Extending a hard drive to a new drive

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I want to know if there is any way in Windows 7 that I can set up an expansion drive so that if Windows, or any other program, cannot find the “data/file/folder” on the traditional built-in C drive, that it will automatically go and look for it on a designated expansion drive. I have a 1Tb C drive that is quickly being filled up by my photo image collection and I would like to move some or all of it to an expansion drive, but I would like the “system” to treat the expansion drive as just that, an expansion of the C drive. Is there any way to do this? Any insight or ideas that anyone would care to provide will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Ron M 🙂 🙂 🙂

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Most programs don’t look for data, they guess where (such as user documents-pictures) or to to the most recent folder used.
So you could just put a “expansion” folder on the expansion drive and include that location in your Windows 7 Library, in this case, the Pictures Library. Then anytime you look in the Pictures Library the expansion folder would be included.

Another method which many of us use is to actually move the user data folders completely to the “expansion” drive so the system drive is easier to maintain via imaging and data backups are also more easily maintained by backing up or syncing the data drive.

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Most programs don’t look for data, they guess where (such as user documents-pictures) or to to the most recent folder used.
So you could just put a “expansion” folder on the expansion drive and include that location in your Windows 7 Library, in this case, the Pictures Library. Then anytime you look in the Pictures Library the expansion folder would be included.

Another method which many of us use is to actually move the user data folders completely to the “expansion” drive so the system drive is easier to maintain via imaging and data backups are also more easily maintained by backing up or syncing the data drive.

F.U.N, thanks for the reply. I am not sure what you mean by “expansion” folder. I looked at your reference and I think I can see what you are getting at. It will take me a bit of time to review it and see how I might be able to use it.

Ron M 🙂 🙂 🙂

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Have you looked at the libraries function that is available in W7/W8?

With that you can create a library of all your photos regardless of which drive they live on. Unfortunately you still need to choose where to place them.

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Have you looked at the libraries function that is available in W7/W8?

With that you can create a library of all your photos regardless of which drive they live on. Unfortunately you still need to choose where to place them.

Browni, I must say that I have not looked at the libraries functions in W7/W8. I am not really sure what they are and where to find them and how to use them. Do you have reference that I can study and learn? Thanks.

WesternGuy

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I just put expansion in quotes to indicate the folder would be on the expansion drive. Its really just another folder that you would include in the Pictures library if that is the route you chose to go. Clicking on Libraries>Pictures in the left margin of a Windows explorer window brings up the following;
33812-1-Pictureslibrary2loc

Then if you click on the 2 locations link it brings up the following interface where you can add a folder to the Pictures library;

33813-2-Pictureslibrary2loc

Then you would click on Add.. and locate the folder on the expansion drive you wish to add as shown in the following;

33814-3-Pictureslibrary2loc

That’s all there is to it, you now will have three locations in your Picture library. If you make the new folder location the default location then whenever a Windows prompt comes up to save photos, they will be saved in the expansion folder unless you direct them elsewhere.

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F. U. N., thanks for the details. This looks like it will get me what I want.

Ron M

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Ron,

Moving your data off your C: drive is no only possible, it’s advisable; see this reference, which expands on the techniques alluded to by F.U.N., above:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/190286/data_part_win7.html

Zig

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Zig, thanks for the reference.

Ron M

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