New SSD + Old HDD; What is safe to delete and how to extend partition on SSD into unallocated space

[trudalupins]

Hello! Holy schnitt are my drives in a snarl!

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/19902719/%24%24%20drive%20partitions.JPG

I just made a very messy upgrade from HDD to SSD - all the things went wrong and I ended up doing a fresh Windows install on the SSD. Everything is up and booting happily now, but I'm left with all these partitions and a giant chunk of unallocated space on my new SSD that makes me sad.

C: and D: are terrific, keeping those. What's safe to delete of the other 5 partitions? What's best practice for reclaiming that territory for the main C: and D: drives? Thanks!

 

[CountMike]

So, which one is SSD ?
On the old drive you can delete all partitions except D: and combine into one as you don't have use for them any more.
On SSD you can form a partition in Un-aloccated space.

 

[ArtPog]

You've got a messy configuration on your hands and if practicable it would be best to start over as it were...

Presumably your original disk - the 1 TB HDD - was your boot drive, right? Now it's reflected in Disk Management as your secondary drive containing the D: partition, et al, right?

I'm assuming that if you disconnect the 960 GB SSD from the system and boot to the HDD, the system will boot and function without problems. IF THAT IS NOT SO, READ NO FURTHER.
(I'm also assuming the disk-space capacity of the SSD is sufficient to contain the total data contents of the 1 TB HDD.)

But assuming it is...

Clone the contents of the HDD to the SSD. I'm assuming you're reasonably familiar with disk-cloning programs.

Remember that following the successful disk-cloning operation to immediately disconnect the source drive, i.e., the HDD from the system and boot ONLY with the cloned SSD connected in the system. Capiche?

Work with the SSD to ensure all is OK and only then should you reconnect the SSD. It's also a good idea to connect the SSD to the motherboard's first SATA port (connector), usually designated SATA 0 or SATA 1.

 

[trudalupins]

Hi ArtPog, thanks so much for your reply! The starting over method does seem best, as you suggest.

If I can still boot from the HDD (haven't confirmed that yet), then should I reformat the SSD after booting from that drive? That would give me a clean and clear SSD to start the disk-cloning process over, correct?

Everything went haywire the first time around because I got antsy and skipped the part about disconnecting the old HDD while attempting to boot from the newly (messily) cloned SSD. I f I attempt this again, I'll follow instructions...

 

[ArtPog]

Please understand that what I wanted you to be assured about was that your HDD was a bootable functional drive without problems. Only if that is so can you entertain the notion of cloning the contents of that drive to your SSD. If for one reason or another there is a problem with that potential source drive then forget about a disk-cloning operation. You do understand that, right?

Now assuming there's no problem with the HDD in that it boots & functions without any problem you can go ahead with a disk-cloning ("data migration") operation. It is UNNECESSARY to format the SSD destination drive prior to the d-c operation; that will be taken care of by the d-c program.

And this time you'll remember to disconnect the HDD following the d-c operation and make the initial boot to the SSD without ANY other drive connected in the system. Good luck.

 

[trudalupins]

Yes, thank you, I get that. I appreciate your help and the commitment to clarity!

If the HDD is not a bootable functional drive, what would you recommend? Can I selectively clone the good partition of the SSD back to the HDD or onto another drive, and then clone back to the SSD (thus reformatting and cloning at once, as you said)?

Again, thanks so much for your expertise. Very much appreciated.

 

[ArtPog]

It seems to me that if the HDD cannot serve as a viable source drive for the d-c operation for one reason or another, it would be best to undertake a fresh-install of the OS onto the SSD and then manually transfer/install whatever files/programs/data from the HDD to the SSD. I believe it's a more straightforward approach than the one you envision and more likely to succeed when all is said & done.

What I don't understand is why (at this late date) are you wondering IF the HDD is a bootable, functional drive? Surely after more than a month you could have determined this, could you not?

 

[trudalupins]

Funny, that's what I did the first time around that resulted in the mess I have on my hands now. My first attempt at d-c operation failed so I installed the OS fresh and reinstalled programs manually. The mystery is how I ended up with so many annoying partitions on the SSD - I didn't put them there deliberately, they arose out of some part of the d-c mess and then I was in a pinch just to get my workstation up and running again so I charged ahead once things were working.

Haha, when you're running a business as a sole proprietor and acting as your own IT, bookkeeper, creative department, marketing department, etc you'd be surprised at what falls to the wayside - like figuring out what the old HDD's deal is.

It seems to me that if the HDD cannot serve as a viable source drive for the d-c operation for one reason or another, it would be best to undertake a fresh-install of the OS onto the SSD and then manually transfer/install whatever files/programs/data from the HDD to the SSD. I believe it's a more straightforward approach than the one you envision and more likely to succeed when all is said & done.

What I don't understand is why (at this late date) are you wondering IF the HDD is a bootable, functional drive? Surely after more than a month you could have determined this, could you not?

 

[ArtPog]

"Haha, when you're running a business as a sole proprietor and acting as your own IT, bookkeeper, creative department, marketing department, etc you'd be surprised at what falls to the wayside - like figuring out what the old HDD's deal is."

On the contrary, having been in virtually the identical position as you described, believe me - I can sympathize with your need to grapple with the demands of the job and the absolute need for you to prioritize the day-to-day problems and issues that continually demand attention. So my comment was not intended as a form of unwarranted criticism but merely my (awkward?) attempt to gain understanding of the situation.

Anyway...at this point in time my only advice to resolve this problem is to start afresh as best you can. I honestly cannot see any other viable option I could possibly recommend without my being able to sit-at-your-side (so to speak) with a hands-on approach. Distance between us is not our friend I'm afraid.