Help with disk identification please

[bluenose1940]

I would like to post an image here of the set up of the hard drives in my computer.

I have taken a screen print from within Macrium Reflect and have uploaded it to Photobucket. What I don't know is which of the various options to click on in Photobucket in order to get it into this thread along with my questions.

Can anyone help me please. many thanks.

 

[crazyman143]

Photobucket should give you a "Direct Link" option for your picture upload. Use the little picture icon in a new post and paste that link in.

Generally, you can distinguish hard disks by the unique serial number on printed on the label. For Example, mine is "WD50 00A AKX-08U6A A0". This number will be shown in Macrium Reflect as well.

 

[bluenose1940]

Thank you crazyman143, hopefully this will have worked OK.

I am getting on in years and the old memory lets me down from time to time. Some time ago I fitted an SSD into my pc purely for the O/S and programmes, I then used the original hard drive for all of my files and data. I don't put any data stuff on the same drive as the programmes and O/S, this enables me to do a 'clean install' of the O/S from time to time, in order to keep things tidy and to get rid of any rubbish that I no longer want/need.

The problem that I now have in identifying the drives revolves around the fact that I have created some partitions and, I am having a job to get my head round exactly what I did do. I'm not too sure if anyone will be able to tell me either, just from looking at the screeprint.

Any thoughts anyone? Many thanks in advance of any help.

if the picture icon doesn't work, perhaps this link will get you there :-
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx258/bluenose1940/Computer/Disk List_zpskshpwvvl.png

 

[crazyman143]

Based on your screenshot I can see that you have your drive C: on your Samsung SSD. your 1TB western digital has a lot going on. Looks like maybe you intended to copy J to K as a backup. (I wouldn't recommend that, as 2 copies on the same drive isn't a backup.) The 2 remaining partitions on this drive, are dell recovery partitions.

Delete the dell partitions if you don't need them. I usually just setup the OS from scratch anyway. I'd slim down to 2 partitions on the 1TB. Use one for personal files, one for periodic image backups of your SSD (OS/Programs).

Your external drive is smaller (300GB). Do regular file backups of the personal data to the external drive. Say there was a fire or something, you can grab the external and go.

 

[bluenose1940]

When I do any work, say with Word or Excel, I always save this to the 'M' drive, this is where all of my personal files/folders/data is held. This is the external drive.

I really don't know what is on 'J', I have a feeling that this is a backup of the 'M' drive. I definitely wouldn't do a backup on the same drive as the original stuff is held.

Do you think that I have made two partitions on the SSD, and if I have, why would I do that do you think? There is only 43GB of part1 unused and so again I'm not sure what is on there. I assume that Part 2 is the O/S and the programmes, am I correct in thinking this, is there an easy way to check?

I think that I have tried to delete the Dell partitions previously but I seem to remember that it wouldn't allow me to do it.

The 'L' drive is obviously a backup of the O/S and programmes.

Thanks again for being so helpful.

 

[crazyman143]

The two partitions on the SSD are your operating system, which you can leave alone.

Possibly you created the partitions J and K on the 1TB drive, I'm not sure.

I would not work off of the external drive. A usb connection is a lot slower/ not as reliable as the internal 1TB drive. You'd be better off transferring your personal files to the 1TB, and just using the external to back up that data.

Once you are sure what you want to do, you can use a program like easeus partition master (Free) to make any partition changes.

Edit: To answer your question about checking what is on the partitions, you should be able to just browse them in "This PC". All of the relevant partitions have drive letters and should be visible there.

 

[bluenose1940]

Yes I thought that you might say that about the external drive. How would I get all of the data from the 'M' drive onto the 1TB jobby? It would take a very long time I would have thought. Would I have to do it in batches of 'Copy and paste? or is there a faster way?

 

[crazyman143]

After you figure out how you want to partition the 1TB drive, I would just copy and paste the whole thing. Yes it might take some time, but it should work.

 

[bluenose1940]

After you figure out how you want to partition the 1TB drive, I would just copy and paste the whole thing. Yes it might take some time, but it should work.

Hi again crazyman143, Is there anything to be gained from swapping the 1TB drive to an SSD type. I mentioned earlier that I had installed one for my O/S and it is very quick.

If I did do the swap, I could use the 1TB jobby as a backup drive.

Your thoughts would be appreciated. Many thanks.

 

[crazyman143]

You may notice some performance increase when working with the files on that drive if it were an SSD. But it wouldn't be significant enough to justify the cost of an additional SSD. It's commonly done just as you have it, with the OS/Programs on the SSD and personal files on a regular drive.

You could use the external drive to make backups of both the SSD and the 1TB drive. I would take full images of the SSD so that you can restore a functional operating system in case of failure. And I would do file backups of the data drive. Depending on the amount of data you have you might need to upgrade to a bigger external in order to do it that way.