[SOLVED] Managing my laptop storage (Adding a new SSD)

Jun 8, 2021
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Hi, I've got an Acer predator helios 300 ph315-52, I've found assembling tutorials on youtube but I can't find how do I manage the storage after putting the SSD inside, I've heard that you need to split your programs in the first SSD and the games in the second SSD? I don't really understand how it works and I've been on it since 10 days, please help me..
 
Solution
@lvt Thank you for your response, my main SSD is 256GB (10GB of space left AORN) and the one that I bought is 1TB SSD, so If I follow what you said, I should move everything on the new SSD. Pardon me for my lack of experience but I have no idea how to do It after installing the new SSD, can you help me out on that?
+ As I'll be using the new SSD, will the 256GB one be permanently useless after that?
I'd leave the OS on the current drive.

Move some data OFF it. You need to leave 15-20% free on an SSD.
So for a 256GB drive, don't fill it up past 200GB. Yours is too full.
Hi, I've got an Acer predator helios 300 ph315-52, I've found assembling tutorials on youtube but I can't find how do I manage the storage after putting the SSD inside, I've heard that you need to split your programs in the first SSD and the games in the second SSD? I don't really understand how it works and I've been on it since 10 days, please help me..

Yes the rule states that you shouldn't fill up a SSD, so if the capacity of the main SSD is relatively small (as it's often the case), you should move user files to other drive to avoid slowing down the main SSD.

But if your main SSD is large enough (1TB?), you can leave everything on it
 
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Jun 8, 2021
17
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10
Yes the rule states that you shouldn't fill up a SSD, so if the capacity of the main SSD is relatively small (as it's often the case), you should move user files to other drive to avoid slowing down the main SSD.

But if your main SSD is large enough (1TB?), you can leave everything on it
@lvt Thank you for your response, my main SSD is 256GB (10GB of space left AORN) and the one that I bought is 1TB SSD, so If I follow what you said, I should move everything on the new SSD. Pardon me for my lack of experience but I have no idea how to do It after installing the new SSD, can you help me out on that?
+ As I'll be using the new SSD, will the 256GB one be permanently useless after that?
 
@lvt Thank you for your response, my main SSD is 256GB (10GB of space left AORN) and the one that I bought is 1TB SSD, so If I follow what you said, I should move everything on the new SSD. Pardon me for my lack of experience but I have no idea how to do It after installing the new SSD, can you help me out on that?
+ As I'll be using the new SSD, will the 256GB one be permanently useless after that?

Does your new SSD actually work?

If so, you will need to install a software called Macrium Reflect (free) to move the whole old SSD to the new one.

The old 256GB can be used for the backup of important files. You should never trust a SSD.
 

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
If so, you will need to install a software called Macrium Reflect (free) to move the whole old SSD to the new one.

The old 256GB can be used for the backup of important files. You should never trust a SSD.
Wrong.

I'd leave the OS on the current drive.
Use the new one for <whatever>

There is no reason to distrust an SSD vs any other storage type.
There is also a very good reason to have actual off device backups, no matter WHAT the storage device type is.
 

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
Hi, I've got an Acer predator helios 300 ph315-52, I've found assembling tutorials on youtube but I can't find how do I manage the storage after putting the SSD inside, I've heard that you need to split your programs in the first SSD and the games in the second SSD? I don't really understand how it works and I've been on it since 10 days, please help me..
Please show us a screencap of your current Disk Management window.
(more questions to follow)
 

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
@lvt Thank you for your response, my main SSD is 256GB (10GB of space left AORN) and the one that I bought is 1TB SSD, so If I follow what you said, I should move everything on the new SSD. Pardon me for my lack of experience but I have no idea how to do It after installing the new SSD, can you help me out on that?
+ As I'll be using the new SSD, will the 256GB one be permanently useless after that?
I'd leave the OS on the current drive.

Move some data OFF it. You need to leave 15-20% free on an SSD.
So for a 256GB drive, don't fill it up past 200GB. Yours is too full.
 
Solution

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
You can migrate it all to the new drive if you wish.
But there's nothing wrong with having the two of them.

So, you'd migrate to the new drive, and wipe the old drive completely.

-----------------------------
Specific steps for a successful clone operation:
-----------------------------
Verify the actual used space on the current drive is significantly below the size of the new SSD
Download and install Macrium Reflect (or Samsung Data Migration, if a Samsung SSD)
If you are cloning from a SATA drive to PCIe/NVMe, install the relevant driver for this new NVMe/PCIe drive.
Power off
Disconnect ALL drives except the current C and the new SSD
Power up
Run the Macrium Reflect (or Samsung Data Migration)
Select ALL the partitions on the existing C drive

If you are going from a smaller drive to a larger, by default, the target partition size will be the same as the Source. You probably don't want that
You can manipulate the size of the partitions on the target (larger)drive
Click on "Cloned Partition Properties", and you can specifiy the resulting partition size, to even include the whole thing

Click the 'Clone' button
Wait until it is done
When it finishes, power off
Disconnect ALL drives except for the new SSD
This is to allow the system to try to boot from ONLY the SSD
Swap the SATA cables around so that the new drive is connected to the same SATA port as the old drive
Power up, and verify the BIOS boot order
If good, continue the power up

It should boot from the new drive, just like the old drive.
Maybe reboot a time or two, just to make sure.

If it works, and it should, all is good.

Later, reconnect the old drive and wipe all partitions on it.
This will probably require the commandline diskpart function, and the clean command.

Ask questions if anything is unclear.
-----------------------------
 
Jun 8, 2021
17
0
10
You can migrate it all to the new drive if you wish.
But there's nothing wrong with having the two of them.

So, you'd migrate to the new drive, and wipe the old drive completely.

-----------------------------
Specific steps for a successful clone operation:
-----------------------------
Verify the actual used space on the current drive is significantly below the size of the new SSD
Download and install Macrium Reflect (or Samsung Data Migration, if a Samsung SSD)
If you are cloning from a SATA drive to PCIe/NVMe, install the relevant driver for this new NVMe/PCIe drive.
Power off
Disconnect ALL drives except the current C and the new SSD
Power up
Run the Macrium Reflect (or Samsung Data Migration)
Select ALL the partitions on the existing C drive

If you are going from a smaller drive to a larger, by default, the target partition size will be the same as the Source. You probably don't want that
You can manipulate the size of the partitions on the target (larger)drive
Click on "Cloned Partition Properties", and you can specifiy the resulting partition size, to even include the whole thing

Click the 'Clone' button
Wait until it is done
When it finishes, power off
Disconnect ALL drives except for the new SSD
This is to allow the system to try to boot from ONLY the SSD
Swap the SATA cables around so that the new drive is connected to the same SATA port as the old drive
Power up, and verify the BIOS boot order
If good, continue the power up

It should boot from the new drive, just like the old drive.
Maybe reboot a time or two, just to make sure.

If it works, and it should, all is good.

Later, reconnect the old drive and wipe all partitions on it.
This will probably require the commandline diskpart function, and the clean command.

Ask questions if anything is unclear.
-----------------------------
If you are going from a smaller drive to a larger, by default, the target partition size will be the same as the Source. You probably don't want that
You can manipulate the size of the partitions on the target (larger)drive
Click on "Cloned Partition Properties", and you can specifiy the resulting partition size, to even include the whole thing
+ Where Is the "Cloned Partition Properties" option?
+I'm adding an NVMe, like the smaller one I have, How much size should I put? 256GB as the SSD space or the space I've used on the SSD? (I don't know if it works like that)

Click the 'Clone' button
Wait until it is done
When it finishes, power off
Disconnect ALL drives except for the new SSD
This is to allow the system to try to boot from ONLY the SSD
Swap the SATA cables around so that the new drive is connected to the same SATA port as the old drive
Power up, and verify the BIOS boot order
If good, continue the power up
Clone button where?
I power off the PC?
Disconnecting all drives? Should I disconnect the actual 256GB SSD? How so?
I don't have SATA cables, I'm using a laptop
What do I power up exactly? How should the BIOS boot order be for it to be normal?

Sorry you don't have to answer my questions if that's too much, just link me a youtube video if there's any explaining as you did because I have a hard time understanding all of this, it is way harder than I thought to be..
 
Wrong.

I'd leave the OS on the current drive.
Use the new one for <whatever>

That's a personal matter, if the OP wants to move everything to the new SSD, he has a reason to do so.

There is no reason to distrust an SSD vs any other storage type.
There is also a very good reason to have actual off device backups, no matter WHAT the storage device type is.

Personally I wouldn't feel comfortable with a system having a single SSD for data storage.