2 Hard Drives After Windows 7... Help!

[pimmy5]

Ok i'll try to be as concise as i can...

I went to the computer shop and they installed windows 7 for me ( had Vista before) and everything is fine except that now i have 2 Hard drives. It use to be 1 hard drive ( 100 gb) but now its 50 gb (OS C:) and another 50gb (Data D:).

So can someone explain to me, if i download ( say music or movies) it goes stright to OS C:? What if the 50 gb runs out? how can i change where my music and movies are stored? Because i thought after the 50gb runs out in one it automatically changes and stores its files in the D:? am i on the right lines here?

Can anyone explain to me please?

much appreciated and thanks in advance.

[pimmy5]

ps. anyway, that i can do it myself, and change them back to 1 drive of 100gb?

[steve187]

to delete 'd' see here - http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Delete-a-hard-disk-partition

[Tywais]

It is still one physical hard drive but divided into two logical drives (partitions). Windows 7 disk management makes it easy to resize (see above post). I find shops do that (multiple partitions) pretty regularly.

[RKASA]

In the application that you use to do a download you can select the location to store the data. i.e. in your browser when selecting save as it lets you name the file and the location. All saves after that continue to that location until you change it again. I have my windows in a 25gig partition and never store anything with it just applications and the OS. All data goes to the data partition or even to another drive. You really don't need to put them back togather. They may have made the new partition a certain size so they could just image a copy of win7 onto it rather then really do install from any disks. Had they just done an install to a new drive it would be one still. If it was a used drive with data they also may have done it to relocate and save the data that was there to protect it during the install.

[ignis]

Not sure if it was a typing error...... 100 GB hard drive is very small ? are you sure [myself have 3x 640 GB hard drives by Western Digital in my PC.

Anyway it is best to get used to always 'save' everything to a different hard drive or partition then your OS [Windows] if you get a problem with windows you then do not lose anything if you take your PC back to the computer shop,, normal here in Thailand is to do a reformat and reinstall windows = you have lost everything in that partition..

On another point you can set up where your downloads go, so whatever you download it will automatically save to that hard drive or partition.

Easy to the make a shortcut icon on tour desktop to the location. eg 'my movies' documents, pictures, programers, music etc.. many/most programs you download and install will ask you if you want a shortcut on the desktop if you save yes...... you can then always make a new Folder

and put them all in just one folder on the desktop if you find this an easier option. Only problem doing it like this you have loads of shortcuts.

Easy try it... as you have now a 'D' partition open a new folder in 'D'.. name it.. then add something inside, say 2 or 3 pictures, now close that folder.. on that new folder icon right click and go down to 'SEND TO' click and then click on option 'Create desktop shortcut' close.. now on your desktop you have a new icon.. click this and it takes you to that folder on 'D' so anything more you add in that folder on 'D' will always be in the folder on your shortcut folder on the desktop.. so now you can have all your folders my movies, documents, pictures, programers, music etc in 'D' drive and the shortcut to these folders on the desktop.

Anything can go bad, many Hard drive can just give up, is always best to have another hard drive in you PC, and do a back up every week, or an Image so you have everything in another place... you may have or can use a external hard drive for this.

Edited January 15, 2011 by ignis

[steve187]

do you a laptop or a desktop?

[edmartech]

That D:\ drive will run out eventually. You can move the location of My Documents, Videos, Pictures and even Desktop to your D drive.

Right click on the folder you want to move > properties

Click the location tab, click on move. Now choose a folder on your D drive.

[Daffy D]

I have all my music, photos, movies and things that don't change like Encyclopedia and Oxford Dictionary etc. on Drive "D" with shortcuts to my desktop.

Apart from saving space on Drive "C" scan time of "C" (virus and the like) is shortened as the Gigs of known safe stuff that does not need to be scanned every time is on a different drive.