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General discussion

What is the purpose of the D drive?

Aug 16, 2017 3:50PM PDT

Seeking guidance and instruction.

Could someone explain to me why in this age with the promotion of SSDs and multi-TB hard drives why Windows is still, by default, locating documents, music, videos, etc on the C drive?

It has been 10+ years since my last computer purchase and I just bought a desktop and laptop with SSDs, 2 TB hard drives and found that all is being stored on the C drive. It looks like they are no longer putting a full image on the D ("data") drive for restoration and so it appears to be completely empty.

So how do we get use out of those TB hard drives if everything is being dumped into the C drive? I thought I understood when I researched before buying; having a separate SSD would make the OS run faster and more efficient while providing tons of storage space with a multi-TB hard drive. It would seem the value and benefit of a separate SSD is negated if the C drive is still carrying the load of the OS and all the personal files, not to mention eventually running out of space while the D drive sits empty.

I can only assume I am not understanding the mechanics of it all and I hope someone can help educate me. How should the D drive be used?

It would seem logical that the C drive (when there is a separate SSD or second drive) should be dedicated to "only" system folders and files and the D drive is where all of the personal documents and folders should be located by "default". But that would mean moving or setting up all of those default folders (documents, pictures, videos, music, etc.) manually on the D drive.

Perhaps I am behind the times but one would think the average person would not know to do that, much less how.

Am I missing something?

All feedback and knowledge would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You.

Discussion is locked

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It's a sad story. Mostly about the past.
Aug 16, 2017 3:57PM PDT

And an average person may be challenged by Windows which is now decades old and never had the concept of making it just an appliance that everyone can use.

It's that simple.

For folk that don't want to deal with this there's Apple's own computers. I have yet to hear an Apple owner talk to me about this issue.

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Maybe I should have taken a bite out of the apple...
Aug 16, 2017 4:49PM PDT

too late for me now...too much invested. However this might serve as good info for someone doing research before pulling out that C.C. Thank You.

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Some machines come all setup with the large drive
Aug 16, 2017 5:47PM PDT

As the user Home directory. I've seen Dells come all good to go.

Picking a machine with a smallish SSD is not a good idea. I upgraded my 128GB SSD to 512GB for about 134USD so I didn't have to deal with the usual issues. 1TB SSD are still pricey so for me 500GB SSD sizes are good value.

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Easy enough
Aug 16, 2017 4:28PM PDT

Assuming it's windows, then create some folders on the storage drives, leave them plugged in all the time, go to the main folders area, right clk on them and add the new folders to be the new "Documents" and other folders. Those are fake folders there anyway, and always link to real folders elsewhere. All you need to do is transfer that link to your new folders on the "D" drive.

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Thanks for the feedback
Aug 16, 2017 4:45PM PDT

Yes its Windows. Perhaps I should have been a bit more specific. XPS 8900 Desktop with 256GB SSD & 2TB hdd and the laptop is an Inspiron 5000 series with 128GB SSD & 1TB hdd. Both running Windows 10. Not sure I got your instructions, a little confused by "leave them plugged in all the time" and the "transfer that link" part. Thank you for responding...all feedback and instruction is appreciated.

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I thought the HDD's were external
Aug 16, 2017 6:30PM PDT

If internal, so much better. Go to your "Documents" folder and right clk, choose properties, see if there's an option in W10 to "add a folder" or similar language to "Documents". If so, can do that for all of them, then move files from one folder under "Documents" to the new folder and that will move them from the C drive to the larger HDD since it's another physical drive. If it was all on the same drive is when "move" command simply changes the file table of assignments.

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Re: drive
Aug 17, 2017 5:55AM PDT

Windows doesn't prescribe how to use that second drive. Some people leave it as 2 TB, others partition it into 2 or more different drive letters, or have 2 other drives next to the drive with their c:-partition.

Windows lets you totally free how to organize your stuff.
- Standard things like My Documents and My Pictures are on the c:\ by default (makes sense, since not everybody has a second partition). But if you right click such a folder, there's a "Location" tab in its properties. Change that, specify 'move' and all current AND FUTURE documents stored to My Documents will be stored in that new location. This is folder user dependent. So you can store all your files on d:, while your wife uses e:. Or use c: for documents and d: for music.
- In your browser (at least in Firefox and Chrome) you can specify a default download folder on another drive.
- And it's totally up to you to make new folders for any subject you like and store or save any file there.

But if you use the default everything is on the c:-drive. But since you spent money to buy another drive, it seems better to start using it.

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Well basically because every
Aug 17, 2017 5:34AM PDT

computer has a C drive. I bet if you installed Windows on the D drive that the those folders would be on the D drive. Windows install doesn't really detect much about your system when it installs. There basically isn't a standard system setup like Apples has. Apple is built to be less upgradeable (meaning making different from how it was designed and built in the factory). Yes it's logical that if you have separate drives the Non OS drive should be used for data but most PC don't even realized that have separate drives. But that issue isn't important if your C drive is 500 GB or more. Most of the Windows PCs purchased are OEM computers where the OEM does the OS install. The OEM is also the one that partisans the drives. I'm nit sure how the OEM's do it when they sell systems with 32 GB boot drives with large secondary drives.

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My general computer history.
Aug 17, 2017 9:55AM PDT

Back in the day when computers became available for home use it probably consisted of a three drive capability. An "A", a "B" and a "C" drive. The A and B drive have basically become obsolete since today's users don't use floppies and computer manufacturers don't install floppy drives.

As time progressed and everything such as programs, graphics and such got bigger and longer, that C drive became clogged with everything imaginable which slowed the Windows OS slogging through all the junk as bigger drives became available just to find how to run itself. The bigger they made drives that the Windows OS got installed to by default the more junk users threw at it. You might say Microsoft and other programmers noted this problem and began to change their program features to allow for installation elsewhere -- but the user must pick during the installation phase when available. However, certain item of any GOOD program will still add items to the C drive regardless of what OTHER drive the rest of the program is installed because the Windows OS dictates it. Certain Windows parts you have no choice over since a lot of the older Windows OS wasn't rewritten to give users control to mess things up because the OS has to depend on certain setting being where these items are expected to be in order to run correctly and efficiently.

When users and manufacturers began adding more physical drives to their systems we users began installing programs and storing data on these other drive letters and kept the C drive as lean and as small as possible so the OS could quickly scan through it's default drive and deliver what we wanted faster. At least that is what we hope.

For many many years now I've kept all downloads and installed programs performed on drives other than C when I had the option to do so. Over the many years I've had a couple of corrupt windows systems on the C drive but know all my other stuff is on a separate drive and I can then reconstruct the windows system and use my other drive(s) to reinstall useful programs again. So far I can only say I succeeded.

I like the fact that I can partition a large second or third drive into many drive letters and then I can label the drive with a name that pretty much give a synopsis of its content without looking through its content. E.g. Apps, Catch All, Spare, Pictures, Music, Backup Items and etc.

All I can suggest is to carefully review your procedures and try some of the things I've mentioned and keep your C drive as lean is possible.

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Functionality of
Aug 22, 2017 6:59PM PDT

D Drive is a special partition on the hard drive used to restore the system in the event of problem
you should not attempt to store files in it. Storing files can on cause can cause the system recovery to fail. In general all Operating System files are stored on C drive by default and applications installed as well unless you change the location via the Installation wizard. The less date on C drive will speed up the functions of the operating system.

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As to Why...
Aug 30, 2017 1:37AM PDT

I find this all rather confusing. My first experience with IBM Compatible computers (what today are called PCs) was a Zenith with no HD – just one 5 1/4 floppy designated as “A”.

In the mid-1980s I had a Packard Bell with two 5 1/4 floppies – “A” and “B” – and an HD designated as “C”. When CDs were added, they became “D” by default. These letters could be changed, but doing so would cause problems due to the way programs were written.

My laptop has just one drive. Windows Explorer only shows the “C” drive. Disk Manager shows four partitions: boot, an unformatted sector (which I can’t eliminate), primary or main, and recovery. Only the primary/main has a letter designation – “C”.

My desktop doesn’t have “A” or “B” drives. The primary SSD is “C”, and the CD/DVD drive is “D” – following the long-standing convention. I do have additional drives with letter designations assigned by Windows. Of course, all drives can have specific letters assigned to them other than as given by Windows.

Most off-the-shelf computers sold today still have only one HD/SSD. By convention it is designated as “C”. Programs still store shared or common files on the “C” drive regardless of where the OS is located.

I don’t know where you got “D” for “Data” – that is not the convention. If you don’t have a CD/DVD drive, but have more than one HD/SSD, then the “D” drive is for whatever you want to put there. Unless told otherwise, Windows will still default to the “C” drive – as do nearly all other programs.

Back to your original question of “Why”, remember that conventions/standards are there to help developers integrate their products and the OS to manage them. If you could add a floppy drive, it would automatically be designated “A”. If you add a CD/DVD drive, it will become “D”. Anything else using these letters would be assigned new ones. That’s just how the OS manages these assets.