I've got a prebuilt PC with a 1TB SSD and a 1TB hard drive. My plan is to use the SSD for gaming and the hard drive for other stuff. However, my SSD is packed with all the operating files like Windows and Program Files, which is taking up a lot of space. I'm considering transferring some of these files to the hard drive, but I'm worried it might mess up my PC. Also, if anyone has tips for file transfers, I'd appreciate it! Thanks!
5 Answers
You really can’t just copy the OS files over to another drive; it won’t work. The way Windows is set up, it looks for files based on specific registry entries. Move the wrong one, and you’ll definitely break something. You might need to reinstall the OS instead.
While you can technically put your OS on a hard drive, it's not recommended because it can really hurt your boot times and overall performance. Windows files shouldn't take up more than 20GB on your SSD. I mainly keep resource-intensive games on the SSD and everything else on the HDD. If you use Steam, it's easy to move game libraries around!
Yep, managing your libraries on different drives can help optimize space without sacrificing speed!
It's usually best to leave Windows installed on your SSD. This way, your PC will boot a lot faster and run smoother. Normal hard drives are okay for storing media files—like photos, music, and movies—but you really need the speed of an SSD for your OS and programs. Just moving files like that won’t work, so be careful! Someone else might have better options for you.
What I've done is keep my Steam library on both drives. I put games I don't play often on the HDD and keep my frequently played ones on the SSD. It's a bit of a hassle, but it works! Just don’t try to put your OS on the HDD; you’ll likely break something. If you really want to move it, tools like Clonezilla or Macrium could help, but again, be careful!
You definitely shouldn't just copy over your OS files to the hard drive. Windows doesn’t operate well from an HDD, it just slows everything down. If you're serious about it, you might want to consider cleaning up your SSD instead of moving the OS files around.
Yeah, you might see the actual size closer to 35-40GB, but you're right that the bulk of the OS is pretty small compared to everything else.