Current Events > I had to reinstall Windows and now my computer is slow as hell.

(+) Yeah! (+)

I think I know what the issue is. It seems my rig is running off of my storage Hard Drive, but I've got an SSD.

I know this board has a lot of computer guys. How do I get it to run off my SSD now???

Reinstall onto your SSD this time. Cloning it over isn't going to happen.

If it actually is on the HDD and not the SSD, then you need to reinstall windows again onto the SSD this time

are you sure its installed onto the HDD though? If your HDD and SSD are different sizes you can check how big C:/ is to verify

Sounds like when you reinstalled it, you picked the HDD to install the OS onto. I'd recommend going through the install again, make sure you pick your SSD. Once the OS is running off the SSD, just reformat your HDD.

All of this is assuming you already have your files backed up and don't mind completely blowing away either drive.

Damn, I have to reinstall again?! I almost don't even want to do that, but I also don't even turn my PC on anymore since it's so damn slow. I guess I'll have to.

Thanks guys.

BlazinBlue88 posted...

Sounds like when you reinstalled it, you picked the HDD to install the OS onto. I'd recommend going through the install again, make sure you pick your SSD. Once the OS is running off the SSD, just reformat your HDD.

All of this is assuming you already have your files backed up and don't mind completely blowing away either drive.

Why do I need to format my HDD?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycWAl3Fg6MQ

WarfireX posted...

Damn, I have to reinstall again?! I almost don't even want to do that, but I also don't even turn my PC on anymore since it's so damn slow. I guess I'll have to.

Thanks guys.

Yeah you can't just move the OS files to the SSD. There are a lot of config files pointed to HDD expecting those OS files to be there. I get the reinstall might take some time but it should be a simple process. Just make sure you install on the SSD this time.

WarfireX posted...

Why do I need to format my HDD?

Cause once you have everything running properly off the SSD, you'll still have the OS files from the last install on the storage HDD. Just easier to format it to delete everything on it so it's ready for whatever you want to storage on it like games and whatnot.

Does my HDD truly need to be formatted? I have years of files on it.

WarfireX posted...

Does my HDD truly need to be formatted? I have years of files on it.

It doesn't need to be, no. You can operate just fine without formatting it. But you'll lose a little space from the OS on it. Also, you'll probably have the dual-boot option now with your PC asking which Windows you want to boot. It's been a while since I've seen that screen, but if I recall correctly, there's no way to tell which one is the one on the SSD since Windows isn't detailed on that screen.

WarfireX posted...

Does my HDD truly need to be formatted? I have years of files on it.

Like I said in my original post, my instructions are assuming you have everything backed up properly on a usb. If you didn't do that before reinstalling Windows this last time then you took a big risk and I'm shocked installing accidently Windows on the HDD didn't format and delete everything on that HDD. Normally OS installs will format a drive before installing on it.

Get a flash drive or external drive and backup everything you care to keep before reinstalling again. Backup anything that doesn't require installs like photos, video, docs, non-cloud save game files, etc. Don't backup installed things like apps/programs and games. Install OS on SSD, format HDD, reinstall games and app, copy files from usb back over to HDD.

BlazinBlue88 posted...

Like I said in my original post, my instructions are assuming you have everything backed up properly on a usb or whatever. If you didn't do that before reinstalling Windows this last time then you took a big risk and I'm shocked installing Windows on the HDD didn't accidently format and delete everything on that HDD. Normally most OS installs will format a drive before installing on it.

Get a flash drive or external drive and backup everything you care to keep before reinstalling again. Backup anything that doesn't require installs like photos, video, docs, etc. Don't backup installed things like apps/programs and games.

Good advice then. It's only a matter of time before I lose everything if I don't.

WarfireX posted...

Good advice then. It's only a matter of time before I lose everything if I don't.

I'm in IT and am just as bad about backing things up. Don't wait to learn that lesson after you lose everything. You lucked out this time and it should be enough of a wake up call.

Personally I'd take my time and back up what you want to save on an external drive and then go ahead and format the HDD. If the HDD is old? It may not have a lot of life left in it, you're setting yourself up for disaster if you don't back it up soon.

Always remember that an HDD has a lot of moving parts that are prone to failure.

Backing up to a USB is a good idea, but depending how the size, Id also suggest a cloud storage like OneDrive or Dropbox. They have free tiers with a few GB, which is enough for a lot of documents, but not a lot of photos and whatnot. Nothing wrong with the USB backup but a cloud storage provider will have a lot more robust procedures in place for keeping the files safe.

Kloe_Rinz posted...

Backing up to a USB is a good idea, but depending how the size, Id also suggest a cloud storage like OneDrive or Dropbox. They have free tiers with a few GB, which is enough for a lot of documents, but not a lot of photos and whatnot. Nothing wrong with the USB backup but a cloud storage provider will have a lot more robust procedures in place for keeping the files safe.

It really depends on what TC needs to back up, but yeah it's something to consider.

A fresh reinstall will hump Windows Update immediately.