Hi
I have 2 1TB hard drives split into 4, 500 gigabyte drives.
I have a drive for games, one for data storage, one for graphics and video and one for Windows and related software, i.e. things like Word, my Adobe software and things that I install in the default locations.
All my games and anything related to them are on the games drive.
I don't install anything in Program files folders on these other drives.
Except of my major Adobe software Photoshop, Indesign and Illustrator, all my other graphics software and video editing programs are are installed on my Graphics and Video drive. This includes things like Adobe Premiere, Poser, Mimic, Blacksmith 3D, file converters, sound and video files etc.
If I install The Secret World I just install it to D:\The Secret World, same for all the other games, I have 11 installed right now.
As far as I know the Program Files and Program Files x86 folders are just names, Windows 8 really doesn't care where you install anything, some software doesn't give you an option and will only install in the default location.
But I'm always amazed that updates and things like, that always find the install location with no input by me.
I assume, since I haven't actually done this that you could install a 32 bit program in the Program Files folder or the other way around a 64 bit Program in the Program Files x86 folder and Widows wouldn't know the difference.
The folder names are just how Windows organizes the software by default to make then easier to find.
My data drive is for all my photos, music files software installers that I've downloaded and anything else that isn't actively software related, all these files are backed up to multiple external hard drives. This drive also contains my swap file, and a backup of my C:\ drive, that I can use for recovery.
Note that this drive never gets defragmented because it could damage the backup image file.
The others get defragmented at least once a week.
Mike