Drive Partitions Laptop W7

[psmiffy]

Stupid question - My laptop drive is partioned - C=122Gb D (Data) = 150Gb

c is rapidly filling up - programmes and mainly photos because that is where the "libraries" are - D is effectively empty apart from a couple of system gobblygook folders

whats to stop me moving the libraries to the D drive - after all D=Data - and is there a downside to doing that

 

[Red Light]

Nothing. You might want to go into the programmes that use the data files though and set the default directories to the new locations so that in future files are automatically stored there along with the rest rather than on C where you will have to move them again.

 

[tadpole]

There is nothing stopping you, but why not just move them off your primary drive altogether, with the cost of a USB disk drive being so very cheap, you would do just as well to buy a 1tb USB drive move all your pictures off your main drive, so when it goes pop, (and it will) you've saved your nads from the crushing realisation that everthing you've taken over the past x years is on a drive that you computer can no long read.)

 

[Red Light]

There is nothing stopping you, but why not just move them off your primary drive altogether, with the cost of a USB disk drive being so very cheap, you would do just as well to buy a 1tb USB drive move all your pictures off your main drive, so when it goes pop, (and it will) you've saved your nads from the crushing realisation that everthing you've taken over the past x years is on a drive that you computer can no long read.)

What happens if the USB drive goes pop which is equally likely? Better to have a proper backup strategy rather than moving them to an equally vulnerable and much more misplace-able external device,

 

[tadpole]

If you use for main pc for 8 hours a day even a drive with 10,000 hours of reliability will fail, given the same failure rate for a usb back up drive, one that you use maybe for 3 hours a week, the chances of it failing are reduced. Nothing is failure proof, but reducing the odds by having a separate disk to keep stuff on can only be a good thing. Before people used digital cameras I’d recommend using CD/DVDs to back up data on, as you could fit pretty much everything more people needed to keep on two or three DVDs, and they were priced low enough you'd have no problem burning several copies or even new copies as the data changed.

Now that people want to keep GB of photos on their computers, burning a couple of DVDs every time you snap pictures of your dog riding a skateboard. You’re going to get bored with it and quickly, and that is just the time you stop backing up. R/RW DVDs are not as reliable as people believe, cheap ones may only last a couple of years if stored correctly. But how many actually take the trouble to keep their DVDs in slip cases or jewel cases out of light and heat?

 

[ian turner]

There's a variation on Godwins law (the one about length of threads and odds of a comparion with Hitler being posted) that applies to any threads about disk drives and weapons grade backup strategies being mentioned.
An external USB drive is much more likely to fail due to the greater chance of it being knocked off a desk or picked up and thrown by a small child.
What libraries ? You're not using one of those muppet level photo handlers such as the adobe one which insists on storing all your photos in a directory hidden in it's own structure rather than in the user account ? I use Windows live photo gallery.

For a starter if the photographs are in the picture directory then open explorer, expand desktop, then your account and right click Pictures and select the properties tab and Location then click move and create a Pictures directory on the second partition.
Buy an external drive and use synctoy to do backup updates of documents, pictures and music to it and once you've got that as a basis decide whether you're prepared to spend Apple owner levels of money on extreme backup measures.

 

[psmiffy]

I have two USB drives that I use as backup and no muppet level photo handlers - it was just that I was trying to fathom the logic of having a disc partition in the first place - my PC has a partition but it used solely for recovery data - why have a partition for data and then put libraries in the other drive

 

[ian turner]

Er what libraries ?

 

[psmiffy]

I assume libraries are some sort of uber W7 folder - whatever thats what it calls the top directories

 

[ian turner]

Documents, music,pictures etc ? Do as I said with relation to Move. Windows installs everything in the same partition and it's up to the user to move things elsewhere and the laptop manufacturers don't bother even though they created the partitions so your average user will just fill up the c drive until the pc stops booting.
Libraries are usually collections of files be they sample pictures, sounds, templates etc. for use by the end user.

 

[Stonepark]

Mine is split as follows: -

Disk 1 Partition 1 250gb Windows 7 and Libraries
Part 2 (10gb) CODMW
PArt 3 Startrek Online
Part 4.....etc


Disk 2 Part 1 50 GB Linux Mint
Part 2 copy libraries (100gb) (back up once a month)
Part 3 Copy Games profiles back up


If disk one fails, all info is on 2nd disc and often the linux can read the 'broken' drive 1 to recover anything recent and not backed up.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I assume libraries are some sort of uber W7 folder - whatever thats what it calls the top directories

You can move slightly more than just the libraries.
Everything from Desktop, to Contacts to Downloads can be moved.

Click the Start icon, then your login name and you will get the window below.
Right click the entry you want to move, select properties, and change to the Location tab. Either click move, or hand type it... with what you want. - personally I usually just replace "C:\" with "D:\".. repeat as needed and restart your pc when done. this deals with a temporary file duplication of "desktop" library from old to new... if it remains duplicated after the restart, simply delete the duplicate (look to where it points to)...

As a rule I don't move Favorites. This is because I have encountered issues in the past where they move but then you can not add any new ones to it. If you don't use IE, this is not a problem.