Moving FSX to a different hard drive

[zk2704]

I am now considering of moving my FSX to my secondary D:/ drive from my primary OS C:/ drive despite space issues on the primary C:/ drive, memory issues and of course a lot of CTDs without having to reinstall FSX.

My main C:/ drive has around 11 GB free of the total 133 GB whilst my secondary D:/ drive has 79.6 GB free of the total 89.6 GB.

BTW I don't seem to know much pros and cons to this.

Any advice is appreciated

Zain.

[Ian Warren]

You would be best go to your D: drive, you really want to keep a lot more space on your C:OS drive, swap file and sorts for memory and a smoother running PC.

[omitchell]

If your on a desktop PC I would suggest looking at throwing in a new HDD as space seems to be at a premium on your computer. You can get Western Digital Blue 1Tb's for around $85 bucks these days

[zk2704]

QUOTE (omitchell @ Nov 13 2014,7:40 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If your on a desktop PC I would suggest looking at throwing in a new HDD as space seems to be at a premium on your computer. You can get Western Digital Blue 1Tb's for around $85 bucks these days

Thanks for the suggestion, but my computer is a laptop. So that is not possible for me I'm afraid

QUOTE (Ian Warren @ Nov 13 2014,7:00 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You would be best go to your D: drive, you really want to keep a lot more space on your C:OS drive, swap file and sorts for memory and a smoother running PC.

Thanks for that tip Ian, will try soon.

[emfrat]

Zain -
These days 133GB is considered quite small, even very small storage space, because of "software bloat'. You have probably noticed that FSX sceneries and planes are huge files; that is because texture files have grown to provide more detail.
2048x2048 textures are 4 times bigger than 1024 ones, not twice as big, and 4096 textures are 16 times bigger.
Windows needs free space to park one lot of data while it loads up another, so it makes a swap file and usually takes 10% of the unused space on the HDD for that. Once your HDD is down to the 10% free space mark, there is not a lot of room left to shuffle big files around, so everything will slow down, and the 'poota may even fall over.
I suggest you get an external HDD big enough to hold all your FSX stuff, backup to that, then uninstall your D: and replace it with a 1TB HDD, as Owen suggests.
Uninstall your FSX from C:, and make a new install to your new D:, just the basics with whatever SPs you have. Start this barebones install to make sure all is well in the Registry, then copy/paste your Addon Scenery and SimObjects to the new install. You will probably need to do the same with other folders like Effects, Gauges, and Sound.
I live on the other side of the ditch, so I can't pop round and do it for you - but I am sure other members would be willing to help.

[zk2704]

I don't need any help, its alright. Having being thinking about it for weeks, I think it's the best idea to move it to the D: drive. At least the size of my FSX files totals around 28 GB, it will save a lot of space on my OS C: drive, and will include other benefits like

* Less CTDs
* Smoother running PC (as what Ian said)
* Better FPS
* More Memory space (also as what Ian said)
* More room for addons like PMDG products etc.

Mike, A external HDD might be a good idea, but as my D: drive has a lot of free space (78.6 out of 89.6), It would be a worthwhile moving it there. Or unless if my D: drive gets filled up by a mammoth, I will consider that idea.


However, I haven't yet did this due to me being busy with other stuff like exams, etc.

Thanks for the advice guys.

[omitchell]

QUOTE (zk2704 @ Nov 22 2014,7:09 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Mike, A external HDD might be a good idea, but as my D: drive has a lot of free space (78.6 out of 89.6), It would be a worthwhile moving it there. Or unless if my D: drive gets filled up by a mammoth, I will consider that idea.

Thanks for the advice guys.

I'd seriously consider this advice Zain. It doesn't take long these days with the newer HD addons for FSX both scenery and aircraft to chomp into that space very quickly. My current FSX install is over 250Gb in size and is literally parked on it's own new HDD. Being a desktop it's an internal, but you're on a laptop so the external HDD is a good option as Mike suggested. 78Gb these days can vanish in a blink of an eye (EG: All ORBX scenery installers before install add up to around 120Gb total size so imagine those expanded, even if just the territories which are about 80Gb expanded just for those, not including airports or anything else...). Aerosoft now have a London Heathrow scenery at 4.61Gb just for the installer. The files ain't getting any smaller. Not too sure what the compression ratios on installers are getting to, maybe Rob can answer that but space is premium real estate...

[zk2704]

Ok then. Well, as I am planning to get the PMDG 777 and the 737 NGX, Aerosoft Airbus Extended and GSX, I will see how it goes.

If it becomes too full, I will then get a external HDD, I suspect that they cost around $80-$100 so I might have to budget my wallet to buy one 1TB external HDD.

Now days, I know that files are getting bigger day by day, that now days, my 2 HDDs are quite small to fit all that software. So after getting those addons, my next idea is getting a external HDD, or unless if they are too big, I will take the external HDD as a high priority.

[Ian Warren]

QUOTE (zk2704 @ Nov 23 2014,9:44 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ok then. Well, as I am planning to get the PMDG 777 and the 737 NGX, Aerosoft Airbus Extended and GSX, I will see how it goes.

To run those with any reasonable performance, I believe a new computer is going to be required, last thing you want to do is by these super packages, the software and find the laptop is simply not going to do the job , for example just the base pack for the Captain Simulation series 100/200 Boeing 737 is 630MB for example, I don't have the NGX/747 currently installed but not only are they large files but also requires a good system.