Windows 7 I'm wanting Windows 7 on SSD and Program Files on HDD

[conceptualclarity]

I'm setting up a new computer that will have a 250 GB Samsung EVO 850 SSD and two 1 TB Seagate Barracuda hard drives. I want the SSD to be the boot drive and have the Windows folder with the operating system (Windows 7 Professional 64 bit). I also want to have a few programs on the SSD: browsers, email, and VLC Player. I prefer to have a lot of software programs. (That's just me. I have my reasons; don't waste your time trying to talk me out of it.) I don't want to overcrowd the SSD. I want to keep the great majority of programs and of the application data folders on one of the Seagate drives. I guess you could say I basically want a big Program Files folder on a Seagate drive and a mini-Program Files folder on the SSD.

What's the proper way to proceed? Install the whole system drive package, with Program Files and user profiles/accounts as well as the actual OS (which I assume is synonymous with or subsumed in the Windows folder) on one of the HDDs, and then migrate just the Windows folder to the heretofore blank SSD and set the SSD as boot drive in the BIOS?

Or should I install Windows 7 to the SSD and then create parallel Program Files and application data folders on the Seagate hard drive? Or maybe move Program Files to the Seagate if possible, and just have my small number of programs on the SSD in their own folders there?

 

[Josephur]

When you install a program and it asks where to put the programs you want on the slower drive, just change the path to just that. For instance "D:\Program Files\Program Blah" Do be aware that most programs will still save some data on your C drive however, you really won't get away from them taking some space up from shared DLL files for instance, or some program data. But usually directing it to use your other drive for the install gets the majority of the data over there off your SSD.

I'd suggest putting the programs you use the most on the SSD, and the ones you use the least on the spinner.

If your a gamer Steam allows you to make multiple Steam Library folders, which is very useful, you can put games that you play the most on C and the rest on your spinner drives.

 

[conceptualclarity]

Thank you very much. I take it you advise starting by installing Windows 7 to the SSD.

Do be aware that most programs will still save some data on your C drive however, you really won't get away from them taking some space up from shared DLL files for instance, or some program data. But usually directing it to use your other drive for the install gets the majority of the data over there off your SSD.

It seemed to me on my old computer that the program data folders were bigger space hogs than the Program Files folders themselves. Therefore I'm wanting to get as much application data on the Seagate as I can, aside from application data that could affect performance of the most critical programs, like email and default browser.

The shared DLL files I didn't familiarize myself with. They wouldn't take much space, would they?

 

[RuskinF]

Yes, @Josephur is right.
Whenever you install any application, change the installation path to D:\Program Files\Program Blah and the programs will be installed on the D drive.
If you want to install your programs in the E drive then replace the letter D with Letter E in the above statement.
You will get an option to chose the path when you install the program for the first time on your device.