• Moving files and folders from one drive to another

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    #479106

    I have an Acer desktop where the HD is split into two, one is drive C and one drive E named in “my computer” as “data” and both are around 70GB. Software always wants to load to the C drive therefore the E drive still has 62 GB free whereas the C drive only has 17 GB free. My question is, can I drag files and folders from my C drive into my E drive in explorer? I’m thinking of storing all my music and photos on the E drive and freeing up space on my C drive.

    Thanks.

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    • #1299096

      If you open the place on C: drive containing the folders you want to move, then open E: drive.
      Right click the task bar and select ‘Show windows side by side’
      If needed, make new folders on E:
      If you right click, hold and drag a folder from C: to E: you will be given options to move or copy, take your pick.
      When done, right click task bar and undo side by side.

    • #1299098

      Thanks. I did what you suggested and moved my Music folder but there were no options given, the files were copied over to E from C which defeats the object of recovering space on the C drive so I deleted the whole Music folder on C. I’m doing the same with my photos and it’s working a treat.

    • #1299100

      Hope I’m not too late in saying not to delete or move the folders from C: as they are required.
      By holding down the right mouse button then dragging to another location will give options described above.
      Hope this is clearer.

    • #1299108

      OOps….I have only deleted the Music folder. Can I just make another? It was too big for the recycle bin so it got completely deleted.

      Update…the Music folder is still in my C drive and it’s empty, so apparently Windows won’t allow you to delete it.

    • #1299184

      Copy it back to original place then delete contents.

    • #1299204

      It’s already empty and, as far as I can tell, it’s in it’s original place. I think it’s just not delete-able! My music is safely in another folder on the E drive so it worked, thanks.

      • #1301012

        It’s already empty and, as far as I can tell, it’s in it’s original place. I think it’s just not delete-able! My music is safely in another folder on the E drive so it worked, thanks.

        If it’s the original “My Music” Windows Folder, it is a System Folder, and therefore not deletable. No problem in either case, as you say you really do not want to store music files and the like on the C: Drive anyway.

        By the way, many posts here in The Lounge discuss permanently redirecting the My Documents and related System Folders to a data partition or secondary drive. Maybe someone can post a link to a useful thread on this specific subject.

        -- rc primak

    • #1299206

      Well done.

    • #1300133

      …both are around 70GB.

      You didn’t ask but in this time of ultracheap storage, consider increasing your hard disk size. An alternative: a portable hard drive. You can get 2T for around $150. I suggest monthly backups would protect your music and photo files. The ‘Cloud’ and impending changes in memory technology are pressing the cost of memory to ever-smaller $$$’s.

    • #1300143

      Thanks for the advice. I already have a 780GB Buffalo external HD which I use to back up all my files and I’d recommend it too.

    • #1301021

      On my pc’s, all my C: drive folders are in their original location. They contain the usual samples but only very very few added by me, i.e. a few pictures I use frequently plus background Wallpapers. Any downloaded items, i.e. pictures, if they are to be saved, always auto select the pictures folder, I change the option to desktop, then put them where I want them.
      In my past experience, moving folders from original location increases access time.

      • #1301104

        I split my “C” drive into several partitions. In addition to the system partition there is a partition for mostly downloaded files and another for “Family” files (f:/family/firstname and f:/pictures…) including documents, school work, pictures, additional music, budgets, tax info, etc. ITunes and Outlook seem to like to have their files in the C drive original locations, although I regularly copy the music to one of the other partitions and keep the Outlook archives and backups in an alternate directory (f:/family/myfirstname/Outlook). Otherwise the family members are told that anything in “My documents” or elsewhere on the “C” drive should be considered temporary and will be deleted if I have to restore a previous working or “virgin + patches & tools” image of the C drive, which happens about once a year.

        I use SyncToy regularly to backup the important files to both an 8GB flash drive that I keep with me (will soon need a larger one) and a removable 2TB “portable” drive, with occasional image backups (would you believe Cygwin or CD/DVD bootable Linux dd to create ISO image) also stored on the portable drive, and sometimes even DVD backups. If I have to restore an image, I make sure that SyncToy is up to date, that there is an ISO image backup of each partition (that could be mounted using MagicISO Virtual CD/DVD or another tool of your choice), and a DVD image backup of each partition before doing the restore. Another set of backups for the C drive is made after the restore is updated with patches and tool updates, just in case I have to revert to it in the near future. (Eg. after trying to install some software that crashes the system)

        Learn from my experience – had to revert to the last backup about six to eight times over a several months period until I found a failing memory module that was not detected by hours of memory and system exercisers, but finally found by turning on full POST (BIOS Power On Self Test). Apparently the failing original memory module was corrupting disk I/O. Once found and removed I did not want to take a chance on restoring a possibly corrupted backup. Went all the way back to the factory default restore set by downloading my firewall/virus scanner, COMODO, and a few other programs using a Linux live boot CD so that I could disconnect from the Internet, run the system recovery, installed and set up these tools without the Internet. At this point I made an Image backup of the system drive before connecting to the Internet, then painfully downloaded and added all of the patches, installed programs and tweaks, and made another backup set of the system drive (both to the portable drive and DVD).

        With a little help from Computer Management administrative tool, the partition order on the disk is C, F, E, D so that the most used partitions are near each other on the outside of the drive. (However the manufacturer’s system restore option with command prompt that I used to run a chkdsk batch file doesn’t know about the drive letter reassignments, but that doesn’t matter since I check them all.)

        • #1301434

          This is what I’ve doing for years. Put my data files on my D drive. {easier for backups too}
          it is important that Windows know where they are. Just go to your profile folder: c:Users”MyUserName
          Then right click on Documents, go to Properties. On the Location tab, just hit the Move button and select where you want it moved to on Drive D. When you hit OK you will get some prompts (click yes & copy & replace twice) and things will be moved for you. And
          Windows will make sure everything gets redirected there in future. Applies to Downloads, Favorites, Music, Pictures, Contacts, Search to Drive D

          Lear R Warner

    • #1301436

      That’s brilliant thanks, I’ve just moved my documents like this and it worked fine!

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