Windows 10: SSD partitioning, empty spaces, and organization

Running Alienware 17R3, Windows 10 Home on a 250GB Samsung 840 EVO M.2 SSD

It's not a big thing, mostly curiosity...

Back a few years, I read (if I recall correctly) that we always needed to "over partition" an SSD with at least 10% unallocated space at the end. Is there ANY GOOD reason to continue doing this?

There are a couple "unusable" areas on the SSD - again IIRC they showed up when I formatted and installed Windows 10 on there. It looks like:
500 MB Healthy (EFI System Partition)
85 GB NTFS partition for O/S
A couple other partitions for specific things
450MB Healthy (Recovery Partition)
11.75 GB Healthy (Recovery Partition)

So, I"ve got a 500 MB, 450 MB, and 11.75 GB partition that are doing SOMETHING, but if they're not doing anything useful, I'd like that 12GB back! SO, are they NEEDED, and if so, FOR WHAT?

And if I DON'T need 'em, can I just delete 'em and reuse the unallocated space?

And is there ANY point in running Samsung Magician these days? If so, what extraordinary things is it going to do for me, and what do I need to set up?

:)

 

Having trouble with clean install of Windows 10 on new SSD.

If its an empty SSD, delete all the partitions and leave it raw space. Tell it to install into the raw space.

 

What is the difference between 'Resetting' and 'Reinstalling' Windows 10?

1- Shrink your C drive (aka C partition). Shrink = make smaller. This creates empty space on your HDD.

2- In the empty space, create a new partition. Make sure it's big enough to hold all the files you want to transfer into the new partition.

How To Manage Partitions on Windows Without Downloading Any Other Software

3- Make the new partition thus created the default location for your user data, and move your user data from C to the new partition.

How to change your default save locations on Windows 10

4- Reboot your computer. Is everything working as it should - data is in the new partition and you can open your files? Now you're ready for the next step.

5- Make an image of your C drive and restore the image to your new SSD. Use the software and instructions that come with the SSD.

6- Boot your computer from the SSD. Can you boot into Windows successfully?

Yes - Go on to step 7

No - Ask the SSD manufacturer for help.

7- Delete the C drive/partition on the HDD.

Guide to Remove Hard Drive Partition in Windows 10 via Disk management Tool

This will leave empty space on your HDD where the C drive used to be.

8- From the same Disk Management tool you have been using, expand your data partition to fill the empty space.

Tips:

1- Do enough additional reading and research until you feel reasonably confident.

2- Go slow and work step by step.

When you're done, pour yourself a cold one and relax.

 

A screenshot of disk management would help:
Disk Management - How to Post a Screenshot of General Tips Tutorials

If you have a recovery USB flash drive or DVD, you can usually delete the recovery partitions. Their same functions can be done by booting from a recovery drive.

Modern SSDs have built in overprovisioning and you don't need to set aside space for it.

Samsung Magician will tell you if the SSD firmware is up to date and the health of the SSD, but you don't need to keep it running continuously.

 

Other ways to save disk space is to move your library files, Document, Music, pictures, video's etc to your 2nd drive. Hyberfil file is not needed unless your using hibernation. Swap file not really needed If you have 16GB of ram or more. All things I have done on my G75 and G752, fast start turn off in BIOS, fast Strart turned off in windows, sleep tuned off. As NavyLCDR coments recovery partitions are not really needed if you have a good back up scheme. EFI partion and one other are required for your notebook to boot correctly.

Or you can do what I did and just spring for a 512GB Samsung 960 Pro and not have to worry so much about storage space.

 

The 11.75GB recovery partition is strange - I just did a clean install on my 256GB SSD and there is only a 500MB recovery, 100MB EFI, and the remaining for the OS.

Was this a clean install from the Microsoft Win10 image or from an OEM recovery image?

 

The 11.74 GB was an oem recovery drive.

Usually full of vendor crap as well.

The EFI partitiin is vital - do not delete.

The recovery partition is required to allow you to reset your pc.

Your install if fine and crapware free.

PS - that 10% unallocated is bs.

However, you need to leave space for temporary files by not filling drive to brim.

 

Thanks for the replies.

I"m a photographer so my images are NEVER on this drive in any partition. They live on an anemic 4TB 5400 rpm external - not my choice but it appears there is no such thing as a 7200 rpm, 4tb, 2.5" hard drive, much less one that'll fit in the internal bay on the 17r3 (something to do with drive height)...

I don't have music on here, and my documents are on a separate drive, though the WHOLE BUNCH are only around 7-10 gb, so it's insignificant.

There is NO hiberfil file. It doesn't hibernate.

The installation was from a Windows 10 ISO disk - there was so much garbage on the box when I got it that I had to clean everything off and start over. All the crapware is gone.

My other difficulty at the moment is that I can't get Magician to recognize the SSD. It APPEARS to be a 250GB, Samsung PM-951, and I"ve downloaded what I THINK are three different versions of Magician from the Samsung site. So far, ALL of them says "Drive is not recognized" and the SSD doesn't show up - the other drives, internal and external, do.