Choose the right setup for Windows 10 installation, focusing on the correct partitioning for upgrading storage.
Choose the right setup for Windows 10 installation, focusing on the correct partitioning for upgrading storage.
Hello, My HDD is currently failing, so I'm planning to swap it out. At the same time, I want to upgrade the OS to an SSD that's only 128GB, but it keeps getting full. I believe replacing the OS with a larger one would help, but I'm unsure about partitioning and setup. Should the C: drive be separate from other partitions like the OS, page file, and hibernation files? Also, can I perform a clean install of Windows without losing all data on the drive? (In case I need to do that later). My current setup includes 128GB SATA SSD with OS, full drive, plus 1-2TB NVMe SSD, 95% full HDD, and a lot of media including games, apps, backups, plus a large AppData/Roaming folder. Games require a lot of space on an SSD.
Refers to a 2.5" SATA SSD? You should keep your OS on the fastest drive, like an M.2 NVMe. When installing W10, clear all partitions and let it manage everything. There seems to be no advantage in partitioning. It’s unclear what you’re asking about the failing HDD—you don’t see what I mean by not losing everything. Edited September 9, 2023 by leclod
It started as a ready-made PC, with the HDD and 2.5" SSD being the last components left. I didn't switch the OS to NVMe since the 2.5" drives are sufficiently fast; I prioritized performance for gaming and just connected it. There was a unique C partition issue causing it to consume more memory after updates, leading to crashes during sleep, requiring large pagefiles or random failures—some apps stopped working and games couldn't save. I checked Crystal Disk Info and experienced a hard drive crash labeled "repairing HDD D," which forced me to reinstall Windows once, wiping everything on the C drive.
It looks like you're confused about how partitions behave. It seems updates can cause drives to fill up quickly. The health status of your crystal disk is available, but the details aren't clear. When setting up Windows 10, you have choices like reinstalling cleanly or restoring files. The date mentioned is from September 9, 2023, by leclod.
To be clear, I'm affected by unusual bugs I haven't encountered before. I'm confident that keeping files separate helps because the drive filling issue only appears when interacting with the OS space, which is why I prefer a distinct partition. Windows does generate backups after updates, but these aren't always removable through the storage settings. For the HDD, it's showing signs of age and there are many crashes I've experienced. Although I don't necessarily want to partition, I believe separating user data from the rest would be safer for me. I'm not very confident in Windows, but if it isn't causing major issues, I'd prefer letting it handle itself automatically.