SSD usage is draining HDD resources, leading to it reaching full capacity.
SSD usage is draining HDD resources, leading to it reaching full capacity.
I assembled my PC last Christmas without much budget for an SSD, so I chose a 1TB HDD temporarily. Around two to three months ago, I replaced it with an SSD and moved all my game files there. Initially, I thought this would solve the problem, but now loading games from the SSD causes my HDD to reach its limit and slows down my system noticeably. To check if the issue stemmed from file placement, I removed Diablo 4 completely and re-downloaded it—this restored playability for all my games. The OS remains on the HDD, but I’m wondering if that’s still contributing to the performance drop?
Your operating system running on the HDD rather than the SSD is problematic from the start. Many applications add additional folders to %appdata%, even after relocating the game to another drive. It seems these folders can't be moved in %appdata% without risking damage to your games.
Possibly the pagefile is located on the HDD, but you can move that to the SSD. Here's a link with instructions https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/wind...b2bd0f7f3c Some games store their savefiles in the documents folder. If you ever want to move the OS to a SSD you can use an app that can OS migrate quite easy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gTJw8ehkVc This video show some usefull apps. I've used DiskGenius myself to do an OS migration that is mentioned in this video.
Would that %appdata% be re-downloaded onto the SSD after you reinstall the game? And what’s the best way to transfer your operating system to the SSD smoothly, especially since you’re not very familiar with tech and followed the guide step by step?
Your %appdata% is an essential part of your operating system, holding vital data for other programs. Moving your OS involves different choices. You might choose to erase both storage devices and begin anew. If needed, you can save some files to an external drive or NAS. Another method is to create a boot drive copy; this will delete all data on your SSD, though I don’t know its size. If your HDD’s available space is smaller than your SSD’s capacity, starting fresh is best unless your HDD’s total usage is under your SSD’s limit. For transferring your OS from HDD to SSD, you can use a Linux Live USB, GParted, and the Linux terminal—consider following this guide.
It’s a 1TB SSD and a 1TB HDD; most of what’s on your SSD is games, so I’m okay with wiping it to clone the HDD if that seems simpler. For clarity, I’m running Windows 11.
You should have it in a place, and if not I can get one for you. Also, I’m not sure about the best Linux distribution or Rufus. Thanks for waiting!
Linux is a kernel, and has many distros (distributions) which, in short, are superior to Windows. A Linux live USB is basically just the installer for a Linux distro, like Ubuntu or Linux Mint. Rufus is a software that basically makes bootable USBs out of .iso files. It even allows you to put Windows 11 on unsupported hardware. I recommend downloading the Ubuntu 24.04 LTS or Linux Mint 22 XFCE .iso file. I'm very familiar with both distros, and they're pretty user-friendly GUI-wise. No worries about the slow response times, though! This is a forum, and slower replies are expected.
Windows 10 and newer perform well on HDDs. Most games don’t require an SSD. It would have been smarter to install the OS on an SSD, especially for those that need one. For instance, Baulders Gate 3 suggests using an SSD. However, many games work just fine with a HDD.