D drive?

[sjat18]

Hello
I'm not a computer literate so I need step by step ABC explantion, lol.

The question I have is...
My c: dive is almost full (20% left), I was thinking of maybe move some files over to my D: drive. I haven't got a clue how to do so and how easy will it be for me to access those files :confused: . What kind of files should I put on the D:drive, I was thinking maybe...homephotos,music, Fonts (I collect alot of Fonts for my Paint shop Pro). I am a PaintshopPro fanatic and lots of other PSP people have told me I should install my program onto D drive all the other things for it such as plug-ins , fonts, etc. I don't really want to move those things, I actually don't even like the idea of using the D:drive.
I hope I explained this well enough.
So anyone here got some tips for me?
Thank you
Shanna

[themiragemaker]

Ok, i haven't much time right now but I'll try to quickly give you a brief on what you asked.

1. You mentioned C: drive and D: drive - First we need to know if these are actually two separate physical hard drives or if it is a partition.

Meaning..

2 HARD Drive disks
or
2 partitions ( A partition, in simple terms, is a division on a hard drive. Imagine if you had a huge Hard Disk say 250 GB drive. It would make more sense to keep things organized to partition this huge drive as separate drive C: D: E: etc depending on how many you want. Imagine the partition like this. Let's say you have a huge drawer for a filing cabinet - HUGE! Do you start throwing in all your papers there all at once? No - you would probably get a bunch of big folders and have them labeled by name so you can put what you want properly in categories inside the cabinet - right? That's sort of what a partition is - and it makes your life a lot easier just like in real life.)

Now if you are using one hard drive that has two partitions C drive and D drive, there is absolutely nothing wrong in setting up things on separate partitions. Just make sure you are organized and consistent as you would be
in real life.

For example again
let's say in your huge filing cabinet (your hard drive) you setup two big folders labeled C and D (your partitions) - in order for things to make sense for you later and to access them you would put similar things into one folder and categorize them properly - do the same with your computer.

I would suggest you install all programs on your C: drive and Select all the DOCUMENTS and right-click, CUT and PASTE (not copy because you want to move them and not copy them, right?) to your D drive.
Fonts on the other hand, if you use them regularly are usually stored in c:windows\fonts folder.... this of course if you use them regularly and want them to show up in the programs you use. This is where windows looks for fonts when it loads up any program. Of course if you want to simply backup COPY and paste them to your D drive as well.

CAUTION:
Do not cut and paste anything inside your program files unless they are say music files or documents that you saved inside the program folders. Other than that don't move your program files around or your program won't work later.

Maintain consistency - from now on say always install all programs only on the C drive and save documents, fonts, music, etc only on the D drive. There is nothing wrong with doing that and you should have ZERO problems doing this. You can still move exisiting documents, etc from your C drive to your D drive.

Another thing to do is to change the location of your My documents folder - cos this is where most newbies end up saving all their stuff which by default is set to be stored on your C drive.

Keeping things organized like this helps you a lot in the long run.
Let's go back to my example again. Let's say the C drive is the main drive where you load all your programs to run your machine (operating System (OS)-winXP, 2000, 98, etc) and other programs (paintshop, word, etc) and you know for certain that you have moved all your documents and you maintain a strong consistency in saving all your documents, music, pictures, etc. on your D drive.

Now let's say, one day your machine isn't working. Somethings wrong and something or the other isn't running. If it's a program you can quickly uninstall and re-install it. If the entire machine doesn't run then you could easily re-install the OS. Why easily?
All the programs, OS, etc came on CD's or you got them from someone or somewhere else - these can always be replaced. They are just stupid programs to run your machine. Your documents, favorites, music, photos, fonts, etc are things you searched/made/created/downloaded/collected etc yourself and are invaluable. You can't call Microsoft and ask for your pictures back but you can walk into any stupid computer store and buy a fresh copy of windows XP or any other program you want.... catch my drift?

So now that you have things nicely organized you know there is absolutely none of "YOUR" documents on the C drive and so even if the worst possible things happens where your machine does not turn on because of a software related problem and there is no other option for turning your machine back on, you can ALWAYS reinstall all that stupid software by simply wiping out the C drive and reinstalling everything. This is of course a last resort, but it's good for you to know atleast that everything is organized and you know your not messing with your OWN files, just crappy bought generic programs and software.

Well looks like this was a pretty brief response - got carried away, but good luck.

And remember even after doing all this - IT IS STILL IMPORTANT TO BACKUP all of YOUR files regularly. If there is a hardware problem where say your hard drive malfunctions and fails little can be done to get back your stuff. Backup onto CD/DVDs - DVD burners are very cheap these days and saves you a lot of time. if you haven't got one- GETone - it will make your life a lot easier.

Stay organized, maintain consistency and always, ALWAYS backup.

peace
themiragemaker

[sjat18]

Wow
Well said and thank you for your time!
I believe C: and D: that I mention are partition.. :o

You mention "my document" is set to store everything to C: by default, how do i make D: the default? (I hope this make sense) :o

Backing up my files :(
I have never done that before :o
How do I do that (when ever you have time to explain) :o , I do have a cd burner. But I just don't see how it'll save everything on one disk?

Anyways
Thank you for time, you did a good job explaining it to me.

Shanna

[themiragemaker]

-- Changing the location of the My Documents folder

> Open My Computer
> Right-Click the My Documents folder
> go to properties and under the 'Taget' tab in the 'Target Folder Location' click the 'Move' button and set the location where you want it on the D drive.

Note: This method is for Windows XP - You haven't mentioned what OS you are running. A good way to find this and other important information is to right-click the My Computer icon and go to properties. (alternatively in XP you can also simply press the 'Windows' key and the 'Pause Break' key on your keyboard simultaneously to bring up the Properties dialog box.

-- Backing up files [ the most important ]

> If you have a CD burner it will take you a longer time depending on the amount of information you have on your machine

> This is why I suggested to go in for a DVD burner. Each CD can hold a maximum of 700MB and usually takes about 10-15 minutes to write this much information depending on the speed of your CD burner. A DVD burner is a very useful thing to buy. If you trust the information I have provided so far, take my advice and go in for a DVD burner. It has made my life far easier and they are very cheap nowadays. I just bought a new one today (one of the best and fastest) because it was on sale today.

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc.asp?description=27-152-035&DEPA=0

Scroll down and check the reviews. Also if you want do a google search for the product number and check reviews.

This website is very reputable and have excellent customer service(they don't help you install it though). You haven't told me if you have a desktop or a notebook. This drive is for a desktop and you can VERY EASILY replace your existing drive with this one. This is THE fastest burner available today.

Advantages - a DVD burner can write 4.7 GB (approx 4700 MB) of data at a time. (compare that to your measily 700 MB Cd burner) and it will write this in the same time that you wrote your CD!
- DVDs a more dependable form of media and dont damage as easily as CDs - note: But like all media, everything gets damaged if you don't take proper care. For example if your the type who leaves CDs/DVDs lying around face down(the shiny writing surface facing the surface instead of the label side touching the surface) (this of course not needed when you store them in a CD/DVD spindle where it's easier to have them face down.

Bottomline: get the DVD burner - will make your life (backing up) and later even making/copying DVD movies etc, a lot more fun.

-- For now since you have only a CD burner, still take the time to backup your most crucial data. What, on your machine, is the most valuable to you if you lost it today? Start with all those files first. Music can be obtained/downloaded again. Important documents you sat and typed, images you created, etc cannot be obtained from any other source.

You will have to do this in installments since each CD can only hold 700MB. You'll have to fill up one CD- don't forget to label it - and then go onto the next CD.

You can use any CD burning software to do this. Or if you dont have any burning software (should have come with your machine) if your using windows XP, you can do it directly in explorer.

>Insert the blank CD
> go to windows explorer (open two windows if you like)
> drag and drop files you want into the CD drive > right-click the files in CD drive and check to see if they are approx LESSER than 698 MB -700 MB.
> if its more then simply select the file [THE FILEs INSIDE your CD drive not the originals in explorer and then delete until you have the right size in your CD drive]
> once your done setting up > right-click the CD drive and say 'Write to disk' or something like that, I don't remember - should be pretty straightforward> Windows XP will write the files to your CD
> don't be a happy camper and hit the eject button of course while this is going on or try to run a bunch of programs while it's writing.
> Once thats done right-click the drive and say eject disk and your done with the first of like 20 CDs depending on how much you have to backup.
> As I said start with the most important files and proceed that way. If a file is really really important I would even suggest burning those files twice atleast cos CDs can get damaged easily.

NOTE:
The reason why I dissed programs, microsofts OS and other things etc, in my last post, is on purpose.
IT is ESSENTIAL to view the computer in this manner.
It is a mere tool - the programs are there to help you run your machine and assist you. Programs can always be restored, OSs re-installed, etc.

You're not afraid to screw in that 100 watt light bulb in the socket that clearly says 75 watt ONLY, because you know you can just step out and get another one from the store, if it broke. But if you're puzzled and too precautious about screwing in the bulb, you'll never know if it just might run or not - only wonder and be dependent.

It is only when you have this view on mere programs is when you will feel confident enough to experiment with your machine and explore it. If you CONSISTENTLY backup data, and have all your files safe, view this machine as a tool and experiment. It's the best way to learn and get to know the computer better in the long run. Help files and asking questions in the google search engine will help you a long way.

Sorry bout the preachy analogies and long talk but this is how I've learnt to get really deep and dirty with computers today. A while ago I was in your same shoes and viewed the computer as an expensive machine that I should be very careful messing with. Those days have long passed and thought this little primer might help you move along faster.

All that said - DONT experiment with your registry files, windows system files, etc. If you are unsure do what you're doing now and research which is the best way. When I say experiment, I mean lets say your CD burner isn't working properly- dont be afraid to search for new drivers for that drive online and install the latest drivers or say Paintshop Pro isn't working today don't be afraid to uninstall it and reinstall it(Once you've backed up) ,etc.

As I've redundantly said, after all it's just an easily available stupid program.
(Oh yeah and it helps to have all your programs lying around to re-install them immediately when needed of course.)

ok nuff said!!

peace
themiragemaker.