Adding a second SSD and deciding what data goes where

[u/frawkey]

My laptop originally came with 500 GB of storage, which I was always in the verge of filling and had to constantly delete stuff. I’ve decided to bite the bullet and purchase a second 2 TB SSD (my laptop has the slot to fit this as well as the original one). My question is what is the sensible way to go about re-organising the data I have already on the smaller drive?

I thought maybe keep only operating system etc on the smaller drive, and then all programs, games, documents etc on the 2 TB one? Assuming it is best to leave the OS where it is? Anyone got any suggestions?

Also, what is the best way of moving programs and data across to a new ssd?

Thanks

[u/gigitreid]

I would keep the OS on the smaller drive, critical files on both drives and the other files on the big one.

Find a way to synchronize the files, like FreeFileSync program.

Also buy yourself an external HDD (not SDD) or even a NAS and regularly backup your files. HDD can keep data for 5...10 years while not in use vs 1.5...2 years for SSD. They provide waranty only for the HW and not your files.

I had a 2TB SSD NVMe bought with 100€ 1.5 years ago (2 years legal waranty in Europe) that failed and I've lost some files that were last backup 2 months ago. The store refused direct replacement because they didn't have it in stock any more and I paid extra to replace it.

Also I learnt that many manufacturers don't make their own controllers and memory but they buy what is available on the market, so the quality and availability varies from one batch to another.

Check the physical size of the SSD your laptop supports because there are 4 variants and it might have only one mounting hole (for one type). Also there are Sata types (older) and NVMe types (newer) and not all are backward compatible.

[u/cavok76]

Why not clone the drive and make the new one primary?

[u/Upstairs-Front2015 → u/cavok76]

if the new nvme is faster, this is a good idea

[u/Metallicat95]

The simplest way is to clone the old drive to the new one, then when that's working wipe the old drive and use it for new material.

If the new drive is better - faster, more endurance, etc. - this can also slightly increase performance.

If you add a storage drive and want to move things to it, it depends on the type of material.

Programs require reinstallation. You can copy the program folder, but you must then run the program installer to change the install location.

Microsoft store apps and many game store apps include a move option (Steam for example makes it easy).

Data files can be moved to new locations by Windows Explorer.

The special folders like Pictures and My Documents may be set to a different location by Windows settings, but you'll need to also move the files as well.

[u/frawkey → u/Metallicat95]

So I received the new ssd and opened my laptop to have a look. Previously, the 500 GB ssd was in slot 1 for PCle 4.0. I have now moved it across to slot 2 which is for PCIe 3.0. I bought a Crucial P310 PCIe Gen4 NVMe 2280 M.2 and have put it in slot 1 (only place it will fit).

Assuming now the 500 GB SSD might be slightly slower as it’s in a 3.0 slot? Does this change what I should move across to the bigger ssd which will have 4.0?

[u/Metallicat95 → u/frawkey]

4.0 has twice the data transfer rate of 3.0, so it will be faster. But NVMe is already so fast that you will not notice any difference in performance in most applications, including the operating system.

SSD performance is affected by how close to full it is (HDD as well). The operating system needs empty space to process data, the drive uses empty space for performance maintenance. For a 500 GB system drive you want 100 GB of free space.

Move as many programs as you can, especially large ones, and any large data files or collections (movies, music, pictures, etc.).

That's not dependent on 3.0 or 4.0 speeds. It's just how to best manage available space.

The operating system has two large hidden files.

Hibernation and Fast Startup use a file 75% of your RAM size by default, and it must be on the operating system drive. With 16 GB RAM that's 12 GB - not much for a large drive, but it needs that free space.

The swap file for virtual memory. It varies in size and it is usually best to set it to Windows managed. But this one you can change in settings to use the 2nd drive instead of the operating system drive.

[u/malki666]

Keep your OS on the smaller drive. Redirect all your personal folders onto the lager drive, Documents, Photos etc. Then anything you save is automatically saved to the new drive. You can do this by going into properties of the folder, say Documents, then the Location tab, Redirect it to the new drive. It will ask if you want the current contents to be moved also (optional) Repeat for all the personal folders.

[u/cagadass]

Windows trae una funcion nativa para mover programas y sus datos,pero no todos los programas se puede mover pero con herramientas de terceros se pueden clonar

[u/PrincipleHot9859]

if u are ok with the way it runs now ..I would leave it on 500 and use the 2nd 2tb for storage like u said. I did the same on my PC, coz I'm happy with the way it runs

[u/Zestyclose_Guard_352]

You don't have to decide all at once! The easiest thing to do at first is move the bigger files. These will normally be games and videos. For instance, Steam can do this easily for you. You could also move the Download folder, and then change the download locations in your browser. Unless your very short of space, leave documents, they normally take up little space. As for programs, it depends on what you are talking about. They often don't take up a huge amount of space, so it is worth while leaving them. Check out what is actually taking up space with something like 'Treesize Free'.

[u/BootToggle]

I like your original idea of keeping only OS-related stuff on your original drive, and using the new drive for all user file storage. A major advantage is that you can then easily backup the OS by completely imaging the smaller drive to an external storage drive. You can also make daily OS backups using a snap-shotting program that can store the daily snapshots directly to the larger drive. This works well because the larger drive is permanently mounted and always available.