SSD woes

[DildorTheDecent]

So i got a Samsung 840 EVO 120GB great SSD which i installed windows 8.1 pro on.

Now here's the thing, my current Seagate 1TB HDD holds all my programs and games but still has the original windows 8.1 pro install and i'm wondering what i should do about since the option to remove previous Windows installations is not there. Could i just delete the windows folder or should i just do a backup and wipe it?

Steam works just fine even though it is on the SSD (the new C drive) And not the old OS and Data (E drive).

 

Origin is a different story as it will only let me play the base game of battlefield 3/4 and not any of the DLC maps. i imagine I will need to re-install them onto my E drive?

 

I really don't know what to do since i want my E drive to be for Games, some Programs, video files and images.

 

I can still boot into the E drive since windows is still present but i wonder what is the safest way to delete it?

[mkessler9]

So i got a Samsung 840 EVO 120GB great SSD which i installed windows 8.1 pro on.

Now here's the thing, my current Seagate 1TB HDD holds all my programs and games but still has the original windows 8.1 pro install and i'm wondering what i should do about since the option to remove previous Windows installations is not there. Could i just delete the windows folder or should i just do a backup and wipe it?

Steam works just fine even though it is on the SSD (the new C drive) And not the old OS and Data (E drive).

 

Origin is a different story as it will only let me play the base game of battlefield 3/4 and not any of the DLC maps. i imagine I will need to re-install them onto my E drive?

 

I really don't know what to do since i want my E drive to be for Games, some Programs, video files and images.

 

I can still boot into the E drive since windows is still present but i wonder what is the safest way to delete it?

What I would do is just boot up the old windows 8 that's on the HDD, Back it up onto a spare hard drive just in case theres somthing you want to keep and then boot up the new windows and format the HDD from their and reinstall all of the games and everything but select to install in on the HDD execpt for the games you want to load fast. 

[Carter]

Afaik you would be fine just deleting the files. I can't promise there won't be remnants but they shouldn't be a bother. If you did want do be sure then a format would sort that of course, but I think just deleting them should be fine

[DildorTheDecent]

What I would do is just boot up the old windows 8 that's on the HDD, Back it up onto a spare hard drive just in case theres somthing you want to keep and then boot up the new windows and format the HDD from their and reinstall all of the games and everything but select to install in on the HDD execpt for the games you want to load fast. 

So backup old HDD

wipe it

 

reinstall games and programs and whatever

that's it right?

[DildorTheDecent]

Afaik you would be fine just deleting the files. I can't promise there won't be remnants but they shouldn't be a bother. If you did want do be sure then a format would sort that of course, but I think just deleting them should be fine

As in deleting the Windows directory on E drive? I don't see how it would allow that. 

[Carter]

What I would do is just boot up the old windows 8 that's on the HDD, Back it up onto a spare hard drive just in case theres somthing you want to keep and then boot up the new windows and format the HDD from their and reinstall all of the games and everything but select to install in on the HDD execpt for the games you want to load fast.

he has a point, if you wanted to keep a copy for backup, now is your chance I guess. Btw I don't want to hijack this thread but what program did you use to clone your hdd to the ssd, assuming this is what you did (I'm currently having trouble doing this on my laptop) thanks.

[Carter]

So backup old HDD

wipe it

 

reinstall games and programs and whatever

that's it right?

you got it

[Carter]

Idk for sure but you may be able to copy the programs over that might be faster than reinstalling them if you have somewhere to save them.

[DildorTheDecent]

he has a point, if you wanted to keep a copy for backup, now is your chance I guess. Btw I don't want to hijack this thread but what program did you use to clone your hdd to the ssd, assuming this is what you did (I'm currently having trouble doing this on my laptop) thanks.

I didn't clone anything. All i did was install Win8.1 onto the SSD as it was brand new.

[Carter]

As in deleting the Windows directory on E drive? I don't see how it would allow that.

your e drive being the one not in use? I don't see why not

[Carter]

I didn't clone anything. All i did was install Win8.1 onto the SSD as it was brand new.

ok thanks. I'm guessing it was a retail copy (rather than oem)?...

[mkessler9]

Idk for sure but you may be able to copy the programs over that might be faster than reinstalling them if you have somewhere to save them.

you can't copy the programs over. I don't know for sure why it is, might have to do with drivers and location of the files but it won't work.

[mkessler9]

As in deleting the Windows directory on E drive? I don't see how it would allow that.

it will, I think you have to give it administrative privlages but it would work. But would take a ton of time. Better off to just format the drive.

[DildorTheDecent]

ok thanks. I'm guessing it was a retail copy (rather than oem)?...

 

Yeah, 'retail'...

it will, I think you have to give it administrative privlages but it would work. But would take a ton of time. Better off to just format the drive.

I will try your method tomorrow and if it works then best answer it is.

[Cryptonite]

So backup old HDD

wipe it

 

reinstall games and programs and whatever

that's it right?

why go through all that trouble? download unlocker http://www.filehippo.com/download_unlocker/

unlock windows on the old drive and delete it (this is asuming it wouldn't let you delete previously).

There is no need for you to format and you could just delete and re-install whatever isn't working as it should. or simply restart the installer and make the destination the path to the existing program and watch how it'll (with some) install without really "installing"

[DildorTheDecent]

why go through all that trouble? download unlocker http://www.filehippo.com/download_unlocker/

unlock windows on the old drive and delete it (this is asuming it wouldn't let you delete previously).

There is no need for you to format and you could just delete and re-install whatever isn't working as it should. or simply restart the installer and make the destination the path to the existing program and watch how it'll (with some) install without really "installing"

have you tried this yourself or know anyone who has done it?

[Cryptonite]

have you tried this yourself or know anyone who has done it?

personal experience, used it quite a few times over the years, it works. just read what the installer wants to install by the way, you do NOT want the Delta toolbar on your pc.

 

Edit: last time I did this was Q 3 or 4 last year (2013) when I got my SSD.

[DildorTheDecent]

personal experience, used it quite a few times over the years, it works. just read what the installer wants to install by the way, you do NOT want the Delta toolbar on your pc.

I know the pain of the delta toolbar

[mkessler9]

why go through all that trouble? download unlocker http://www.filehippo.com/download_unlocker/

unlock windows on the old drive and delete it (this is asuming it wouldn't let you delete previously).

There is no need for you to format and you could just delete and re-install whatever isn't working as it should. or simply restart the installer and make the destination the path to the existing program and watch how it'll (with some) install without really "installing"

It would be better to just backup the drive and format it as it will make it run a little better because it will start everything over at the beginning of the HDD.

[Cryptonite]

It would be better to just backup the drive and format it as it will make it run a little better because it will start everything over at the beginning of the HDD.

That's why de fragmenting a drive is a thing.

[mkessler9]

That's why de fragmenting a drive is a thing.

............. My point is that it would take a whole lot less time just to format the drive and start over.....

[Cryptonite]

............. My point is that it would take a whole lot less time just to format the drive and start over.....

please do explain? if I have a 2 TB drive full of crap formating would mean having to re-install everything which takes lots more manual time while a defrag can be done while you sleep and unlocker is hella easy to use.

[mkessler9]

please do explain? if I have a 2 TB drive full of crap formating would mean having to re-install everything which takes lots more manual time while a defrag can be done while you sleep and unlocker is hella easy to use.

for this guy's case. Most of the stuff he will have to reinstall because there will be certain drivers the software needs to run and they can't be there unless he installs everything when he's on the new OS. Now I don't know about the software you recommended but for me I also have a 2tb HDD and it will take a day and a half sometimes to defrag. So in my case it would take a lot less time to reinstall everything. Also just because you defrag a HDD doesn't mean everything is right beside each other. Sure it saves the hard drive from going to the beginning and the end skipping over empty space on the HDD but after defrag a piece of software might still be at the beginning and middle of the drive. Making it still have to work more then if he where to reinstall everything.

[Cryptonite]

for this guy's case. Most of the stuff he will have to reinstall because there will be certain drivers the software needs to run and they can't be there unless he installs everything when he's on the new OS. Now I don't know about the software you recommended but for me I also have a 2tb HDD and it will take a day and a half sometimes to defrag. So in my case it would take a lot less time to reinstall everything. Also just because you defrag a HDD doesn't mean everything is right beside each other. Sure it saves the hard drive from going to the beginning and the end skipping over empty space on the HDD but after defrag a piece of software might still be at the beginning and middle of the drive. Making it still have to work more then if he where to reinstall everything.

alright mate, I get what you're saying but in the scenario you are thinking of he would most probably not have asked if he should format or not and just done a format anyhow, he might also have things on his drive which require internet access to install like steam games etc, which after formatting he'd have to re-download, another thing is if he only had a digital copy of something he'd need to have free space to allocate it to on his new drive which he might not have. I'm just wondering why in my mind anyone would make this topic if what I mentioned was not an issue.