?

Also, with my set up can i install windows 11? And if I can, should I stay on 10 for now or upgrade? Currently on Windows 10 Education.

Thanks in advance.

 

[mdd1963]

I'd avoid installing any commonly used apps to a spinning drive if at all possible, as said apps will take noticeably longer to open/launch...

With new 1 TB 970 EVOs (and many other 1 TB variants) recently on sale at Amazon for $88 or so (back up to $111 now?) I'd probably just get another.

(you might be able to reclaim several GB by disabling hibernation and ditching the hibernation saves, ditching excess restore points, and, setting the Crive recycle bin size manually to just 2-4 GB, along with the standard junk clearing routines)

If you are going to do a full clean install, where you put stuff is put now is mostly irrelevant anyway, as when you delete the C;Drive's partitions during the Windows 10/11 installation menu. Apps installed to any D drive would then not show as installed anyway after a clean reinstall...

Alternatively, maybe you can find a standard 2.5" SATA SSD in 500 or 1000 GB size as a decent place for assorted apps to live. Although not as fast as NVME, SSDs are still proverbial 'greased lightning' compared to spinning drives.

 

[rgd1101]

Is there a way to set your programdata, program files, program files (x86), appdata, and others to go be on an hdd instead of the C drive? Any permission problems or drawbacks that could occur? Any way to avoid them?

don't. program need to run fast


stick with win 10

 

[UKTone]

Yeah I am planning to use the new free ssd i got for games while the c drive ssd run windows. Was hoping there was a way to change the program file locations.

 

[USAFRet]

OS and applications go on the same drive.
Applications, apart from games, do NOT take up a lot of space.

For games, especially in the Steam platform, you can install those on other drives.

Leave the Steam client on your OS drive, and then...

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

 

[USAFRet]

Yeah I am planning to use the new free ssd i got for games while the c drive ssd run windows. Was hoping there was a way to change the program file locations.

Do NOT force applications to install elsewhere.
Tears will result.

 

[USAFRet]

Also, with my set up can i install windows 11?

"Intel® Core™ i7-6700K"

No Win 11 for this system.

 

[hotaru.hino]

Is there a way to set your programdata, program files, program files (x86), appdata, and others to go be on an hdd instead of the C drive? Any permission problems or drawbacks that could occur? Any way to avoid them?

No. Hardly anything uses ProgramData so you can ignore it. For things that would go into Program Files, just install the application somewhere else if it gives you the option to do so.

 

[poppyjoe]

I would leave it alone as they suggest so you do9mnrt degrade performance or stability. If you m,ust backup or clone first. I have used several programs but some are more friendly than others, Marium Reflect can be free or inexpensive . So, obviouslt at your own risk, first tyro to lear ansd understand and backup first but please see:

How do you change the default Installation Directory in Windows 7 - Microsoft Community and then find win10 or apply to win10/11.


I am considering this ssd due to its speed, cost, and wearranty:


< $93 Amazon.com: SK hynix Gold P31 1TB PCIe NVMe Gen3 M.2 2280 Internal SSD | Up to 3500MB/S | Compact M.2 SSD Form Factor SK hynix SSD | Internal Solid State Drive with 128-Layer NAND Flash : Electronics

 

[USAFRet]

I would leave it alone as they suggest so you do9mnrt degrade performance or stability. If you m,ust backup or clone first. I have used several programs but some are more friendly than others, Marium Reflect can be free or inexpensive . So, obviouslt at your own risk, first tyro to lear ansd understand and backup first but please see:

How do you change the default Installation Directory in Windows 7 - Microsoft Community and then find win10 or apply to win10/11.

What that says regarding Registry changes....DO NOT DO THIS.

 

[poppyjoe]

Often these little hacks or changes folks make also cause future updates to fail due to interdependencies that do not take certain changes, but defaults intended into account.

 

[USAFRet]

Second, i want to know how to make and keep my ssd as empty as possible with a clean install of windows 10

Why?

If you have it, use it.
OS and applications on the same drive. Other things can go elsewhere.

 

[USAFRet]

I am considering this ssd due to its speed, cost, and wearranty:

Please don't hijack this thread for your question(s).