Windows 10: SSD as boot drive and HDD as storage drive

I've researched high and low for a simple solution. I remember doing this on windows 7 with a registry hack back in the day, and it worked flawlessly. This is what I would like to do. I have a 500 gig SSD and a 1TB HDD. I would like all 600 gigs of user data to be on the HDD and just use the SSD for programs. Also, when I save or download something I would like it to go right to the HDD automatically without manually moving the data. To kinda trick windows into believing that pic I save or file I download is going to C:/ Users....but it actually really goes to the F:/ HDD drive. Here is the tutorial I used for windows 7...just need direction on how to accomplish the same with windows 10. https://www.sevenforums.com/tutorial...-location.html

:)

 

SSD Drive as Boot Drive and HDD Drive as Storage, how do I do it?

Hi,

For further assistance, we suggest contacting Lenovo support regarding your concern.

Thanks.

 

SSD Drive as Boot Drive and HDD Drive as Storage, how do I do it?

Remove the HDD. Install Windows on SSD. Then insert the HDD. Now SSD should be your boot drive with HDD as a storage drive.

If Windows doesn't boot,

1) Check Boot priority in BIOS and set your SSD on top of the list.

2) If still doesn't work, then create a 200MB Fat32 partition on the HDD(call it whatever you want) then boot into the windows 10 installer via a usb, launch command prompt with SHIFT + F10 and run the following:

bcdboot C:\Windows /l en-en /s B: /f UEFI

where B: is the drive letter for the 200MB partition (it could be any other drive letter for you).

Note: the drive letter with windows could be different, so either poke around command prompt to find out or launch DISKPART and run show volumes to find the partition.

The only downside to this solution is that if the HDD fails you lose boot capabilities. To get around this you could create a ISO of the 200mb boot drive and upload it for safe keeping and burn it to a usb flash disk in case of emergencies.

Source: ENVY 15t-j000 mSATA SSD + HDD fresh install, with mSATA as boot
drive

 

There's no trick, just do it the same as you did it for W7, when whatever you want to save asks you where you want to save it just tell it to save to your 1 TB drive.

My movies automatically save to my D drive, my games and images automatically install on my E drive etc

I really don't think you want everything going to your 1TB drive, like installers or pictures for example, I let installers go to my downloads folder. After I use it and if I want to keep it, I then move it to the Software folder on my storage drive, same thing with pictures.

 

I was hoping for the automatic save. For instance, I right click on a random web pic...before I would simply click save as...etc...and it would automatically go into the download folder on the spinner drive without me telling it to go there. Just like normally it goes to the c:/ drive, but with the tweak, it really goes to the f:/ drive. Looking to trick the o/s into thinking its on C but really it's on F. I didn't want to do the windows 7 reg. edit cause I would think it wouldn't apply to windows 10?

 

You can change the download location in most browsers, usually in Preferences or Options. You can Move the location of Documents, Pictures, etc., to another location but generally need to first create a Folder of the same name there such as on D:. Right-click a desired Folder choose Properties and there should be a Location tab to work with.

 

I would move your Documents, Pictures & Videos folders at least to the HDD. Select the folder e.g. C:\Users\myname\Documents, right click on the folder properties, select the Location tab then choose Move. You need to create the new folder on your HDD first. There is a setting in browsers for the Default save file location. I use Chrome - the default save location can be specified under Advanced Settings.

 

If you create folder junctions, then there is just a shortcut on C: drive (SSD) that really points to the specified folder on the HDD. For example, move C:\Users\John\Documents to D:\John\Documents. Delete the empty C:\Users\John\Documents folder. Then:

mklink /j C:\Users\John\Documents D:\John\Documents

Any references to C:\Users\John\Documents will act exactly like they used to - but the data is actually going to D:\John\Documents.

You cannot do this with your entire appdata folder - some programs don't like it. But if the program does accept it, you can do the same thing with it's folder inside your appdata folder. Kodi media manager/player for example maintains a database file of movies and settings in each separate user's appdata\roaming\Kodi. In order to get all the users to use the same database, I move the Kodi folder to D:\Kodi and then create a folder junction under each user's appdata\roaming\ folder to point to D:\Kodi

 

Use method two
Move Users Folder Location in Windows 10