What is your way of allocating files to an SSD + larger HDD ?

[rjalex]

Dear friends,
I have built a PC with a 256GB SDD and a larger 2TB HDD with Win10 and will use it mainly for Cubase and music recording and mixing.

Other than the obvious such as moving at least Downloads, Pictures and Music (where I'll keep my ripped record collection) what is your scheme to keep order and avoid crowding the SSD with unnecessary stuff ?

Where do you keep samples, libraries, etc etc ?

Thank you

[thecontrolcentre]

I have a laptop with 3 1TB SSD drives ... I use drive A for OS, programs and plugins, Drive B for recordings, sample libraries and temp audio files, Drive C holds video files. I also use a couple of external USB drives (500gb and 1TB) for backups, and files I don't want on my main system (photos, music, movies).

[whyterabbyt]

Ordered by IT Crowd-rating complexity/geekiness

Jen:

OS : SSD unless you have a reason not to
Applications : SSD unless space is short
User files : SSD
Data:

• small file collections, frequently accessed : SSD
  small file collections infrequently accessed : SSD unless space is short
  large file collections, extremely frequently accessed : SSD unless space is short
  large file collections, frequently accessed : HD unless there's SSD space for them
  large file collections, infrequently accessed : HD

Roy:

If the OS is on the SSD; disable hibernation, and set a custom statically-sized page file of 2Gb on your C: drive unless you want the OS to eat (and churn) a significant amount of your SSD space. You can stick a second, larger pagefile on the HD as well if you need it, but again, make it a static size (1 to 1.5 times the size of your RAM).

Moss:

Application installers will put all sorts of stuff, some of it large, in places where you may not want it. Something like TreeSize will let you see where space is being taken up. Use junction points to move stuff safely without breaking locations.

[rjalex]

Very interesting. Thank you all.

[Harry_HH]

I have a laptop with 3 1TB SSD drives ... I use drive A for OS, programs and plugins, Drive B for recordings, sample libraries and temp audio files, Drive C holds video files. I also use a couple of external USB drives (500gb and 1TB) for backups, and files I don't want on my main system (photos, music, movies).

Is this laptop a factory set up or self-assembled tuning?
I've not seeing in the shelf 3x1 TB SSD:s, most interesting. Brand? Price?

[MFXxx]

SSD = OS and programs
HD = All relevant data + HardLinks (Symolic Links) of all data for installed programs/my documents installed on OS drive

[whyterabbyt]

I have a laptop with 3 1TB SSD drives ... I use drive A for OS, programs and plugins, Drive B for recordings, sample libraries and temp audio files, Drive C holds video files. I also use a couple of external USB drives (500gb and 1TB) for backups, and files I don't want on my main system (photos, music, movies).

Is this laptop a factory set up or self-assembled tuning?
I've not seeing in the shelf 3x1 TB SSD:s, most interesting. Brand? Price?

Im sure there was a thread where he was talking about this; think he got it from Scan.

[Throbert]

Depends on quality/reliability of the SSD. To many writes shortens life.
You could also get a 10K rpm HD like a 1TB WD Velociraptor to help
speed things up. If your SSD is going to get ate up from what you plan to,
or end up loading in it, you could consider moving Users and/or programs
folders to a partition on the HD, using symbolic links:

In the command prompt, copy the user directory from your SSD (C: I assume)
to your storage drive (D: I assume). Then delete the original directory.
robocopy "C:\Users" "D:\Users" /E /COPYALL /XJ
rmdir "C:\users" /S /Q
Then make a symbolic link.
mklink /J "C:\Users" "D:\Users"
Change the locations of all the default user profiles from C: to D: located in this
profile list key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList

While you've got the command prompt open from above, copy the program folders
from your SSD to your Programs Drive (I am assuming C: and D: respectively again).
After you've copied, then delete the original directories.
robocopy "C:\Program Files" "D:\Program Files" /E /COPYALL /XJ
robocopy "C:\Program Files (x86)" "D:\Program Files (x86)" /E /COPYALL /XJ
robocopy "C:\ProgramData" "D:\ProgramData" /E /COPYALL /XJ
rmdir "C:\Program Files" /S /Q
rmdir "C:\Program Files (x86)" /S /Q
rmdir "C:\ProgramData" /S /Q
Then make the symbolic links.
mklink /J "C:\Program Files" "D:\Program Files"
mklink /J "C:\Program Files (x86)" "D:\Program Files (x86)"
mklink /J "C:\ProgramData" "D:\ProgramData"
Open up the registry editor (regedit in command prompt) and change the Program
locations in the following keys (ie from the C: location to D:).
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList

[rjalex]

Thank you all.

[thecontrolcentre]

I have a laptop with 3 1TB SSD drives ... I use drive A for OS, programs and plugins, Drive B for recordings, sample libraries and temp audio files, Drive C holds video files. I also use a couple of external USB drives (500gb and 1TB) for backups, and files I don't want on my main system (photos, music, movies).

Is this laptop a factory set up or self-assembled tuning?
I've not seeing in the shelf 3x1 TB SSD:s, most interesting. Brand? Price?

It's a custom built 3XS by Scan.co.uk ... 17" quad-core i7 with 24gb RAM. Cost £1990.

[MFXxx]

Depends on quality/reliability of the SSD. To many writes shortens life.
You could also get a 10K rpm HD like a 1TB WD Velociraptor to help
speed things up. If your SSD is going to get ate up from what you plan to,
or end up loading in it, you could consider moving Users and/or programs
folders to a partition on the HD, using symbolic links:

In the command prompt, copy the user directory from your SSD (C: I assume)
to your storage drive (D: I assume). Then delete the original directory.
robocopy "C:\Users" "D:\Users" /E /COPYALL /XJ
rmdir "C:\users" /S /Q
Then make a symbolic link.
mklink /J "C:\Users" "D:\Users"
Change the locations of all the default user profiles from C: to D: located in this
profile list key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList

While you've got the command prompt open from above, copy the program folders
from your SSD to your Programs Drive (I am assuming C: and D: respectively again).
After you've copied, then delete the original directories.
robocopy "C:\Program Files" "D:\Program Files" /E /COPYALL /XJ
robocopy "C:\Program Files (x86)" "D:\Program Files (x86)" /E /COPYALL /XJ
robocopy "C:\ProgramData" "D:\ProgramData" /E /COPYALL /XJ
rmdir "C:\Program Files" /S /Q
rmdir "C:\Program Files (x86)" /S /Q
rmdir "C:\ProgramData" /S /Q
Then make the symbolic links.
mklink /J "C:\Program Files" "D:\Program Files"
mklink /J "C:\Program Files (x86)" "D:\Program Files (x86)"
mklink /J "C:\ProgramData" "D:\ProgramData"
Open up the registry editor (regedit in command prompt) and change the Program
locations in the following keys (ie from the C: location to D:).
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList

A much easier method

http://schinagl.priv.at/nt/hardlinkshel ... nsion.html

[Harry_HH]

I have a laptop with 3 1TB SSD drives ... I use drive A for OS, programs and plugins, Drive B for recordings, sample libraries and temp audio files, Drive C holds video files. I also use a couple of external USB drives (500gb and 1TB) for backups, and files I don't want on my main system (photos, music, movies).

Is this laptop a factory set up or self-assembled tuning?
I've not seeing in the shelf 3x1 TB SSD:s, most interesting. Brand? Price?

It's a custom built 3XS by Scan.co.uk ... 17" quad-core i7 with 24gb RAM. Cost £1990.

OK, thank you.

[Throbert]

A much easier method
http://schinagl.priv.at/nt/hardlinkshel ... nsion.html

Thanks. I thought you'd be chiming in on this. This sight has a
way better explanation than last time. I'll give LSE a try.

[MFXxx]

A much easier method
http://schinagl.priv.at/nt/hardlinkshel ... nsion.html

Thanks. I thought you'd be chiming in on this. This sight has a
way better explanation than last time. I'll give LSE a try.

No worries. One word of advice.

Do a back up and DO do a written map (notepad etc) of what you know goes where. Unless you have a meticulous memory It's quite easy to trip yourself up.

A few simple rules is Anything music data related is the only stuff I tend to shortlink (patches and so forth).
Know what you have shortlinked and where. I tend to keep the folder structures the same on the hardlinked location.
The folders I tend to shortlink are

C:\Users\[yourname]\Documents\[music appdata etc like u-he data folder, serum, Native Instruments ,etc]
C:\Users\Public\Documents\Native Instruments
C:\Program Data\[only music app data that takes up a lot of storage space]
C:\Program Files\[only music app data that takes up a lot of storage space]
C:\Program files (x86)\[only music app data that takes up a lot of storage space]
and not a lot else to be honest.

When installing any programs.plugins always have admin rights on the install and set the programs to always run as administrator.

When installing plugins, try and manually set the data path rather than default (saves a lot of hassle, wish developers would realise this, most do but not all).

Good luck, it's pretty simple just need some careful consideration on what you are shortlinking before diving in.

[Numanoid]

If the OS is on the SSD; disable hibernation

+1

I upgraded RAM on a computer from 4 to 8 GB, and suddenly the hibernation file also grew to about 8 GB.

For those running with 16GB RAM there is a lot of space to save, and it is quite easy to do it

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/15140/wh ... delete-it/