New windows install

[pancakewhisperer]

So i just reinstalled windows on to my SSD and when i search for programs the files on my main HDD don't show, was just wondering if anyone ahs any idea what i can do.
Cheers

 

[mbreslin1954]

You need to re-install all of your programs on your new copy of Windows. You can install them to the hard drive (usually), but the new, current installation of Windows does not even know that the old programs are sitting there on the HDD because they were installed on a previous version of Windows.

 

[mbreslin1954]

When you install a program in Windows, a number of things happen:

1) The program installs most of itself to its own directlory in a system directory, such as C:\Program Files (x86)\.

2) It may then install some files, such as DLLs or other files, in a system directory, such as C:\Windows or C:\Windows\System32, etc.

3) It will configure itself in the Windows registry, an internal database that Windows keeps in order to know how to run programs, what their configuration settings are, etc. It is called simply The Registry or the Windows Registry.

I assume your old edition of Windows was installed on the HDD, but now you're booting from the new installation of Windows on the new SSD. So this new installation of Windows does not have any applications (games, office, etc.) installed on the SSD under C:\Program Files or C:\Program Files (x86). They're on the HDD and this install of Windows does not even know they're there.

Also, this new installation of Windows does not have any information about those old programs on the HDD in its internal database called the Registry, so it doesn't know how to run those programs, even if it knew they were there on the old HDD (which it doesn't).

So I hope you can understand now why you need to re-install all of those old programs under the new installation of Windows. Just wipe out the old HDD (format it) and install your programs again. With most of them you should be able to specify that they install themselves to the HDD during installation, and most of their files will go to the HDD (except the ones that need to go into the C:\Windows directory). You'll have to create folders such as D:\Program Files (x86), assuming your HDD is your "D" drive. During this installation process the copy of Windows on your SSD, that you're booting from now, will take note of where the application programs are installed on your HDD.

 

[pancakewhisperer]

Thanks a lot guys, I've sorted it now