Win 7 SSD install - optimise layout with hard drive?

[bambam]

Nearly there with my new PC... Win 7 and Steam installed on the SSD. So far:

Win 7 : 20GB
L4D2: 7GB
CSS: 5GB (but I haven't copied over all the custom maps from my previous cache yet)

I've just seen rain splashing on the ground in L4D2 for the first time. With my old 6800GT I thought those storm were just a grey mist...

Any ideas how best to distribute the config across the SSD and the hard drive? I've read you can move the 'user' directories but that shags up a later Win 7 upgrade.

Should I be moving folders and creating symbolic links back into the SSD or what? Does Win 7 do that?

Or is the state of the art to just create new folders for MP3's and photo's on the hard drive and hope that's enough ??

Steam is a pain in the ass in that all games seem to have to be installed on the Steam install drive, in my case the SSD, so it's gonna fill up...

Bamzors

[bambam]

should I be using MKLINK to redirect my "My Music" folder etc from the SSD to the hard drive ??

thx Bamz

[jackDEFECTORbauer]

I too have an 80Gb SSD. I primarily use it as a boot / app drive. Windows flies most of the time, and boots fairly quickly.

I've stored all my content - mp3's, docs, videos etc on a secondary hard drive and have done for years now. You can quite easily change the paths to your music, documents and personal folders and point them anywhere. Right click on a folder shortcut and change the location.

As for games, its good if you can squeeze a game onto the SSD. Unfortunately my steam folder dwarfs the SSD at 140+ Gb. Probably best to leave it for games that take ages to load. GTA4 as an example, on my 7200rpm drive you get through about 6 changes to the loading screen picture. When loading off the SSD it was less than 2 screens - a massive boost.

[bambam]

Thank jack. Quick update from me: using the 'MKLINK /D' command in Win 7 is working like a charm (for FSX so far anyway).

To protect in case I fux it up, I'm:
* copying the contents of an installed folder (C:\....\FSX\Missions) to the hard drive
* renaming the original folder (e.g. C:\....\FSX\Missions-original) and then
* creating the symlink (C:\....\FSX\Missions -> [hard drive]\FSX\Missions)
* if everything's sweet I can then delete the SSD original folder

Bambam