Users folder and SSD vs. HDD

R

Russ

[H]ard|Gawd
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Apr 14, 2005
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Ok, so I'm currently installing windows 7 on my first SSD.

I want to keep just apps and the OS on the SSD drive, and put everything else on my HDD to conserve space.

So this is my question: how important is it to have the AppData folders for a program on an SSD when it comes to loading performance?

I keep all my media in the Windows provided folders (Music, etc), and it is pretty easy to move the entire Users folder through a quick Regedit. But this will move the AppData folders as well as Documents, Videos, etc.

It's far simpler to move user folders when they're new and empty, which is why I'm asking beforehand.

Is having AppData on an HDD going to compromise my SSD-level program loading times?

Followup question: What about the ProgramData folder? can I move that to the HDD without impacting performance?
 
the answer to your question heavily depends on the programs you run themselves, and their disk usage patterns. obviously a file that is on an SSD will load faster than a file on a HDD. since you have a fresh install of windows in front of you now, i would take a disk image of the drive, figure out some benchmarks to test the speed (time some application opening for example, but this has to be repeatable), and test using it both with appdata on the SSD and again on the HDD. then just restore the backup and set it how you want.

if you have the extra space on the SSD, i would just leave the appdata on the OS drive. my OS drive is 99GB and is 40% used. you should really not need to keep much on there. programs you use infrequently or that dont matter if they take 10 extra seconds to load should be kept on other hard drives.
 
ghost6303 said:
if you have the extra space on the SSD, i would just leave the appdata on the OS drive. my OS drive is 99GB and is 40% used. you should really not need to keep much on there. programs you use infrequently or that dont matter if they take 10 extra seconds to load should be kept on other hard drives.
Click to expand...

I agree with this - try to move infrequently used program files to the HDD, but I'd leave the Users folder on the SSD. I use the Public folder for my pictures and music, so I moved that off to another drive, but I like having my savegames, etc on the SSD.
 
I would leave the appdata alone but move your temporary files and temporary internet files to the second hdd. Cuts down on your ssd being used for random things. You should be able to change the temp folders location via Environment variables in System Properties.
 
nxcess said:
I would leave the appdata alone but move your temporary files and temporary internet files to the second hdd. Cuts down on your ssd being used for random things. You should be able to change the temp folders location via Environment variables in System Properties.
Click to expand...

Personally, I like having that stuff on the SSD. I'm not worried about lifetime, so why not speed up my browsing by having the temp files on the SSD. Likewise, WinRAR really flies when using an SSD for the temp folder.
 
I agree with moving the temp folder off of the SSD, That is a lot of extra cycles and wear on those little MLC drives, Treat them like they are gold and they will last for you.
 
I move all the User files to another drive, but left AppData on it. I also leave all temporary files on the SSD since it really does benefit your experience. While it makes for more writes on the drive, a decent SSD can hand you writing 100GBs a day for a couple of years, if not more. People using SSDs are power users, and they're probably going to move on well before they reach the write cycle limit.

To OP, keep ProgramData on the SSD. Some programs use it for storage and load data off of there when starting, so keeping on the fastest drive is the best idea.
 
Can someone post instructions on how to move the Users folder on window7 64 to another drive (my D drive is a mechanical 1tb caviar black).

I want anything i download and save to my desktop to be on the D drive. Same with my /downloads folder.
Thank you
 
Jawad said:
Can someone post instructions on how to move the Users folder on window7 64 to another drive (my D drive is a mechanical 1tb caviar black).

I want anything i download and save to my desktop to be on the D drive. Same with my /downloads folder.
Thank you
Click to expand...

Right click the folders in your User profile. Properties. Location Tab.
 
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