How To Use An Ssd And Hdd

Yous probably know that a solid-country bulldoze (SSD) is a huge upgrade for your computer because it runs much faster than a mechanical hard disk bulldoze (HDD). Even so, since SSDs are more than expensive, you might not be able to afford a large plenty SSD to shop all your data on.

In that instance, what'south the best way to apply an SSD and HDD combo? We'll show y'all how to use an SSD and HDD together for all-time results.

Basics on Using an SSD and HDD Together

But in instance you're not familiar, it helps to know the differences between an SSD and HDD. Essentially, because SSDs have no moving parts and use flash retentiveness, they can read and write information much faster than an HDD can with its spinning platters and reading head.

This results in everything loading faster, including your operating arrangement, app launches, file transfers, game loading times, and similar. Thus, in a perfect world, you would have all your data on an SSD to keep everything running smoothly.

However, SSDs are much more than expensive than a comparable HDD. At the fourth dimension of writing, you lot tin buy a decent 1TB SSD for around $100, while that same amount would go you a 4TB HDD.

If yous build a desktop, you can choose what drives to put inside it, making cost the only issue. But some prebuilt desktops and laptops come with a modest SSD and larger HDD. Let'due south look at how to prioritize what data goes where.

Use Your SSD as a Boot Drive

The most important item to continue on your SSD is the Windows operating organization itself. Having your OS on the SSD will speed up all Windows elements, including booting up, shutting downward, and launching programs.

This will brand the biggest speed difference, which is why you lot'll sometimes hear "kick drive" used to describe a small SSD primarily used for Windows. As of version 1903 (the May 2019 update), Windows 10 requires at least 32GB of infinite to run.

However, there are a few means to shrink your Windows install size further. One of these is disabling hibernation if you don't need information technology, which volition save a few gigabytes.

While 32GB isn't a whole lot, yous also need to get out some additional space to take room for updates. Windows won't run well if your drive has barely any infinite free.

Finally, when Windows is on your SSD, your user profile volition be as well. This won't take up a lot of infinite to start, unless yous offset adding a lot of photos, videos, and similar (which we discuss beneath)

Decide Which Apps to Install

Later on installing the Windows Os, yous'll (hopefully) have some infinite left over for apps. But with limited space, which ones should you lot install on the SSD?

All programs benefit from the speed of an SSD---long load times will be shorter, and shorter load times will become almost instant. Thus, the most important apps to go on on your SSD are ones that y'all use most often. Productivity apps like Office, photo editors, and your browser are all relatively small in size and will benefit from the speed.

If you use any heavy-duty software like video editors or IDEs for programming, those will run much better on an SSD too. Nevertheless, those take up a lot more space, so yous might not accept room for them. Prioritize apps you use the about often that are minor.

Another category of apps that become a huge benefit from an SSD is video games. SSD speeds drastically reduce load times, then you may desire to install the games yous always play to that drive. But since many mod games accept up dozens of gigabytes, y'all may only take room for 1 or 2.

Where to Put Files

When y'all install most apps, they put some necessary files in the Program Files folder, which you can't move. But many additional files don't need to live on your SSD.

For instance, while you might have VLC installed on your SSD, y'all don't need to keep movies and videos there. They'll still load in an acceptable time from an HDD, and once they're open, an SSD won't provide much additional do good.

Pictures, documents, and downloads are all other types of content you can go along off the SSD. Unless you open something all the time, the slightly faster file load fourth dimension isn't worth the used infinite.

You should change your default download folder in your browser to avoid saving downloaded files to your SSD all the time. In Chrome, click the three-dot menu and choose Settings. Ringlet downwardly to the bottom and expand the Avant-garde department, then find Downloads.

Hither, either click the Change push button to pick a new folder for downloads or enable Ask where to save each file before downloading if you desire to pick every fourth dimension.

Organizing Your Second Bulldoze

When you're using a unmarried drive, you lot probably don't remember much about where you lot install new programs or put files. Only with 2 drives, yous must be more intentional about where y'all put everything. We've talked almost general ideas in a higher place, but what does this look like in practice?

Open File Explorer and navigate to This PC to see all your drives. Assuming you installed Windows on the SSD, the regular Windows folders will already exist in place there. Simply yous're gratuitous to do whatever yous'd similar with the secondary bulldoze.

Endeavour creating folders for each type of content you lot put on the drive. For instance, you might create both a Program Files and Games folder at the root of your HDD. Then when you install a program that you want to keep off your SSD, just select that location during the install procedure.

Using Libraries

If yous take many files split beyond drives, the Windows Library feature can come in handy. This allows you to specify certain locations that comprise similar types of files and view them all in one identify.

Libraries are hidden past default in Windows 10. To show them, open up File Explorer and go to View > Navigation pane > Testify Libraries. You'll then run across Libraries in the left panel, which contains default collections for file types similar Documents and Pictures.

To edit a Library, right-click it here and choose Properties. In the Library locations box, click Add and selection a folder you want to include in it. Repeat for as many folders as you lot want to add together to that library. It's likewise useful to click a folder and cull Set up save location to set it equally the default place when you salvage to that Library.

Using this, you tin run into all the files scattered across your two drives in one view. That way, you don't take to remember where y'all put a specific file.

Moving Files Between Drives

Information technology'southward easy to move files from your SSD to HDD later, too. In File Explorer, just select the files you want to remove from your SSD and press Ctrl + X to cutting them. Then browse to a new location on your HDD and printing Ctrl + V to paste the cutting files.

Go along in mind that y'all should only do this with user data similar pictures and videos. Cutting and pasting plan data to a new bulldoze usually doesn't work (unless it's a portable app), and then you're amend off uninstalling and reinstalling to the new location.

That's actually all it takes---whenever you install a new program or download a large file, retrieve about whether you want it to load apace and if it's worth using your limited SSD space. That will help you lot make up one's mind where to put information technology.

Managing Your Space Over Fourth dimension

Depending on how much free space your SSD has, you'll need to cheque in on your free space occasionally. Several factors tin can use upward infinite on your SSD without you noticing, including the following:

User data from programs. Even if y'all install apps to your secondary bulldoze, a lot of software will save files to your AppData user folder and/or the ProgramData folder.
The Recycle Bin. Past default, deleted files go to your Recycle Bin, which lives on your boot drive. If you never empty this, the contents of the Recycle Bin could take upwards several gigabytes.
Software and Windows updates. Patches to both installed apps and Windows itself may take upwards more of your infinite over time. This is why you lot need to keep a buffer of costless space.

Using tools to complimentary upward space in Windows, such every bit the Disk Cleanup tool, volition help you manage these leftover bits. Also take a expect at TreeSize Gratis, which shows you the folders taking upwardly the most infinite on your bulldoze. Uninstalling apps you no longer utilize will help gratis up infinite too.

The Perfect SSD and HDD Philharmonic

While SSDs are superior to HDDs in most regards, we've seen how to use them both in harmony. Hopefully, you can upgrade to a larger SSD before long. But until so, you know how to manage your files between drives.

If you're moving everything to a new drive, run into how to apply Clonezilla to clone your drive. Yous might also consider partitioning your hard drive.

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